Dr. Ricardo Oliveira, director of the Pro matre hospital's maternal program and director of the Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Rio de Janeiro at the hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil has an extraordinarily high rate of cesarean births at 44%, according a recent Health Ministry study. Experts say that the rate is due to "cultural" factors as well as from pressure from private hospitals, which need to justify investments in technology. In a recent study published in the June 2008 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology , Cesarean delivery was associated with an increased risk of complications in a subsequent pregnancy. (Australfoto/Douglas Engle)

Dr. Ricardo Oliveira, director of the Pro matre hospital's maternal program and director of the Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Rio de Janeiro at the hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil has an extraordinarily high rate of cesarean births at 44%, according a recent Health Ministry study. Experts say that the rate is due to "cultural" factors as well as from pressure from private hospitals, which need to justify investments in technology. In a recent study published in the June 2008 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology , Cesarean delivery was associated with an increased risk of complications in a subsequent pregnancy. (Australfoto/Douglas Engle)