Diane Hughes: The need for control.
Ashley Hill: Scheduling issues.
Diane Hughes: Help at home.
Ashley Hill: Sexual dysfunction.
Diane Hughes: Fear of pain.
Jennifer Matthews: They're all reasons women choose to have a Cesarean section when they don't medically need one. Twenty-four-year-old Katia Varela is one of those women.
Katia Varela: I didn't want to have a regular natural birth because of the pain.
Jennifer Matthews: OB/GYN Ashley Hill delivered seven babies today -- three of them by C-section. But he doesn't believe a fear of pain should be a deciding factor.
Ashley Hill: You can get an epidural at the snap of a finger.
Jennifer Matthews: It's the pain after a C-section that OB/GYN Diane Hughes, says some women don't consider.
Diane Hughes: Some women have residual pelvic pain for the rest of their lives.
Jennifer Matthews: Hillary Jones' pain is gone, but she knows first hand, it's not easy to recover from a Cesarean.
Hillary Jones: It was painful. I think it was hard, and fortunately I had a lot of help.
Jennifer Matthews: Hillary believes the pain was worth it for peace of mind. She didn't want to risk more serious problems that can happen during natural childbirth.
Ashley Hill: A lot of ladies are very afraid of having urinary incontinence or probably what's worse, fecal incontinence.
Jennifer Matthews: Another concern is sexual dysfunction. But women who choose a C-section put themselves at higher risk of infection, anesthesia complications, and an increased risk of dangerous bleeding during future pregnancies. These risks make C-sections more expensive. On average, they cost $10,000 to $15,000. A natural birth costs roughly $2,000 to $4,000.
One thing both doctors agree on-
Diane Hughes: This is major surgery.
Ashley Hill: The C-section is a major operation.
Jennifer Matthews: And a decision that should not be made lightly. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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