VBAC Facts » Uterine Rupture

The best compilation of VBAC/ERCS research to date

Jen Kamel — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:11:55 +0000

“There is a major misperception that TOLAC [trial of labor after cesarean] is extremely risky” - Mona Lydon-Rochelle MD, March 2010. "In terms of VBAC, “your risk is really, really quite low” - George Macones MD, March 2010. Both Drs. Macones and Lyndon-Rochelle are obstetricians and researchers who made these statements at the 2010 NIH [National Institutes of Health] VBAC Conference. Now you may think, "Wait a sec. Everything I've heard from my family, friends, and medical provider is how risky VBAC is and how cesareans are the conservative, prudent, and safest choice." Why the discrepancy between the statements of these two doctor researchers and the conventional wisdom prevalent in America? [...]

Confusing fact: Only 6% of uterine ruptures are catastrophic

Jen Kamel — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:47:55 +0000

How many times have you heard "Only 6% of uterine ruptures are catastrophic" or "Uterine rupture not only happens less that one percent of the time, but the vast majority of ruptures are non-catastrophic?" But what does that mean? Does that mean only 6% of uterine ruptures are "complete" ruptures? Result in maternal death? Infant death? Serious injury to mom or baby? This article will explain to you the difference between uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence as well as explain the source and meaning of the 6% statistic. [...]

Confusing math misleads women on uterine rupture and mortality risk

Jen Kamel — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:25:50 +0000

VBAC Facts reviews a blog post that shares a study on VBAC along with statistics the blogger calculates, many of which misrepresents the risk of uterine rupture and infant mortality during a VBAC attempt demonstrating why it is important to not only know the source of the statistics, but also know that the blogger can do simple math. [...]

Myth: Unscarred mom induced as likely as VBAC mom to rupture

Jen Kamel — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:32:44 +0000

Update 1/20/12 – Someone who believed this birth myth to be true, told me that the source of this information was an OB from St. Louis who presented at the 2011 ICAN conference. I contacted ICAN and they said that the person must be referring to Dr. George Macones. Yet, no one on the ICAN [...]

Myth: Unscarred mom induced as likely as VBAC mom to rupture

Jen Kamel — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:32:44 +0000

Birth intervals & uterine rupture aka how long to wait to VBAC

Jen Kamel — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 04:58:37 +0000

Suzanne recently left this comment in response to the article, I’m pregnant and want a VBAC, what do I do?

Hi. I’m new to your site and just trying to get some more info on VBAC. My daughter was a normal vaginal delivery. My second pregnancy(a surrogate pregnancy) was also a normal vaginal delivery. My [...]

Lightning strikes, shark bites & uterine rupture

Jen Kamel — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:24:53 +0000

When someone understates the risk of UR, I think it’s just as important the clarify as it is when someone overstates the risk. How else are women to make an informed decision? Just as it’s plain wrong for an OB to tell a woman with one prior low transverse cesarean that she has a 20% [...]

Placenta accreta – a risk of cesarean section

Jen Kamel — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:23:11 +0000

There is this idea that if you don’t VBAC and you schedule a repeat cesarean, that you will be safe from complications. This is because during a “VBAC counsel,” women are often told of the risks of VBAC, namely uterine rupture, but they are rarely told the risks of repeat cesareans in their current and [...]

VBAC Class Bibliography

Jen Kamel — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:21:30 +0000

Below are the sources I used for the VBAC Class given on March 20, 2009. More classes are in the works, so keep checking back, subscribe, or become a fan on Facebook.

Many of the studies measure multiple items – uterine rupture, VBAC success, etc. – but I categorized them by the topic that I [...]

If VBAC is reasonable, why does my OB say it is dangerous?

Jen Kamel — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:10:25 +0000

This is a question that I’ve heard a lot.

Here is the three second answer: VBACs got a bad rap in the 1990s before we understood the increased risk of rupture during an induced VBAC labor, especially with Cytotec. Even if your OB is supportive, s/he may be under pressure from hospital administrators, or other [...]

Study Finds VBAC "As Safe" As Repeat Cesarean

Jen Kamel — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:09:13 +0000

Note: I wrote this in early 2006 before I had my VBAC at home in November 2007.

As someone who is planning a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) with my next child, I am always reading the latest research studies about the risks of VBAC vs elective repeat cesarean section.

All the studies I have [...]

Predicting uterine rupture by uterine thickness via sonogram

Jen Kamel — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:30:10 +0000

A couple weeks ago Virginia from Switzerland left this comment:

I am planning to have a vbac at a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. In general, they are very supportive of vbacs here.

It is common practice here to measure the uterine scar at 37 weeks using a sonogram. Apparently, if the scar tissue is 3.5mm [...]

Comprehensive chart on uterine rupture measuring multiple variables

Jen Kamel — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:12:46 +0000

This article entitled Uterine Rupture in Pregnancy from eMedicine dated January 2008 is a gold-mine of information about uterine rupture. Below is a chart which is a compilation of studies from the 1930s to 2002. I really wish they would update this to include the studies performed in the last six years.

This part [...]

VBAC vs. Repeat Cesarean by the American Academy of Family Physicians

Jen Kamel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:16:25 +0000

This is a great piece for deciding between VBAC and repeat cesarean. Those who wish to VBAC, but have husbands, family, and/or friends who don’t understand why, might find this document very useful. I have found that people who are anti-VBAC really seem impressed by what doctors and medical organizations have to say, so I’m [...]

Uterine rupture is SO not worth it for a VBAC

Jen Kamel — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:09:29 +0000

It’s an unfortunate reality that a lot of people believe:

1. If you have a cesarean, your baby will be born healthy.

2. For a woman with a prior cesarean, you are not at risk of uterine rupture until labor begins.

The reality is…

1. There are no guarantees regardless of how your baby is [...]