Turning the baby: external cephalic version
An option that is often not offered at all.
If your baby is breech near term, a doctor can try to turn it head down by pressing on your abdomen. This is called external cephalic version.
Pooled data across 84 studies and 12,955 attempts give a success rate of about 58%, a complication rate of 6.1%, serious complications in 0.24%, and emergency cesarean in 0.35% of attempts. Randomized trials show version reduces the chance of a non-head-down birth and reduces cesarean delivery.
58%
Attempts that succeed
Pooled, 84 studies
6.1%
Any complication
Pooled, 12,955 attempts
0.24%
Serious complication
Pooled, 84 studies
The disclosure gapMany women are told their baby is breech and scheduled for a cesarean without ever being offered a version attempt. If you are in this situation, ask directly whether version is available and, if not, why not.
Where this comes from:
281. Hofmeyr GJ, Kulier R, West HM. External cephalic version for breech presentation at term. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(4):CD000083.
282. Grootscholten K, Kok M, Oei SG, Mol BW, van der Post JA. External cephalic version-related risks: a meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;112(5):1143-1151.
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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.