THURSDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- A woman's risk of serious maternal morbidity -- including placenta accreta and hysterectomy -- rises with an increasing number of Caesarean deliveries, according to a report in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Robert M. Silver, M.D., from the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, and members of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network conducted a prospective observational study of 30,132 women who had a Caesarean delivery without labor in 19 centers from 1999 to 2002.
The investigators found the presence of placenta accreta significantly increased with the number of Caesarean deliveries, with a maximal rate of 6.74 percent in women with six or more repeat Caesarean deliveries. Similarly, a requirement for hysterectomy increased progressively with the number of Caesareans, reaching a maximum of 8.9 percent in women with six or more.
"Because serious maternal morbidity increases progressively with increasing number of Caesarean deliveries, the number of intended pregnancies should be considered during counseling regarding elective repeat Caesarean operation versus a trial of labor and when debating the merits of elective primary Caesarean delivery," the authors conclude.
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