Second birth uterus rupture risk increases after Caesareans

The risk of experiencing a ruptured uterus during childbirth is increased 50 times if the mother has already had a Caesarean section.

A new study by researchers at Emory University in Atlanta in the US and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden polled more than 300,000 Swedish women.

The scientists found that the condition occurred in nine in every 1,000 mothers who had chosen to have a vaginal second birth after having a Caesarean section for their first.

Melissa Kaczmarczyk, of the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University, said: "We found that previous Caesarean, induction of labour and high maternal age significantly increase the risk of uterine rupture.

"This is of particular concern due to a rise in the presence of these factors within the pregnant population."

"The link between a prior Caesarean section and uterine rupture during subsequent delivery warrants very careful management of pregnancy and labour so that early signs of difficulty can be speedily detected," added Professor Philip Steer, editor-in-chief of BJOG, the journal in which the study was published.

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