Japan Doctors Urged to Stop Calling Births “Abnormal Delivery
The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology has asked doctors to stop labeling births 'normal' or 'abnormal' when speaking to mothers. The health ministry has already changed its wording in benefit notices and plans to ask private insurers to follow.
The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology has called on doctors to generally avoid the term "abnormal delivery" when speaking to expectant and new mothers, out of concern that it could cause distress, according to a report published November 12, 2026. Japan doctors urged to change their wording are being asked to describe specific delivery methods instead.
The society presented the policy to the health minister and the minister in charge of children's policy in late October.
The term has been used for cases including caesarian sections and vacuum extractions. It does not necessarily indicate a medical problem affecting the mother or baby. It has also been used to classify deliveries for health insurance purposes.
The society said doctors should describe specific delivery methods and procedures rather than label births "normal" or "abnormal."
It also asked doctors not to use "natural delivery" to mean vaginal delivery. The wording, it said, could suggest that other methods are unnatural.
Doctors should explain that cesarean sections and other interventions are only medical responses to protect mothers and babies, the society said. They are by no means a measure of a mother's efforts or her experience of childbirth.
If an emergency prevents a full explanation, the society said doctors should offer to discuss what happened with the mother after the birth. Medical records and other documents should also specify diagnoses, delivery methods and procedures.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said it has already replaced "abnormal delivery" in notices on childbirth and childcare benefits. It now uses terms such as "deliveries involving treatment covered by health insurance." The ministry also plans to ask private insurers to follow the move.
Akihiko Sekizawa, the society's vice president, told the health minister that replacing the term with specific diagnoses or procedure names would not hinder diagnosis.
The society surveyed its own members online in July. Of the 1,383 respondents, 33.9 percent said they sometimes used "abnormal delivery" when speaking to expectant and new mothers.
They most often used it to explain insurance coverage, costs and official classifications of deliveries. Some 82.4 percent supported avoiding the term in principle in such conversations.
