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Caesarean sections are generally regarded as safe - so much so that obstetricians say they opt for them more often because of the fear of litigation if they do not. However a study from the UK may make women and their doctors question this. Caesarean sections are generally regarded as safe - so much so that obstetricians say they opt for them more often because of the fear of litigation if they do not. However a study from the UK may make women and their doctors question this. Now it isn't an easy area to study. One of the most obvious reasons is that women having a caesar tend to have higher risk pregnancies than average. But even so, one known consequence in subsequent pregnancies is a risk of placental abnormalities, such as the placenta breaking away or growing over the outlet to the uterus. A group in Britain investigated 120,000 second births and found a very small but statistically significant risk of unexplained stillbirth in women who'd had a section first time around. The background risk was one woman in every 2000 and it rose to two in every 2000 if they'd had a caesar. A commentary from an Australian expert in this field wondered what women should do with this information since the risks were very low. It is unknown whether a repeat caesarean section will avoid the problem, but it does reinforce that the medical procedures we presume safe aren't necessarily so, and the risk/benefit equation is important.
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