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Back to #410 ‒ The biology of pregnancy: physiologic adaptation, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, childbirth, and long-term maternal health | Kathryn Gray, M.D., Ph.D., with Kathryn Gray.

Why Did Cesarean Births Triple in America?

C-section rates in the United States increased dramatically from ten percent to thirty percent over the last fifty years. Different drivers explain the three X increase. Pregnancies are higher risk than they used to be. An increase in maternal obesity has raised the number of larger fetuses or cases where labor does not progress normally. The switch to continuous fetal monitoring during the active phase of labor in most hospitals leads to more C-sections when the tracing is not reassuring.

Once a patient has one C-section, the patient is more likely to have another one. Multiple C-sections increase the risk for abnormal placentation in the next pregnancy. The specific issue is placenta accreta spectrum where the placenta invades abnormally into the uterus during pregnancy and the placenta does not come out after the baby.

A lot of focus exists on trying to decrease the number or avoid any further increase.

Transcript

#410 ‒ The biology of pregnancy: physiologic adaptation, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, childbirth, and long-term maternal health | Kathryn Gray, M.D., Ph.D. ·

The Peter Attia Drive

More from this episode

  1. How Did Genetics Find the Cause of Hyperemesis Gravidarum?Genetics provided great insight into hyperemesis gravidarum by flagging the GDF15 gene as really important in driving the condition.
  2. How Much Does Plasma Volume Rise in Pregnancy?Plasma volume starts expanding immediately in pregnancy and is increased by 50% by 28 weeks.
  3. Why Take Prenatal Vitamins Before You Plan a Pregnancy?Folic acid must be at adequate levels prior to conception.
  4. Why Is Insulin the First Medicine for Gestational Diabetes?First line treatment for gestational diabetes consists of dietary modifications along with nutrition consultation and glucose monitoring in women who…
  5. Why Does Every Pregnant Woman Become Insulin Resistant?It is not an oversimplification to say that every woman has to become insulin resistant during pregnancy because the adaptive response preferentially directs…
  6. Why Does Preeclampsia Raise Blood Pressure and Spill Protein?Kathryn Gray says both the hypertension and the proteinuria of preeclampsia come from an angiogenic imbalance.
  7. How Long Does Preeclampsia Blood Pressure Last After Birth?Hypertension from preeclampsia follows a different resolution timeline than gestational diabetes does after delivery.
  8. Do Half of Gestational Diabetes Patients Get Type Two?One panelist says 50% of patients who have gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes.
  9. Why Does a Classical C-section Carry a Ten Percent Risk of Uterine Rupture During Labor?A uterine rupture is an emergency and a surgical emergency.
  10. Can Four Centimeters of Dilation Last for Weeks?Kathryn Gray says dilation by itself does not mean a woman is in labor. People can sit at three to four centimeters dilated for weeks and not be in labor.
  11. Why Does Early Water Breaking Bring Birth Within a Week?Premature preterm rupture of the membranes at 28 weeks requires hospital admission. About half of patients deliver in the next seven days.
  12. Why Does Missing One Feeding Make Lactation Not a Good Form of Birth Control?Most women possess the physiologic capacity to produce breast milk. Breastfeeding requires a maternal and neonatal partnership.
  13. Why Did Pregnancy Amniocentesis Become Much Less Common?One panelist says the number of invasive pregnancy procedures, including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, has decreased.
  14. Why Do Contractions Cause More Labor Pain Than the Head?Contractions cause most labor pain. Delivery of the head forms only a thirty second part of labor while contractions continue for hours.

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