Can I get pregnant again after 1 year of caesarean section?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. Nguyen Anh Tu - Doctor of Obstetric Ultrasound - Prenatal Diagnosis - Obstetrics Department - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Women who give birth naturally will have a faster recovery rate than women who have a caesarean section. However, not all mothers give birth naturally, and many women choose or are forced to have a caesarean section. So, can I get pregnant again after a cesarean birth, this is the question of many women who "break the plan" to get pregnant 1 year after a cesarean section or want to give birth in the first year.

1. Can I get pregnant again 1 year after cesarean delivery?

The distance between two births is very important, directly affecting the health and safety of both pregnant mother and fetus. After 1 year of cesarean section, whether or not you can get pregnant again is a problem that many pregnant women are interested in learning. Normally, after having a cesarean section at the first birth, most mothers will tend to have a cesarean section for the second time. However, getting pregnant too soon after the first cesarean section can cause the mother to face many problems. Under certain dangers, it is best to leave a gap long enough for the incision to heal.
In fact, getting pregnant again 1 year after cesarean section is not an uncommon situation. It is not necessary for all pregnant women to fall into this category to have an abortion. The chance of a round mother and a square child is entirely possible. However, at this time, pregnant women need to closely examine and monitor the pregnancy to see if the old incision is painful or abnormal, plan to give birth at a provincial hospital or a hospital specializing in obstetrics and gynecology - these where there are sufficient conditions to handle dangerous situations if any occur. During this time, as soon as there are any abnormal signs, pregnant women also need to quickly go to the hospital to be examined, determine the cause and have appropriate and timely treatment.
In short, can I get pregnant again after a cesarean birth? The answer is not necessarily "No", but it is completely discouraged for mothers who have had a cesarean section to have a pregnancy again too soon.

2. Possible risks of getting pregnant again too soon after cesarean section

2.1 Cracking of old caesarean section if the two pregnancies are too close to each other Especially for pregnant women who are pregnant again after a cesarean section 1 year or even less. The old surgical scar that exists in the uterus may not have completely healed, as the size of the fetus grows, the uterus must dilate, making the incision prone to rupture.
Although cesarean section during pregnancy is not experienced by all pregnant women, it certainly exists a certain high rate and usually occurs in the last months of pregnancy. Therefore, if a pregnant woman "breaks the plan", she must absolutely comply with the doctor's orders, remember the unusual warning signs to enter the hospital in time. Cracking the old incision will mainly endanger the mother.

2.2 Increase the rate of the placenta Comb Placenta is a phenomenon where the placenta is firmly attached to the uterine wall. During labor, the doctor will have to find a way to remove the placenta, which will increase the risk of bleeding during delivery and increase the risk of having to remove the whole uterus to have a pregnancy in the worst case.
2.3 Pregnancy implantation on the old scar This is a phenomenon where the fetus forms and clings to the old cesarean scar, putting the pregnant woman at risk of heavy bleeding during childbirth, in the worst case, a hysterectomy may be required after the pregnancy. to stop bleeding. It can be seen that if 2 cesarean births are too close together, the mother will face serious health risks, even life-threatening.
2.4 Bleeding from the incision during pregnancy As the fetus grows over time, the uterus of the pregnant woman will dilate, which can cause the old sutures to tear or stretch, leading to bleeding. This condition can occur as early as the second trimester or occur in the third trimester of pregnancy.

3. When can I get pregnant again after cesarean section?

According to Obstetricians and Gynecologists, to ensure safety after a caesarean section, mothers should wait at least 18-23 months to get pregnant again, it is best to have a second pregnancy after the second time. 2-3 years at most, this is the time it takes for the uterine scar to heal completely. If you are an older woman (>35), you may be able to get pregnant again a little earlier, but it is still important to consult your doctor before planning to have another baby after a previous cesarean section.

4. If the pregnancy is too close, should it be terminated or not?

Besides mothers who insist on keeping the baby, there are still many people who hastily decided to "quit" without knowing that this could be a negative and less safe option.
The problem is not only a heavy psychological burden, but also a physical danger. When the scar is still very fresh, any procedure that affects the uterus now - including "aborting" the pregnancy can be a cause of scar worse, affecting future fertility problems. . On the other hand, the existence of a scar can also increase the risk of complications during abortion, including medical abortion with drugs.

Therefore, when you miss the plan after 1 year of cesarean section and become pregnant, the most important thing is to seek the support of a reputable specialist to receive the right advice, not to give advice. arbitrarily "abort pregnancy" because the benefits do not necessarily outweigh the risks that the mother may face.

5. How to reduce the risks of cesarean section?

According to Master. Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Chien, a clinician at the Center for Reproductive Support, Vinmec Times City International Hospital:
If you have an indication for a cesarean section or a cesarean section, you should not because you choose the date and time to apply for an early surgery. . If surgery is indicated, surgery should be performed close to the due date to be better for the wound healing process. Choose a place to give birth as well as a doctor to operate on you if possible. Caesarean section is not usually a difficult technique, but there are actually difficult cases. Doctors who operate more socks will operate faster, but too fast or too long is not good. Not a doctor who cesarean section 15-20 minutes is a good one, caesarean section needs from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the case. If a doctor operates on a patient with a scar and a lot of fluid, that doctor is not doing well. Many people think, especially doctors, that the cause is due to the patient's location, but according to Dr. Chien, surgical technique plays a decisive role. At Vinmec hospital with advanced painless delivery method and a team of professional anesthesiologists and resuscitators, pregnant women will no longer have to endure painful pains. For pregnant women who have had a caesarean section, they will be anesthetized by an ultrasound machine in the treatment of postoperative pain. The most recent evaluation of pain relief results showed that: All pregnant women who gave birth by cesarean section did not have to use morphine, and postpartum pain when moving and living was almost no longer recorded.

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