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Cesarean Sections for High-Risk Births: Health, Fertility and Labor Market Outcomes

Muhlrad, Hanna LU (2018) In Working Papers
Abstract
Despite the fact that Cesarean section (C-section) is the most commonly performed surgery in a number of industrialized countries, little is known about the long-term consequences for the mothers and children involved. In this study, I use a sample of high-risk births—namely, breech births, in which the fetus is presented with its head upward instead of downward—to study the causal effect of C-sections on child health and on the health, fertility and labor market responses for mothers. Because selection into C-section may be endogenous, I exploit an information shock to doctors in 2000, in which new scientific evidence about the benefits of planned C-sections for breech births led to a sharp 23% increase in planned C-sections. Using... (More)
Despite the fact that Cesarean section (C-section) is the most commonly performed surgery in a number of industrialized countries, little is known about the long-term consequences for the mothers and children involved. In this study, I use a sample of high-risk births—namely, breech births, in which the fetus is presented with its head upward instead of downward—to study the causal effect of C-sections on child health and on the health, fertility and labor market responses for mothers. Because selection into C-section may be endogenous, I exploit an information shock to doctors in 2000, in which new scientific evidence about the benefits of planned C-sections for breech births led to a sharp 23% increase in planned C-sections. Using Swedish registry data, I find that having a C-section improves child health in both the short and long run, indicated by higher Apgar scores at birth and fewer nights hospitalized during ages 1-7. I find little evidence to suggest any significant impact on maternal health, future fertility or maternal labor market outcomes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Cesarean Section, Fertility, Maternal Health, Child Health, Birth Technology, Labor Market Outcomes, I11, I12, I38, J13, J24
in
Working Papers
issue
2018:35
pages
56 pages
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6723146d-c867-42eb-8ac3-340e4b58aecd
alternative location
https://swopec.hhs.se/lunewp/abs/lunewp2018_035.htm
date added to LUP
2018-11-26 16:17:56
date last changed
2018-11-26 16:17:56
@misc{6723146d-c867-42eb-8ac3-340e4b58aecd,
  abstract     = {{Despite the fact that Cesarean section (C-section) is the most commonly performed surgery in a number of industrialized countries, little is known about the long-term consequences for the mothers and children involved. In this study, I use a sample of high-risk births—namely, breech births, in which the fetus is presented with its head upward instead of downward—to study the causal effect of C-sections on child health and on the health, fertility and labor market responses for mothers. Because selection into C-section may be endogenous, I exploit an information shock to doctors in 2000, in which new scientific evidence about the benefits of planned C-sections for breech births led to a sharp 23% increase in planned C-sections. Using Swedish registry data, I find that having a C-section improves child health in both the short and long run, indicated by higher Apgar scores at birth and fewer nights hospitalized during ages 1-7. I find little evidence to suggest any significant impact on maternal health, future fertility or maternal labor market outcomes.}},
  author       = {{Muhlrad, Hanna}},
  keywords     = {{Cesarean Section; Fertility; Maternal Health; Child Health; Birth Technology; Labor Market Outcomes; I11; I12; I38; J13; J24}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{2018:35}},
  series       = {{Working Papers}},
  title        = {{Cesarean Sections for High-Risk Births: Health, Fertility and Labor Market Outcomes}},
  url          = {{https://swopec.hhs.se/lunewp/abs/lunewp2018_035.htm}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}