When doctors and mothers assess the risks of caesareans, they generally only think about what the risks are at the time and ignore the impact they might have five years down the line,' said ...

Women having caesareans are five times as likely to die as those who have a normal delivery, because of the higher risk of haemorrhaging and fatal blood clots after surgery. And their babies have ...

Of the 398,675 deliveries in England last year, where the method of onset of birth was known, 101,264 (25%) were caesareans – up from 23% in the previous 12 months and 13% a decade ago.

Women in England and Wales can now choose to have a caesarean even if there is no medical reason for them to do so, under new guidelines drawn up by the NHS. The directive from NICE (The National ...