title: VBAC: what does the evidence show?
abstract: Declining rates of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) are contributing to rising total cesarean delivery rates. The reasons behind the decreased utilization of VBAC are complex, but concerns about the safety of a trial of labor after cesarean are often cited. This manuscript will present a summary of existing evidence on maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes associated with trial of labor after cesarean/VBAC, and highlight findings from recent contributions to this literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Human Services, Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. signorec@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Signore
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000453:epidemiology; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D054238:Perinatal Mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D014219:Trial of Labor; D014597:Uterine Rupture / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016064:Vaginal Birth after Cesarean / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends