About one-third of babies in Taiwan were born through caesarean section (C-section), as the nation’s C-section rate increased from 35.2 percent in 2017 to a record high of 38.4 percent in 2023, with about 52,000 babies born through the procedure that year, Health Promotion Administration data showed.
The WHO recommends a C-section rate of between 10 percent and 15 percent.
Physicians said the increase in C-sections in Taiwan could be attributed to changes in pregnant women’s traits, conservative precautionary actions by physicians to ensure the safety of the mother and child, or because the parents want to select an auspicious time for childbirth.
Photo: Taipei Times
Taiwan Society of Perinatology consultant Hung Tai-ho (洪泰和) yesterday said the increase in C-sections is likely associated with advanced maternal age or obesity, as they could face increased risk of complications.
It might also be because the pregnancies were achieved through assisted reproductive technology, prompting physicians to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the mother and child, he said.
The average maternal age is 10 years older than one or two decades ago, so many women are giving birth at a more advanced maternal age, which is a high-risk category due to increased risks of complications including hypertension and diabetes, the society said.
As women who give birth at an advanced maternal age often only bear one or two children, compared with those who gave birth to four or five children through natural delivery in the past, the low birthrate also reduced the natural delivery rate, and in turn the C-section rate increased, it said.
Moreover, with advanced assisted reproductive technology, women who are giving birth at an advanced maternal age might have gone through many difficulties to achieve the pregnancy, and might be more concerned about the health of their baby and are more willing to go through a C-section, it said.
In vitro fertilization can also increase the chance of multiple births, which can lead to an increase in the C-section rate, it said.
Meanwhile, some parents want to select an auspicious time for childbirth, but physicians would usually ask them to pick a time after 38 weeks of pregnancy, a workday and have other options prepared, it added.
Hung said there are more advantages to natural birth, including squeezing out amniotic fluid in the baby’s lungs when they pass through the vagina — reducing the risks of respiratory problems in the baby — and a faster recovery for the mother, as well as a reduced risk of infection and lower blood loss.
Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology secretary-general Huang Chien-pei (黃建霈) said medical teams usually perform a C-section only when they have assessed the risks and benefits, and that several high-risk pregnancy cases have been saved by a C-section.
Additional reporting by Hsu Li-chuan
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
RSS