Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you've delivered a baby by C-section, you might have a choice with your next pregnancy — schedule a repeat C-section or attempt vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
Years ago, a C-section ended any hope of future vaginal deliveries. But today, thanks largely to changes in surgical technique, VBAC is possible in many cases. In fact, an estimated 75 percent of women who try VBAC have a successful vaginal delivery.
VBAC isn't right for everyone, though. Sometimes a pregnancy complication or underlying condition prevents the possibility of a successful VBAC. Many local hospitals don't offer VBAC because they don't have the staff or resources to handle emergency C-sections.
- Wells CE, et al. Choosing the route of delivery after cesarean birth. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 1, 2012.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Practice Bulletins - Obstetrics. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 115: Vaginal birth after previous Cesarean delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2010;116:450.
- Berghella V. Cesarean delivery: Preoperative issues. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 1, 2012.
- Vaginal birth after Cesarean delivery: Deciding on a trial of labor after Cesarean delivery. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/Search?Keyword=vbac. Accessed March 1, 2012.
- Pregnancy: Labor and birth. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/childbirth-beyond/labor-birth.cfm. Accessed March 1, 2012.
- Smith JF, et al. Rupture of the unscarred uterus. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 1, 2012.
- Stothers L, et al. Risk factors for the development of stress urinary incontinence in women. Current Urology Reports. 2011;12:363.
- Handa VL. Pelvic floor disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 2, 2012.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 21, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on