Coimbatore tops the state in the number of women delivering through caesarean section with 41.4% undergoing the surgical procedure. While Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, tops the list in South India, the only other city that comes closer to Coimbatore is Ernakulam in Kerala, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16 data shows.
Out of the 1,009 women who were surveyed by the International Institute of Population Sciences, 41.4% had undergone a caesarean section in the city. This is in contrast to the trend in Chennai where 28.8% of the 928 women had undergone a c-section. Madurai and Trichy reflected Coimbatore's trend as they had 37% of mothers who underwent caesarean sections.
When compared to other cities in South India, Hyderabad is much ahead of Coimbatore. In the capital of Telangana 62.2% of the 830 women responded to the survey said that they gave birth to their babies through a c-section procedure. Ernakulam came close to Coimbatore with 40% c-section deliveries. In Bangalore, Mysore and Vishakapatnam, 27% to 36% women gave birth to babies through c-section.
Doctors in the city cite reasons like sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and hypertension, penchant for astrological time and the fear of labour pain among young women. "The numbers have steadily increased in the last two-three decades. With increasing information available on the Internet and rising literacy levels, young women come to know that c-section is a painless procedure. And, the fear of labour pain adds to their misconceptions," said Dr M Banumathy, head of obstetrics and gynaecology, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital.
Childbirth counsellor Dr M Harini spoke about the lack of physical exercise among pregnant woman. "Due to this, their muscle strength is poor. In normal deliveries, the vaginal muscles will not stretch properly if there is lack of exercise," she said. The rise in the number of c-section deliveries is a worrying trend for both young mothers and doctors. "Women think it is a safe procedure. There are a certain group of people who comes to us demanding specific date and time for childbirth coinciding with their best astrological time," said Dr Saveetha Panicker, professor and head of obstetrics and gynaecology, PSG Medical College and Hospital.
Dr Panicker said that a normal delivery is always safe for both the mother and the baby. "It helps in breathing and bonding of the baby. A c-section should be carried out only if it is termed medically important. For instance, the mother might suffer lot of bleeding during labour," said Dr Panicker.
Obstetricians and gynaecologists are coming out with strategies to ensure young women taking up normal deliveries. "Right from the beginning we work on creating awareness among young mothers. The idea is to maintain the existing rate," said Dr Banumathy.
Out of the 1,009 women who were surveyed by the International Institute of Population Sciences, 41.4% had undergone a caesarean section in the city. This is in contrast to the trend in Chennai where 28.8% of the 928 women had undergone a c-section. Madurai and Trichy reflected Coimbatore's trend as they had 37% of mothers who underwent caesarean sections.
When compared to other cities in South India, Hyderabad is much ahead of Coimbatore. In the capital of Telangana 62.2% of the 830 women responded to the survey said that they gave birth to their babies through a c-section procedure. Ernakulam came close to Coimbatore with 40% c-section deliveries. In Bangalore, Mysore and Vishakapatnam, 27% to 36% women gave birth to babies through c-section.
Doctors in the city cite reasons like sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and hypertension, penchant for astrological time and the fear of labour pain among young women. "The numbers have steadily increased in the last two-three decades. With increasing information available on the Internet and rising literacy levels, young women come to know that c-section is a painless procedure. And, the fear of labour pain adds to their misconceptions," said Dr M Banumathy, head of obstetrics and gynaecology, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital.
Childbirth counsellor Dr M Harini spoke about the lack of physical exercise among pregnant woman. "Due to this, their muscle strength is poor. In normal deliveries, the vaginal muscles will not stretch properly if there is lack of exercise," she said. The rise in the number of c-section deliveries is a worrying trend for both young mothers and doctors. "Women think it is a safe procedure. There are a certain group of people who comes to us demanding specific date and time for childbirth coinciding with their best astrological time," said Dr Saveetha Panicker, professor and head of obstetrics and gynaecology, PSG Medical College and Hospital.
Dr Panicker said that a normal delivery is always safe for both the mother and the baby. "It helps in breathing and bonding of the baby. A c-section should be carried out only if it is termed medically important. For instance, the mother might suffer lot of bleeding during labour," said Dr Panicker.
Obstetricians and gynaecologists are coming out with strategies to ensure young women taking up normal deliveries. "Right from the beginning we work on creating awareness among young mothers. The idea is to maintain the existing rate," said Dr Banumathy.
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