Advances in modern medicine have transformed the experience of giving birth, making it safer for women.

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/10/29/art.ricki.lake.getty.file.jpg

caption="Ricki Lake has become an advocate of natural childbirth."] Yet a recent study found that more than 2 million mothers and newborns die each year from childbirth complications. The study said that most of those deaths occurred in rural areas - and could have been prevented if there was better access to life-saving emergency procedures, like caesarean sections.

But in some parts of the world, the arguement runs, the procedure is overused and many women are going under the knife unnecessarily.

Is natural best when it comes to childbirth? Or should we take advantage of medical technology?

The World Health Organization recommends that the optimal rate of C-sections should be between 5 percent and 10 percent because of the risks associated with the procedure.

However in the United States, for example, 28 percent of babies each year are born by caesarean section.

Actress and TV chat show personality Ricki Lake is perhaps best known for movies such as "Hairspray," as well as being a weight-loss role model who went from 260 pounds to less than half of that.

Now she is also growing a reputation as an advocate for natural birth.

As a producer for the documentary "The Business of Being Born" and co-author of "Your Best Birth," Lake has questioned whether a mother should receive expensive and, in some cases, risky fertility drugs and medical procedures in order to undergo a successful child birth.

Ricki will be joining Connect The World on Monday to discuss her experiences with motherhood and childbirth.

Send us your comments and questions for Ricki and we’ll do our best to use them on Monday's show.