ArticleWomen's health (London, England)
The impact of excessive caesarean deliveries on gestational age at birth in Mexico: National-level trends, 2010-2023.
Article in Women's health (London, England). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Burden of Co-occurring Conditions and Perinatal Predictors of Epilepsy in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1015 Children From Northwestern Mexico.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- "Well, these are deeply rooted customs": a qualitative study on nutritional practices among postpartum mothers in Oaxaca, Mexico.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
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2 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundCaesarean section (C-section) rates in Mexico have risen dramatically over the past decade, reaching 55% by 2023. While life-saving when correctly indicated, excessive use may alter the natural timing of childbirth and shift population-level birth outcomes.
objectivesTo examine national trends in gestational age, birth weight and birth length from 2010 to 2023, and evaluate their association with mode of delivery.
designPopulation-based repeated cross-sectional analysis using national birth certificate data.
methodsWe analysed a 1-in-1000 random sample of birth certificates from Mexico's national registry (
resultsThe C-section rate rose from 45% in 2010 to 55% in 2023. Over the same period, full-term births (⩾39 weeks) declined from 66.5% to 57.7%, while early-term births (37-38 weeks) rose from 26.6% to 34.2%. Gestational age declined over time for both vaginal and C-section deliveries. A sharp rise in C-section rates beginning around 2015 coincided with abrupt downward trends in gestational age, birth weight, and length across delivery modes. In adjusted models, birth by C-section was associated with a reduction of 0.5 weeks in gestational age at birth (
conclusionThe rising prevalence of C-sections in Mexico aligns with a broader shift towards earlier deliveries, driven primarily by an increase in early-term births. This shift affects both surgical and spontaneous deliveries and may have long-term implications for children health.
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