MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For low-risk pregnancies, planned home births are as safe as planned birth center births, according to a study published in the December issue of Medical Care.

Marit L. Bovbjerg, Ph.D., from Oregon State University in Corvallis, and colleagues compared maternal and neonatal outcomes for planned home versus planned birth center births using two large national community birth registers, with 50,043 and 62,984 participants.

The researchers found that compared with those who planned birth center births, those who planned home births had a lower incidence of all types of transfers; however, in one dataset, they experienced more cesarean sections (adjusted odds ratio, 1.32). Planned home birth was associated with lower adjusted odds of maternal hospitalization in one dataset (adjusted odds ratio, 0.85); no association was seen with hemorrhage. Neonatal outcomes of hospitalization and neonatal intensive care unit admission were not associated with planned birthplace or suggested homebirth was found to be safer. No association was seen with intrapartum or neonatal death.

“We found evidence that outcomes from planned home births are comparable to outcomes from planned birth center births, across numerous outcomes,” the authors write. “Our findings suggest both planned home and birth center birth offer similar levels of safety in low-risk pregnancies.”

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