In one of the first studies to examine the reasons for the rising number of women delivering their babies by cesarean section, researchers found that while half of the increase was attributable to a rise in repeat cesarean delivery in women with a prior cesarean birth, an equal proportion was due to a rise in first time cesarean delivery. Among these deliveries, factors such as slowly progressing labor and fetal heart rate concerns were the largest contributors.

Source: Reasons for dramatic rise in cesarean births identified