title: [Frequency of cesarean sections in four hospitals of Mexico City: 20 years later].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article is an update of a similar study published in 1984 in which the frequency of cesarean sections practiced in four Mexico City hospitals from 1976 to 1983 was analyzed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the frequency of cesarean sections practiced in four Mexico City hospitals from 1995 to 2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from these same hospitals corresponding to the 1995-2002 period was again collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of cesarean sections in those four health care centers exceeded by far the internationally accepted standards; this frequency shows an increase, and it now accounts for twice as many operations as the number of interventions originally recorded. In 1976, 10 out of every 68 pregnancies came to end vaginally. By 2002, the same ratio was 10 out of 27.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is urgent to reduce the frequency of such a practice, as well as to reorganize the obstetric services; furthermore, the corresponding modifications in the training of such medical specialists must be done.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narro Robles
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hernández Torón
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Imaz Olguín
authors.forename: Jorge Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jesús Silva
authors.forename: Jimena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olea López
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soto Hernández
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruiz Ruisánchez
mesh_terms: D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D011247:Pregnancy