Scientists have carried out some landmark research in recent times, particularly in the area of fertility and pregnancy, and this latest finding will no doubt put many mums’ minds at ease.

 

While previous research suggested there may be a link between Caesarean-sections and children on the autistic spectrum, experts in Ireland have finally been able to disprove this.

 

A team of researchers at the Irish Centre for Foetal and Neonatal Translational Research in Cork, Ireland re-examined the original data suggesting that children born by C-section were over 20% more likely to be diagnosed with autism.

 

After going into further analysis on the data, investigating whether the subjects’ siblings were autistic also, the experts came to the conclusion that giving birth via Caesarean does not make a child more likely to be autistic.

 

 

The findings were published this week in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry, with the study pointing to genes as the determining factor in whether or not the child develops the condition.

 

Commenting on the findings, study leader Dr Ali Khashan said: “Because the association between birth by Caesarean-section and autistic spectrum disorder did not persist in the sibling control analysis, we can conclude that there is no causal association.”

 

“It is more likely that birth by Caesarean-section is related to some unknown genetic or environmental factor that leads to increased risk of both Caesarean-section and autistic spectrum disorder,” he added.

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