Reviews published in August issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing review factors affecting VBAC
An article published on sciencedaily.com earlier this week discusses the findings of 60 studies, spanning 24 years, including 700,000 women in 13 countries and hundreds of hospitals to be published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing’s August issue. Click here to read the entire release on their site. According to the article, certain induction methods including AROM (artificial rupture of membranes), prostaglandins, the use of oxytocin infusion or combinations of those methods tend to result in fewer successful VBACs. Cervical ripening agents also correlate with a lower VBAC rate compared to women whose labor begins spontaneously. The authors of the studies are able to devise recommendations for practitioners based on the findings of these studies. These recommendations include, amongst other things, that practitioners should exercise caution in inducing or augmenting the labors of women who have had previous cesarean deliveries as well as a call for evidence based decision making to increase the rate of successful VBACs.
Read the full article and comment below. What factors do you think contribute to VBACs?