To be worried that C section causes autism

[37weeks001]

Name change as I don’t want to out.

I am currently 33 weeks pregnant with second baby. My DD was born by emergency C section at 40 weeks weighing 5lbs but healthy. I have been diagnosed with IUGR as this baby is on 5th percentile. He is very active and moves around constantly so not worried about how the pregnancy is progressing and my instinct tells me he is physically ok.

However, throughout this pregnancy I have been so anxious that I could have a child with autism (history of males in family with autism), I also have anti natal depression.

I have am having regular scans because of IUGR. A consultant has today has told me that they want to schedule a c section at 37 weeks due to babies size. However last week another consultant told me that a c section before 39 weeks increases chances of autism/ADHD and learning difficulties.

The conflicting information has left me so confused. A part of me wants the c section at 37 weeks as I am getting a little fed up with the constant hospital appointments and becoming increasingly anxious with what I may be told and the other part of me thinks I should weight 39 weeks to lower risks?

WWYD?

Can you talk with the 37 wk consultant again and discuss what the other consultant said? Can you also discuss with your midwife team your anxieties as they also may be able to help?

Idiotic nonsense, worse in my opinion than MMR causing autism lies.
If a consultant really told you C-Section will increase the chances of autism I would report them for gross professional misconduct

In the U.K. consultants are very hesitant to suggest c section before term, I’d assume therefore you are being advised this as the best medical option outweighing the risks. For example, if slow growth is due to failing placenta then that is more likely to cause problems than baby coming out early. Ask to speak on the phone to the consultant and ask for the statistics on the balance of risk.

FWIW I have an autistic child who is (Very!) verbal, doing well at school and making friends. They will always be a bit different but they have a massive heart. They honestly couldn’t be more loving. There are worse things that can happen (mine was born late and naturally).

Why are you more worried about a c-section than the hereditary aspect? There is no correlation between c-sections and autism.

I was induced and gave birth exactly 37 weeks. My child does have autism but i was induced for a reason (diabetes, swine flu and liver problems) i think its much more likely the reason for an early c section or induction is the additional autism risk factor.

It’s not a spectrum as in there is a ‘worse’ and better end. That is not what it means when it refers to spectrum. This is why the term ‘high functioning’ is being phased out.

That’s simply not true. I know lots of autistic who have degrees, careers, families etc. My children are non-verbal with limited understanding of language, their social and sensory impairments have massively impacted their ability to learn, and this does not mean they have learning disabilities - it is the autism itself that is the root cause of the delays in these areas. There absolutely is a spectrum of impact from better to worse.

DT2 has had complex health issues since he was born. He was diagnosed shortly after birth with a rare condition which often affects babies with IUGR. He has suffered damage to his brain common in premature babies or those who have IUGR, and who knows if any of this could have been prevented if he had been born before he stopped moving. You are in the position where you can be prepared for an earlier birth with steroid injections etc which is a blessing - I didn’t have this as despite his dropping down centiles the IUGR wasn’t diagnosed until he was born.

Autism is not simply caused by one thing or another - as a PP suggests it’s likely a large combination of factors. DT2 has had his genome sequenced and they haven’t found any issues at all despite running many panels. Having done lots of research I suspect in our case it was genetic predisposition plus maternal vitamin D deficiency, and probably other unknown factors too.

IUGR is not something to mess around with - the impact of a baby staying in for too long when they are growth restricted can be massive. This is one situation where per term delivery is recommended because it’s safer than continuing and doctors do not recommend early delivery unless there’s a very good reason.

I had my DS at 37 weeks he was considered full-term and a bruiser.
Ask more questions on the next visit to put your mind at ease.
Good luck try not worry you'll have your little baby soon.

The issue with the spectrum giving the impression of high to low functioning is that autistic people have spiky profiles and may struggle with some things and excel at others.

As it happens I went to Cambridge but struggle with lots of other things. Sorry for the derail OP.

And some autistic people struggle with everything and don't excel in anything ,it's how it impacts a person .

There is a link between premature birth and neurodivergence - be it autism, ADHD, dyspraxia etc. But I suspect it’s also a question of premature birth increasing the incidence of autism/ADHD in children with strong genetic tendencies.

I have two kids, one diagnosed with ASD and one not diagnosed yet. One c section and one normal birth. I was very premature and strongly suspect I have undiagnosed autism and ADHD. I think my husband is autistic too (and his father).

It’s really irresponsible to say c sections cause autism, because the reality is far more complex than that.

Most people functioning in employment with autism are level 3 with no LD high cognitive functioning they can struggle.
It is a stereotypical version to many unfortunately it undermines the parents dealing with a level 1 DC with a LD and GD.
Proposed DSM-5 autism spectrum criteria includes three severity classifications: Level 1 (“Requiring support”), Level 2 (“Requiring substantial support”), and Level 3 (“Requiring very substantial support”) (American Psychiatric Association 2012)

Vaginal births, one totally 'normal'. Two autistic kids!

I have had 3 planned C sections at 37 weeks, My Dc are now 23, 19 and 15 and none of them have any traits of being autistic.

@bitheby

The issue with the spectrum giving the impression of high to low functioning is that autistic people have spiky profiles and may struggle with some things and excel at others.

As it happens I went to Cambridge but struggle with lots of other things. Sorry for the derail OP.

This exactly. I have one dd who’s doing A levels, so called ‘Aspergers’, very academic (planning on going to Oxbridge) but when it comes to life skills she is years behind, she needs support to do simple things like wash her hair, she has dyspraxia traits, she suffers with anxiety and she has some physical disabilities. My other dd is an amazing mathematician, loves science and mechanics but she needs 1;1 support, has little sense of danger and attends a specialist/secure school, doctors wouldn’t place her on the high or low end of the spectrum because academically she’s high functioning but with everything else she is severely autistic. The spectrum isn’t a simple straight line and no 2 people with ASD are the same.

Sorry OP totally derailed the point of the discussion.

I just wanted to say good luck, it sounds incredibly tough and stressful. Soon you’ll have a cuddly baby in your arms

So many factors at play. They're clutching at straws in autism.

I suspect it's the preterm delivery rather than the c-section that has been linked to altered neurodevelopment. Worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of babies born around 37 weeks show no adverse effects and the only time electively delivering a baby preterm would be considered was if the risks of keeping the baby in were thought to outweigh the risks associated with early birth. This might happen if the mum was very unwell (eg with pre eclampsia) or there was evidence that the placenta might not be working as well as it could be. For the latter, you would likely be closely monitored before any decisions about early delivery were made

I would imagine it's more to do with prematurity than the c section itself!

Thanks for the replies.

I went for a more in depth scan at the day assessment unit today, to have a look at blood flow to baby. The midwife was very experiences and knowledgable, she explained that there are two types of small babies; SGA (Small for Gestational Age) and babies with FGR (Fetal Growth Restriction). The former is a baby who grows continuously however will always be in the bottom 10% whereas FGR babies weight gain begins to decline mainly due to complications such as preeclampsia or placenta issues. SGA babies can be delivered as close to due date as possible whereas FGR babies may need to be delivered earlier. Through plotting my scans on the graph in evidences my baby is a SGA baby . Without encouragement the midwife stated there is a ‘link’ between babies delivered early (before 37 weeks) via c section (both emergency and planned) and autism, learning disability and ADHD although the increase in this risk is small. The midwife explained this is because the neurological development In the baby is disrupted and babies brains continue to develop until due date.
I understand many babies will be delivered early via c section and have no developmental needs, I also appreciate that there are babies who will be delivered at 40+ weeks vaginally and later be diagnosed with autism.

I have decided to leave my happy but petite baby cooking as long as possible .

This thread went off on a bit of a tangent, I guess it didn’t help that I used the word ‘causes’ in the title which was not helpful.

Thanks all

That is good news for you OP
Thanks for the update and the best of luck with everything.

Great news I’m sure that was a big relief!

Great news OP

Without encouragement the midwife stated there is a ‘link’ between babies delivered early (before 37 weeks) via c section (both emergency and planned) and autism, learning disability and ADHD although the increase in this risk is small. The midwife explained this is because the neurological development In the baby is disrupted and babies brains continue to develop until due date.

I still think the mode of delivery is a red herring here. Premature birth is a risk factor; it’s just that more premature births occur by c section, because if there’s an issue with the pregnancy/placenta then a c section is recommended.

There’s nothing about vaginal birth that protects a premature baby from developing autism 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, glad to hear you had some encouraging news at yourself scan.

Four generations of autistic people in my family and not one was born via c-section or premature.
Four generations of ADHD brains and not one was born via c-section or premature.

There are free courses on FutureLean about what is and what isn't autism / ADHD and what does / does not cause it.

I’m glad you had a reassuring scan and chat.

Generally a c section is only scheduled before 39 weeks for a specific reason and that reason can have its own detrimental effect on a baby rather than the method of delivery.