VBAC (TOLAC)

Back to Obstetrical Services

VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Section) is also called TOLAC (Trial of Labor After Cesarean Section). For some mothers who have had a cesarean delivery during a prior pregnancy, it may be a safe and suitable choice to try a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) with their next child. Our providers will evaluate your previous pregnancy, the indications for your previous c-section, evaluate the current pregnancy, and review the operative c-section report and how it was performed, to determine if you are a candidate.

What are the risks of VBAC?

It is unlikely to have serious complications whether you have a vaginal birth or a birth by cesarean section. In most circumstances, providers of obstetrical care believe that having a vaginal birth is safer than having a cesarean section—which is a major surgical operation.
Any woman undergoing a VBAC can have complications that might require a repeat cesarean delivery. If patients are carefully selected for a trial of labor after cesarean section (TOLAC), 60-80% of those patients may be successful.

A rare but very serious risk of VBAC is a ruptured uterus along the previous scar. As a uterine rupture can be deadly to the mother and baby, it should only be performed in a facility where an emergency cesarean section can be performed in an effort to save the baby and the mother.

What affects the success of VBAC?

Success rates for VBAC increase when a woman’s labor begins naturally with proper cervical dilation, if she has had a previously successful VBAC with a vaginal delivery, and if the medical condition necessitating a previous cesarean is no longer present.

Schedule a Visit