Third of women giving birth by c-section with main-factor seen as increasing age of first-time mothers

One-in-three Irish women gives birth by caesarean section, with the increasing age of first-time mothers seen as the main factor.

The first national report gathering together information from all 19 maternity units has also shown that epidurals were used in almost 41% of births and that just under 30% of labours were induced.

Professor Michael Turner, lead of the National Clinical Programme in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, said the report showed that Ireland’s figures across the various sections were in line with international averages, adding: “There are no alarms bells going off.”