BACKGROUND Repeat caesarean sections make a substantial contribution to the overall caesarean section rate. It is important to understand what influences women to choose this option when the alternative of attempting vaginal birth after caesarean section is available. As many such women use the internet while seeking information on their options, the aim of this study was to assess content of w...

BACKGROUND The proportion of pregnant women who have a caesarean section shows a wide variation across Europe, and concern exists that these proportions are increasing. Much of the increase in caesarean sections in recent years is due to a cascade effect in which a woman who has had one caesarean section is much more likely to have one again if she has another baby. In some places, it has becom...

BACKGROUND Caesarean section is rising in the developed world and vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) is declining. There are increased reports of women seeking a homebirth following a caesarean section (HBAC) in Australia but little is known about the reasons for this study aimed to explore women's reasons for and experiences of choosing a HBAC. METHODS Twelve women participated in a semi-s...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate by ultrasonography, the lower uterine segment thickness of women with a previous cesarean delivery and determine a critical thickness above which safe vaginal delivery is predictable. METHODS A prospective observational study of 71 antenatal women with previous cesarean delivery and 50 controls was carried out. Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasonography were used in...

AIM To validate a previously developed prediction model for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) using a Japanese cohort. METHODS We performed a cohort study of all term pregnant women with a vertex position, singleton gestation, and one prior low transverse cesarean delivery attempting a trial of labor between April 1985 and March 2010. Variables necessary for the prediction of successful VBA...

OBJECTIVE Long-term intellectual performance in breech-presented infants may be negatively affected by vaginal delivery. We evaluated the effect of presentation at birth and delivery mode on intellectual performance at age 18 years in a nationwide population study. METHODS We studied 8,738 male infants in breech and 384,832 males in cephalic presentation registered in the Medical Birth Regist...

BACKGROUND Meta-analyses of studies investigating the impact of maternal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on birth weight have not produced robust findings. Although, ante natal ETS exposure probably reduces infant's birth weights, the scale of this exposure remains unknown. We conducted a large, cohort study to assess the impact of ETS exposure on birth weight whilst adjusting for the many fa...

In 2000, 22.9 percent of all births in the United States occurred by CD. This rate is the highest total CD rate reported since data collection began in 1989. The vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rate, defined as the proportion of women with a prior CD who delivered vaginally, steadily increased from 1989 to 1996. As allowing TOL became more common, practice variation became a larger concern,...

T National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Cesarean Childbirth in 1981 and the first official publication on vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1982 concluded from the available evidence that carefully selected patients should be permitted a trial of labor after cesarean birth.1,2 Over the next decade, VBA...

BACKGROUND In 2008, over 300,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth, mostly in poor countries. While there are proven interventions to make childbirth safer, there is uncertainty about the best way to deliver these at large scale. In particular, there is currently a debate about whether maternal deaths are more likely to be prevented by delivering effective interventions through scaled u...