Repeat C-Sections Prevention : New Medical Policies

For years the policy of most hospitals has been to direct a woman to automatically have another C-Section if the child before was born after complications that required one. While this was done in the best interest of avoiding possible mistakes in future births, doctors now feel this may have been the wrong path.

A released set of guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians (ACO) has changed policy on this issue, easing the limitations OBGYN’s once faced when handling a woman with a pregnancy that ended in a cesarean.

Women who have previously had a C-Section will be able to attempt Vaginal Birth After C-Section (VBAC), a practice that occurs with only 1 out of 10 women nationally.

According to studies preceding these new rules, women who attempted VBAC were successful between 60-80% of the time, high above the minimum threshold by medical standards.

It also discounts fears that a woman who had a scar from a C-Section could face it rupturing during childbirth, in the case of a vaginal delivery. The report claimed a less than 1% chance of uterine rupture.

Women who are going to a doctor for a pregnancy after an initial surgical removal should be sure to take a copy of the new guidelines along with them, in order to reduce any chances of the doctor refusing.

The ACO hopes that with these eased restrictions, women will be able to be more informed early on in their pregnancy, so they can make positive choices in their care.

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