Healthy pregnancies can have safe , according to a new study. As such, those mothers who have low-risk pregnancies can request a C-section versus a a fare better than previous studies have suggested.

According to researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, women who would prefer to have a versus a vaginal birth can request to do so with the expectation of low complications if she has a low-risk pregnancy.

This comes in stark contrast to studies over the past decade that has stated, according to , that voluntary C-sections "have no health benefits" and that they only bring "potential harms" to the mother and the baby instead.

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The study, published in , states that voluntary C-sections are "safe delivery options for mother and baby," according to . The study also stated that planned C-sections were "associated with a lower risk of adverse delivery outcomes for both mother and baby" than when a woman has a vaginal birth.

This information is in stark contrast to studies that state there is a high risk of harm that can come to mother and baby when the choice is made to voluntarily have a .

•For example, in a study published in the journal, , the risk of maternal death is increased by 60 percent for those who choose to have a C-section when not necessary.

•A study published in the found that babies born via C-section have a "four-fold increased risk" of when compared to those born vaginally.

•Another study, published in the journal, , found that there was a risk of cardiac arrest, bleeding, and more, which was nearly five times that of those women who had voluntary vaginal births.

•Another still, published in , states that complications from "hemorrhage, surgical site infection, and venous thromboembolism" after a planned C-section are the leading factors of morbidity for women during and after delivery.

Researchers compiled information from the Better Outcomes Registry & Network in Ontario, Canada to from 2012 to 2018. According to , the included:

•422,210 babies were born to low-risk mothers

•Over 46,500 C-sections performed, with over 1,800 being done voluntarily

•The majority of those who requested the planned C-section were 35 or older

•Gained more than the recommended weight during pregnancy

•Had a high education level

•Conceived via in vitro fertilization, and more

Directly after birth, these women were not found to have had any complications, nor did their babies.

However, because the women and babies were not followed in the months and years after birth, there is not any information about the "potential long-term effects" there will be for the mother or baby, according to the study. As such, while researchers state that a planned C-section in their sample was found to be safe, that cannot be concluded with 100 percent certainty until further research is completed.

Until that time, women will need to weigh the pros and cons of having a planned C-section for themselves and their babies. And if it is a scenario that makes sense for them and their pregnancy, then they can go into the surgery with a bit less anxiety knowing that new studies may be proving that C-sections are safer than once anticipated.

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