Mississippi’s C-section Problem
Mississippi has led the nation in its rates of low-risk C-sections over the last decade despite national pressure to reduce them. While the state’s overall prevalence of these surgeries is high, a few hospitals stand out – with some reporting nearly half of women at low-risk for the surgery receiving it anyway.
Read the series
Mississippi’s C-section problem: A third of low-risk women are undergoing surgery for their first birth
Despite national pressure to reduce these types of C-sections, Mississippi’s rate has stayed high across the last decade — peaking at 32.5% in 2018, according to data obtained from the Mississippi State Health Department.
In the state with the most C-sections, these hospitals are challenging the status quo
The hospitals at these three hospitals with low rates of NTSV C-sections agree on one thing: birth takes time.
Find your hospital’s rate
Search your hospital’s C-section rate
The database shows average annual rates per hospital for first-time low-risk C-sections, first-time C-sections overall, repeat C-sections and total births.
Behind the reporting
How we reported our C-section series
Mississippi Today and The Fuller Project requested low-risk C-section data from the Mississippi State Department of Health for every Labor & Delivery hospital in the state from 2014 through 2022.
Mississippi health news you can’t get anywhere else.
The Fuller Project is the global nonprofit newsroom dedicated to groundbreaking reporting that catalyzes positive change for women. Since they launched in 2015, their reporting has influenced new legislation, helped end life-threatening practices, and led to large scale releases of public data. They report exclusive stories centered on women that otherwise would not be told. Their long-standing focus on women, especially those facing racial or other forms of bias, leads to journalism that by challenging conventional thinking inspires action.
