WHO calls for caesarean only if necessary
Last reviewed: 30.05.2018
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Now a large number of operations are performed in the world, the most common among them is considered to be a cesarean section, especially this operation is carried out in developed countries.
This operation is carried out to save the life of the mother or child, and often two at once. But recently, such an intervention is conducted without any medical indication, which can lead to serious complications, and also puts the mother and child's life at risk directly during the operation or in the future.
WHO, in its new appeal, called upon all countries to pay attention to the needs of women in each individual case and not to strive to achieve a certain plan.
Cesarean section can be prescribed if birth naturally threatens the life of a child or a woman, for example, with prolonged generic process, fetal presentation, pathological conditions of the fetus.
At the same time, such an operation can lead to death or disability.
In the mid-1980s, the international medical community decided that the frequency of such operations should not exceed 15%. According to new studies, if the frequency of surgery increases to 10%, then the death rate (childbirth and newborns) is reduced. If the indicator of operations is more than 10%, then the mortality also increases. WHO Regional Director for Reproductive Health Marlin Temmerman noted that this surgical intervention plays an important role in saving the life of both women and children. She also noted that it is important to provide all the necessary conditions for such operations to women who really need them, and in no way strives to achieve performance indicators for surgical interventions. Now, experts can not say whether the frequency of performing operations on the level of birth of a dead fetus or serious complications.
Since there is currently no generally accepted system for examining and studying data on the frequency of cesarean delivery, WHO recommends using Robson's system to better understand this area.
According to this system, every woman in labor who has entered the hospital must be classified in one of ten categories according to certain characteristics (the number of past pregnancies and the number of children, the location of the fetus in the womb, age, past operations, including cesarean, the symptoms of the onset of labor) .
This approach will allow to analyze the frequency of the operation, as in one separate maternity ward, and in medical institutions of the district, city, country.
This standardized and generally accepted information will help medical institutions that wish to improve the quality of care provided to women, as well as optimize the performance of surgical interventions. According to Temmerman, it is necessary to urge all medical communities and those responsible for making such decisions to take into account the conclusions made by specialists and to start their practical implementation as soon as possible.