Latest news and stories about maternity in Portugal for expats and residents.
The number of scheduled caesarean sections in Portugal has quadrupled, reaching 55.3% of all such procedures in 2025, according to recent hospital data. Medical experts warn that this trend exceeds the 20% recommendation from the World Health Organization and emphasize that the surgery should be reserved for cases where it provides a clear benefit to the mother or baby.
A mother for only a few days, the radio host speaks out about the harsh reality on the day of her son's birth.
A Portuguese sprinter, who became a mother this year, admits she feared that motherhood might weigh on the continuity of her career and even on contract renewals, despite maintaining her sporting goals.
An analysis of the changing landscape of childbirth and the impact of cultural diversity on birth rates within Portugal.
The RFEF announced it has reached an agreement with a clinic to fund egg freezing for players who wish to do so. The measure, however, is dividing opinions — and some consider it 'sexist'.
A baby was delivered inside an ambulance while being transported to the hospital in Bragança.
Firefighters were transporting the pregnant woman to Bragança hospital when, halfway there, near Azibo in Macedo de Cavaleiros, they were forced to deliver the baby.
The number of women giving birth after the age of 35 continues to rise in Portugal.
Men are increasingly experiencing pregnancy and childbirth more closely. In many maternity wards, they are now even allowed to stay with the mother after the birth.
For the first time the Abrantes unit exceeded the 800-birth mark: there were 823 births in 2025. Foreign mothers account for about one third of the deliveries.
The Guarda Local Health Unit recorded 517 births in 2025, an 8% increase compared with 477 babies in 2024. The rise comes in the same year that the maternity unit at Hospital Sousa Martins moved into new premises.
Almost 2,700 babies were born at Santa Maria over the past year. The institution calls it a 'historic moment'.
Births in the Centro region represent the highest number recorded in Portugal. The chair of the board of directors underlined the urgency of the new maternity hospital, which is intended to replace the two existing units.
