NIH Panel Urges Groups to Reconsider Guidelines on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

An NIH panel is urging professional societies to reconsider their recommendations around vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), noting that for many women who've had C-sections, a trial of labor is a "reasonable option" in subsequent pregnancies.

In 1999, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that a trial of labor should be performed only at facilities capable of responding to emergencies and with physicians "immediately available" who could perform a cesarean if necessary. Not all hospitals could comply with the ACOG guidelines, causing 30% to stop offering VBAC.

NIH news release

NIH consensus statement