Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/oaJHcZmrrN8   Most women are counseled to try a vaginal delivery following a previous Caesarian section (VBAC).  The latest evidence from the University of Oxford questions the wisdom of that recommendation.   More than 74,000 Scottish births over a 13 year period show that a VBAC is associated with a 7 fold higher risk of a uterine rupture, a 3 fold  higher risk of surgical injury, and a two-fold higher risk of sepsis and blood transfusion.  There is also a greater risk of stillbirth, a NICU admission, and a need for neonatal resuscitation.   If you’ve had a C-section and your OB is recommending a vaginal delivery, question carefully whether that choice is right for you.   Kathryn E. Fitzpatrick, Jennifer J. Kurinczuk, Sohinee Bhattacharya, Maria A. Quigley. Planned mode of delivery after previous cesarean section and short-term maternal and perinatal outcomes: A population-based record linkage cohort study in Scotland. PLOS Medicine, 2019; 16 (9): e1002913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pme