Test could predict which mothers will need Caesareans (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Clare Murphy
Health reporter, BBC News

A test which could stop women labouring for hours in the hope of a "normal" birth only to end up with a Caesarean section has been developed in Sweden.

Researchers have established that when high levels of lactic acid are measured in the amniotic fluid, it is unlikely the mother will deliver vaginally.

Measuring this acid could help decide whether to end a difficult labour and opt for a Caesarean earlier.

The test is being rolled out in a number of European hospitals.

Prolonged labours which end up in a Caesarean section are seen by many as the worst of all worlds.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11111506




For those who don't read the whole story, lactic acid is a metabolic byproduct that accumulates in working muscles. When the level builds up too high, the muscles begins to cramp.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. There's another test to decide whether a birth is Caesarian.

Whether the due date is around the time the obstetrician is leaving for vacation and the fee for birthing goes to another physician.

[Crunchy Frog]

2. In some hospitals in this country, 50% of women end up needing a c-section.

So a fairly reliable test is which hospital is she delivering in and who is her OB.

[BadgerKid]

3. Interesting they mention marathons and first-time mothers

because there are certain types of training (i.e., interval training and marathon training) that teach the body to tolerate higher levels of lactic acid. It would be amazing if there were a way to "train" expectant mothers for higher lactic acid levels, other than via a first pregnancy as suggested by the article.

And for the snarky, no, I'm not suggesting intense exercise for pregnant mothers.

[bemildred]

4. This is bad.

Statistical measures ought not be substituted for the judgement of competent physicians and the wishes of competent patients.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. There's the simple mechanical method.

The hole in a woman's pelvis has to be four inches in diameter. That's about 10 centimeters. If the hole is not that big, then the baby's head can't go through. Simple mechanical obstruction.

A good gyno will be able to tell if the pelvis is big enough by a pelvic exam. That's what my gyno did.

It's called "cephalopelvic disproportion". And no, I don't have a deformed pelvis or anything else. I just have a narrow ass and I'm a small woman. My kid was jammed in diagonally with a shoulder presentation. No way she could have been turned.

There was NO dropping and NO dilation, at term in active labor. Pretty easy to figure out. I knew I was going to have a C setion before I went into labor. Considering that the alternative was DEATH, and a DEAD BABY, I am grateful to modern surgery and medicine.