Quantcast Panel urges more choice in birth after C-section

A National Institutes of Health advisory panel said that vaginal birth after caesarean is reasonably safe and should be more widely available. Such deliveries once accounted for 25% of U.S. births among women with a previous caesarean delivery, but have now fallen to less than 9%. Many women would like to attempt a vaginal delivery, however, and the panel's consensus statement is expected to increase their access to the option. The panel, composed of independent experts in maternal and child health, found that although both VBAC and planned, repeat caesareans posed a range of risks and benefits, women should be allowed more choice.