Caesarian Section Increase Risk of Allergies in Children

Filed in archive Allergy: Research and Development , Living with Allergies on November 21, 2007

Did you know that delivering your baby via Caesarian section may increase your child of having allergies?

According to this article on increasing C-section rates:

While both genetic and environmental factors seem to set up a baby for a food allergy, scientists are also looking at the beneficial intestinal microbes found in the maternal vaginal tract. These good bugs are more likely to be transferred to the baby during vaginal births than during C-sections.

This doesn't mean children who travel through the birth canal are immune to allergies and vice versa. But there are risks to medically unnecessary C-sections.

Note that the mode of delivery is just one of the many factors determining a child's risks. In my case, it seems that genetics was a stronger influence; I think I did everything "right" during my pregnancy and I delivered my child via normal delivery, but he still had multiple food allergies, hay fever and atopic dermatitis. On the other hand, I know a lot of children delivered via C-section who don't suffer from any allergies at all. Still, the results from large-scale studies indicate that the mode of delivery does have an influence.