Attempting labor next time
It is possible for most women, and the decision belongs to you.
Most women with one prior low transverse cesarean are candidates for a trial of labor, and 60% to 80% who attempt it deliver vaginally.
Three things to establish well before the next birth:
- What type of uterine incision you actually have, from the operative report
- Whether your hospital offers a trial of labor at all, since in one statewide survey about 44% did not
- Your personal predicted chance of success, using the published prediction model
A successful vaginal birth after cesarean also raises the chance of success in every birth after that, and stops the accumulating risks in the table above from accumulating further.
Where this comes from:
269. Landon MB, Hauth JC, Leveno KJ, Spong CY, Leindecker S, Varner MW, et al. Maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(25):2581-2589.
287. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 205. Obstet Gynecol. 2019;133(2):e110-e127.
288. Grobman WA, Lai Y, Landon MB, Spong CY, Leveno KJ, Rouse DJ, et al. Development of a nomogram for prediction of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. Obstet Gynecol. 2007;109(4):806-812.
289. Barger MK, Dunn JT, Bearman S, DeLain M, Gates E. A survey of access to trial of labor in California hospitals in 2012. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2013;13:83.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.