I am not aware of any research to that effect. Nor does that even make sense. The median length of pregnancy, meaning half a population of healthy women who reached term would give birth before this date and the other half after it, is 41 wks 1 day in first-time mothers and 40 wks 3 days in women with prior births. So 40 wks puts you squarely in the middle of the normal range for length of pregnancy. Do you really think the process is designed that poorly? Even if what your ob says is true, which I very much doubt, it would say nothing about your ability to birth your baby. I'm afraid that what you are dealing with is an ob who doesn't really want to do a VBAC and is now looking for reasons to persuade you into repeat cesarean surgery. If this is the case, you may have a real problem on your hands because you will be depending on your ob's judgment, and if your doc prefers that you have surgery, it is easy to find a reason to do something you want to do. I think you might want to consult with someone at the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) to talk over your options for handling what could be a tricky situation for you.

Do not, by the way, agree to an induction as an alternative. Research shows that it decreases your chances for vaginal birth and a number of studies show it increases your risk of the scar giving way.

-- Henci