NIH releases findings on VBAC deliveries

The National Institutes of Health has just released the results of their NIH Consensus Development Conference on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: New Insights.

This panel was convened to discuss the rising cesarean section rate and parallel drop in Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) delivery from 1997 to 2007. The panel concludes many of the reasons for an Elective Repeat Cesarean Section (ERCS) are not medically motivated, but instead by money, fear, politics and the practice of defensive medicine.

After a review of the pertinent data, the panel indicates a VBAC delivery is “reasonable option for many pregnant women with a prior low transverse uterine incision.” The panel also recommends the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) revise their official policies regarding VBAC and make public their data surrounding both VBAC and ERCS deliveries.

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