There was a recent Huffington Post article about VBACs – Vaginal Births After Cesarean.  For the first time in a decade statistics indicate that cesarean births may be dropping – slightly.  There seems to be much debate over whether cesareans are truly safer than vaginal deliveries.  The VBAC article led me to ponder Vaginal Births After Laparoscopic Myomectomy, or VBALM.  Many women have had a myomectomy to remove fibroids.

This issue is of particular interest to me having had a myomectomy and endured the ensuing recovery time following the procedure.  I realize that each case has it’s own set of issues, but I wonder if the advisement of , “…you will need to have a cesarean…”, might become, “…let’s evaluate the possibility of having a vaginal birth.”  I ask the question too because, being sliced open AGAIN, doesn’t particularly appeal to me, and because I think that it’s very important that we know what options are available to us.

After a bit more research I found the results of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research study from 2005, showing that most of the women studied were able to deliver naturally after having a laparoscopic myomectomy.  This of course was dependent on the size of the fibroid(s) and the age of the patient – all perfectly reasonable considerations.  It seems that the NIH continued with another research panel in 2010 and found the incidence of uterine rupture for VBACs to be below 1{089f036bcf71a4101b04d04475126de09cd53d2a276176fb3b030106ba816fa1}.

I’m encouraged that there is conversation around this topic.  It’s important to ask questions regarding your health and your particular circumstances.  There are many factors that the panel raised for consideration – skill of physician, age of patient, prior medical history, etc.  Continue to be your own advocate Ladies. Inquire, and more importantly understand.

I’m not looking forward to literally crying while laughing, due to another abdominal incision, unless it’s absolutely necessary. 🙂

Be Well,

Sateria

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

-Galileo