“Bulgarian women have started giving birth to more children and this is no longer a rarity“, reported the director of “Sheinovo” Dr. Rumen Velev on the air of “Wake up” on Nova TV. According to him, families deciding on a third or fourth child are increasingly observed in “Sheinovo”. He also told about a particularly impressive case - a woman who gave birth to her 13th child at the age of 44. All births took place at the “Sheinovo“ hospital.
“Interestingly, her daughter also gave birth the day before, so the newborn has an older nephew“, the doctor noted with a smile.
According to statistics, the average age at which a Bulgarian woman gives birth to her first child is already around 30 years old, and in Sofia it even reaches 31.5. “This is a worrying trend, because later pregnancy carries more risks for both the mother's and the baby's health“, said Dr. Velev.
He explained that social factors - the desire for professional fulfillment, economic instability and the lack of support for raising children - often cause women to postpone childbirth. As a result, more and more of them are resorting to reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization.
When asked about the role of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, Dr. Velev explained that modern equipment already uses AI to analyze data such as fetal heart rate or ultrasound indicators. But he specified that childbirth - as an act - remains deeply human and cannot be fully automated.
“As long as a woman carries and gives birth to a child herself, our profession cannot be replaced. Maybe someday there will be artificial wombs, but that is a distant future“, he added.
One of the most serious topics raised in the conversation was the increase in the number of births by cesarean section. “Unfortunately, almost every second woman in Bulgaria gives birth by cesarean section - the percentage is already around 50%. This is an extremely worrying trend“, emphasized Dr. Velev.
According to him, a large part of these operations are not required for medical reasons. Among the reasons are the fears of expectant mothers and the search for less pain. “But we have to be honest - a section is not a safer or easier way. This is an operation with serious risks“, he warned.