Do you pay to go private?

A study from Ireland contributes to a growing body of evidence supporting an association of increased obstetric intervention in women with private health care cover. This is already well reported, particularly in Australia.

Women attending privately were more than twice as likely to have a pre-labour caesarean section; this finding persisted following adjustment for differences in maternal age and body mass index (BMI).

Women with private cover were also more likely to have induction of labour and significantly less likely to labour spontaneously. Women who attended privately were significantly more likely to have an operative vaginal delivery, whether labour commenced spontaneously or be induced