Too many babies are being delivered by unnecessary Caesarean section, according to an investigation by Consumer Reports.
Nationwide, nearly one-third of babies are delivered by C-section. Consumer Reports' analysis found the rate is high in many hospitals even for low-risk deliveries, that is for women who haven't had a C-section before, don't deliver prematurely, and are pregnant with a single baby who is properly positioned.
"There are situations when a C-section is the safest option," said Dr. Orly Avitzur with Consumer Reports. "But the vast majority of women who anticipate a low-risk delivery should expect to have a natural birth."
Consumer Reports analyzed data from more than 1,500 hospitals in the 22 states where data is available, including six local hospitals. The local hospitals were among the 66 percent who got low marks for higher rates of C-sections for low risk pregnancies.
"For low-risk deliveries, we found that C-section rates ranged from less than 5 percent to more than 50 percent," Avitzur said.
Among the local hospitals rated, Methodist Stone Oak had the highest rate at 30 percent. Methodist Hospital's rate was 22 percent. University Health System's rate was also 22 percent.
Baptist Medical Center's C-section rate for low-risk pregnancies was 20 percent, according to Consumer Reports. Christus Santa Rosa Health System and Southwest General Hospital each rated 18 percent.
READ: San Antonio hospitals' response to report
The data used was from 2010 and 2011.
The average rate for all hospitals in the study was 18 percent.