New study finds Caesarean sections altering human evolution

Medical advances have improved the quality and length of life for countless people around the world. While this is obviously a positive thing, human evolution changes if Darwin’s nature has less impact and Hippocrates’s modern medicine grows. For example, scientists in Austria say that the rise in Caesarean section births has helped the shape of women to evolve.

The researchers estimate that the number of babies that cannot fit down a woman’s birth canal has gone from 3 percent in 1960 to 3.6 percent today. Their explanation is that there have been a few generations of women who have a narrow pelvis size (and smaller birth canal) that have had babies via c-section. The idea being that women with a narrow pelvis would have died in childbirth more often, thus not passing the thin pelvis gene on to descendants.

“Without modern medical intervention such problems often were lethal and this is, from an evolutionary perspective, selection,” said Dr Philipp Mitteroecker, of the department of theoretical biology at the University of Vienna, in a story by bbc.com. The original research was published in the in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

While the recent narrow pelvis theory have gotten a lot of attention, there are long list of reasons why a C-section might be necessary. These include:

•· You are expecting twins

•· Better nutrition mean babies are now bigger and healthier

•· Your baby is premature

•· Your baby is breach

•· You have HIV, hepatitis or herpes

•· Your labor is not progressing

•· There is concern about the baby’s health

Whether you have a narrow pelvis or one of the other listed reasons, pregnancy is a wonderful but complicated life event, particularly when it includes surgery. If you have concerns before, during or after birth about the safety and health of the child or the mother that are not being addressed, the first step would be to get a second opinion. Prompt treatment is the quickest way to return to a normal life.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned in childbirth. If there was failure to diagnose an issue or treat an injury properly, there may be grounds for a medical malpractice suit. If you feel there is a case for lasting postpartum injury due to negligence during a C-section, or an ailment in the child that went undiagnosed but has severe ramifications, it’s wise to consult an attorney with experience in medical malpractice. They can help determine if there is a course of action to pursue.