One in three Galway births is by Caesarean section

Galway Bay fm newsroom - One in three births at University Hospital Galway and Portiuncula Hospital are caesarean sections.

The latest figures available show that 35 out of every 100 live births at the Ballinasloe hospital were by c-section.

The figure for c-sections in Portiuncula is broadly similar to UHG's figure of 34 in 100.

The National Healthcare Quality Reporting System annual report states that the rate of c-sections has increased in all OECD countries in recent decades.

The OECD suggests many possible reasons for the increase including reduced risks associated with c-sections and increase in first births among older women.