Objective: We sought to determine whether there is a difference in the rate of symptomatic uterine rupture after a trial of labor in women who have had 1 versus 2 prior cesarean deliveries.
Study design: The medical records of all women with a history of either 1 or 2 prior cesarean deliveries who elected to undergo a trial of labor during a 12-year period (July 1984-June 1996) at the Brigham and Women's Hospital were reviewed. Rates of uterine rupture were compared for these 2 groups. Potential confounding variables were controlled by using logistic regression analyses.
Results: Women with 1 prior cesarean delivery (n = 3757) had a rate of uterine rupture of 0.8%, whereas women with 2 prior cesarean deliveries (n = 134) had a rate of uterine rupture of 3.7% (P =.001). In a logistic regression analysis that was controlled for maternal age, use of epidural analgesia, oxytocin induction, oxytocin augmentation, the use of prostaglandin E(2) gel, birth weight, gestational age, type of prior hysterotomy, year of trial of labor, and prior vaginal delivery, the odds ratio for uterine rupture in those patients with 2 prior cesarean deliveries was 4.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.8-13. 2)
Conclusions: Women with a history of 2 prior cesarean deliveries have an almost 5-fold greater risk of uterine rupture than those with only 1 prior cesarean delivery.