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What women can expect from a caesarean section

2021-08-04T13:53:07.567Z


A caesarean section used to be associated with many risks. That is different today - but the procedure is not completely harmless.


A caesarean section used to be associated with many risks.

That is different today - but the procedure is not completely harmless.

30.5 percent.

Almost every third pregnant woman in Germany today gives birth by caesarean section.

This is based on figures from the Federal Statistical Office.

Too much, say some experts.

Because the caesarean section is dangerous?

Caesarean section is like a drug,

” says Prof. Frank Reister.

“It needs an indication, a dosage, it has side effects.

And right now it is clearly overdosed for society as a whole, ”explains the head of the obstetrics section at the Ulm University Women's Clinic.

However, the side effects aren't as bad as is often heard.

"Many of the worries that used to be around the caesarean section are now unfounded," says Reister.

Caesarean section today: Changed cutting technique

Above all, the cutting technique has changed: 20 or 30 years ago, cesarean sections were cut lengthways and into the body of the uterus.

"The scar is then considerably stressed during the next birth, but also before during pregnancy *," says Reister.

The risk of a rupture - a tear - was correspondingly high.

Today, this risk hardly exists when women become pregnant again after a caesarean section

.

Because doctors today open the uterus across the so-called isthmus, the transition between the body and neck of the organ.

"At this point, the stress before and during the birth is significantly lower," says Reister.

Even during childbirth, a rupture only happens in one out of 200 cases.

The loads are low

The new technology is also one of the reasons why the caesarean section is hardly a problem for the time immediately after the birth.

"

20 years ago, the caesarean section was very different from today

- women were not allowed to eat anything, there were many infusions," says Prof. Franz Kainer, President of the German Society for Perinatal Medicine (DGPM).

That is different today.

Because, of course, women should expect pain after a caesarean section

.

"And with us, the women stay in the hospital for 3 to 4 days, one or two days more than after the regular birth," says Kainer.

And Reister also says: Basically, proper physical rest is hardly necessary after a caesarean section.

"Serious problems with wound healing are extremely rare today."

Complications from a caesarean section cannot be ruled out

There is one thing women shouldn't do after a caesarean section: get pregnant again immediately.

Reister recommends a break of at least three months after the birth, or even better a year.

And can it still be a caesarean section for the next pregnancy?

Yes, say experts:

Of course, this causes the tissue to scar more and more.

"If that heals well, it doesn't look any different after two or three caesarean sections than after one," says Kainer.

"But you have to keep in mind that this always increases the risk of complications in the next pregnancy," the expert continues.

For example, after a caesarean section, the placenta may become lodged in the tissue of the scar during the subsequent pregnancy.

“In such cases, a caesarean section definitely has to be done, which are often relatively risky and complicated interventions,” explains Kainer.

There have been more and more of these in recent years because the overall rate of caesarean sections has risen.

»

This is one of the reasons why many experts still say:

A caesarean section is only the second best way to give birth

- fewer would be better, despite all the reduced risks.

For example, more midwives are needed, and better medical care in general, “so that we can find the optimal birth route for every woman.

The caesarean section rate then drops automatically, »says Reister.

Read more

: Caesarean section for no reason?

Medical guideline aims to reduce the high rates *

(dpa) * Merkur.de and 24vita.de are offers from IPPEN.MEDIA.

List of rubric lists: © Mascha Brichta

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2021-08-04

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