'Worrying' rise in birth interventions

Just 15% of low-risk women who give birth in private hospitals do so without any obstetric intervention, a large NSW study has found.

The review of almost 700,000 births shows intervention rates have increased 10% in private hospitals since 1997, compared with 5% in the public system.

A breakdown of the interventions performed in private hospitals compared with public hospitals in low-risk women having their first baby show:

• inductions - 31% versus 23%
• instrumental births - 29% vs 18%
• caesarean sections - 27% vs