Birth in the United States: an overview of trends past and present.

The picture of birth in the United States today is complex and, as the data above indicates, difficult to describe in simplistic terms. Though many women today have come to believe that there are choices surrounding pregnancy and birth, the beliefs and practices of providers, insurers, and hospital administrators play a major role in either influencing those choices or dictating how they will be manifested. On one hand, technological advances have given women greater options with regard to the outcomes of pregnancy and birth.