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Most population-based work on the effects of the rising U.S. cesarean rate has focused on acute and longer-term surgical complications associated with primary and repeated procedures. Now, investigators analyzed National Survey of Family Growth data to determine whether women who have undergone one or more cesarean deliveries are more likely than those with only vaginal deliveries to continue childbearing. The 6526 women in the study population represented 33 million U.S. women when the survey's sample weights were taken into account.
Overall, of women with at least one birth, 70% had a second delivery, 30% a third, and 11% a fourth. Young age, higher income, desired prior pregnancy, and having had only vaginal births were most consistently …