A new study was carried out by a group of Government scientists from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and National Institutes of Health showing that the number of C-section deliveries increased by 50% from the year 1996 to 2007. The caesarean deliveries currently represent one-third of the deliveries in the US.

The study, which was published in the September issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, showed that 1 in every 3 pregnant women would choose to have their first baby by a caesarean delivery. The data acquired also proved that 44% of the women going through vaginal delivery depended on induced labor, which increased their chances of leaning toward having a caesarean delivery, in relation to those who go through spontaneous labor.

The study was authored by Professor Jun Zhang, from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.

Professor Zhang said, "This has important consequences for future pregnancies, since vaginal delivery after C-section is still thought to be somewhat risky, despite recommendations by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) to the contrary”.

As many as 12 institutions across the United States contributed in conducting the study providing data of 230,000 deliveries in 19 different hospitals around the US.