QuestionHello,
I'm planning to have a fourth caesarian, but the obstretrician who did the third said that I was going to die if I were to have another one as my uterus was paper thin and asked if I wanted to have my tubes tied. I turned down that request. A year later, I told him of my plans to have a fourth child and this time he said it was possible for me to have another one so long as I don't go into labour and have another caesarian at 37 weeks, no later than that!
My question is what is the risk of my uterus rupturing in the weeks leading up to 37 weeks? I'm also thinking of staying in a high risk birth hospital for two months prior to this: would that be safer than being pregnant at home?
Sylvia
AnswerThe studies that I can find dealing with uterine rupture of a thin uterine lining all had to do with ruptures that occur during labor. I can't find any studies that measure if you are more likely to have a uterine rupture before labor. And even with labor with a thin uterine lining, the rate of uterine rupture is not high.
I'm guessing that one of the reasons I can't find any studies dealing with a paper-thin uterus rupturing before labor is that it probably is very rare.
I'm not sure how staying in a hospital for 2 months would lower your risk.
Ask your doctor what signs to be aware of that might indicate that there might be a problem.
Sincerely,
Dorothy H.
