Offspring risks of caesarean section
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation of offspring risks following delivery by elective caesarean section: an analysis of anonymised linked Scottish National Data.
IRAS ID
119908
Contact name
Mairead Black
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen & NHS Grampian
Research summary
One in four babies in the UK are currently delivered by caesarean section. Women often choose to deliver by caesarean section due to their belief that if offers the best outcome for their offspring.
This study aims to identify the risk of various conditions occurring in childhood following delivery by planned caesarean section ie with no exposure to labour. This tests the hypothesis that exposure to labour itself is necessary to maximise development of immunity, the stress response and other metabolic processes in offspring. Scottish hospital data will be used to compare the prevalence of conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, in children born by planned caesarean section with those delivered vaginally or by emergency caesarean section before labour.
The primary analysis will be performed in primiparous women. Because the largest contributing group to overall caesarean section rates are those women who have previously delivered by caesarean, a second analysis will be performed in women who have had a primary caesarean section in the past. This will maximise applicability of results in clinical practice. Conditions of interest include asthma, diabetes, special educational needs, cerebral palsy, obesity, childhood cancer and death in childhood.
A small number of studies from across the globe have suggested that these health conditions may be more prevalent in children delivered by caesarean section. These have either involved small or heterogenous populations, which have been unable to discriminate between planned and emergency caesarean delivery. No such work has been done using Scottish data, which is ideal in its completeness and structure to address these questions. The findings of the study will help inform women’s decisions when given the option of planned caesarean section. The findings may also contribute to the understanding of changing trends within each condition studied.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
13/NS/0093
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion