Statins 'may reduce Caesareans'

Pregnant women could be given cholesterol-busting drugs to help cut the number of emergency Caesareans, experts said.

High levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream could affect a woman's ability to have normal contractions, leading to a prolonged labour, they said.

Obese woman are particularly at risk and are three-and-a-half times more likely to need a Caesarean because of slow labour than women of a normal weight, a study found.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool suggested that giving statins in the last three months of pregnancy to women with high cholesterol could cut the chance of them needing an unplanned Caesarean.

Guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) last month suggested an extra 1.5 million people in England and Wales could benefit from statins.

Around four million people in England and Wales already take the drugs.

They work to lower cholesterol, cutting the chance of people suffering cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.

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