Your likelihood of success with a
vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is influenced by
various factors. Among large numbers of women, researchers have observed
that:
- If the problem that led to a previous cesarean
(such as
breech position) doesn't recur in the present
pregnancy, a woman is about as likely to have a successful vaginal delivery as
women who have not had a previous cesarean.1
- A woman who has had both a vaginal and a cesarean
delivery has a greater chance of having a successful VBAC than a woman who has
not delivered vaginally.2 Even women who have
previously had a trial of labor followed by a cesarean have some advantage in
future vaginal births.
Citations
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(2004). Vaginal birth after previous cesarean delivery. ACOG Practice Bulletin
No. 54. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 104(1): 203-212.
Cunningham FG, et al. (2005). Cesarean delivery and
peripartum hysterectomy. In Williams Obstetrics, 22nd
ed., pp. 587-606. New York: McGraw-Hill.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(2004). Vaginal birth after previous cesarean delivery. ACOG Practice Bulletin
No. 54. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 104(1): 203-212.
Cunningham FG, et al. (2005). Cesarean delivery and
peripartum hysterectomy. In Williams Obstetrics, 22nd
ed., pp. 587-606. New York: McGraw-Hill.
