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(NBC News) -- C-section rates are at an all time high in this country - a trend that has caught the eye of government health officials.
NBC's Helen Chickering takes a look at the risks and benefits of the surgical birthing option.
Debra Keelan Fuller is in her last trimester of pregnancy. She's expecting a boy and hoping for a natural delivery.
Debra Keelan Fuller: "And if things don't work out then C-section is always an option"
But today, a growing number of C-sections are elective, and it's not just doctors who are making the decision"
Nearly three in 10 U.S. women are giving birth by cesarean section -- a record number -- and more and more of them seem to be choosing a surgical birth even when there is no clear medical need, notes the University of North Carolina's Dr. Alice Chuang.
Alice Chuang, M.D., Obstetrician: "Certainly some reasons are fear of pelvic floor prolapse, or incontinent in the future sometimes it is just a fear of the pain associated with labor
Chuang notes that while the procedure is safer these days, it is major surgery and so far research is mixed about whether C-section truly prevents problems like incontinence. This uncertainty has prompted the National Institutes of Health to gather a panel of experts to sort through the research.
Dr. Duane Alexander, National Institutes of Health: "Specifically, what are the risks of cesarean delivery compared to vaginal delivery, what are the potential benefits?"
The panel findings will be made public with hopes the information will help women and their care providers make the best birth decision for mom and baby.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says it is ethical to provide elective C-section if the doctor believes it is in the best interest of the woman and her unborn child.
The Scientific Panel is expected to release it's findings Wednesday afternoon.
