Are Cesarean Sections Always Necessary with Twin Births?

Though mothers expecting twins often opt for a cesarean section, a new study shows that it may not always be necessary.

According to research conducted through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, study authors examined 2,800 women pregnant with twins across 25 countries.

The results showed that half of the participants were scheduled to have a C-section and the other half were scheduled to have vaginal births. Following the healthy births of each set of twins, researchers interviewed participants and found that only 2 percent of newborns were born with a serious problem or died. However, the study claims that the method of birth made no difference regarding the health outcome.

Fifty-six percent of women who had been planning on a vaginal delivery were able to stick to their initial birth plans. However, the other 40 percent of women wound up delivering babies by C-section based on doctor's orders and high-risk situations. Four percent delivered one baby each way.

"These results do not indicate that all sets of twins should be delivered vaginally." Michael Greene, MD said in the statement. "Obstetricians exercising their best clinical judgment delivered both twins by cesarean section in nearly 40% of the women assigned to planned vaginal delivery, which undoubtedly contributed to the salutary outcomes," he writes. "However, the results of this study suggest that a plan to deliver appropriately selected sets of twins vaginally is a reasonably safe choice in skilled hands."

Statistics show that Cesarean sections are performed in one-third of all births in the United States, with around three-fourths of all twin births. The rate of twin births is up to 76 percent since 1980 in the United States alone according to date from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More information regarding the study can be found via the New England Journal of Medicine.