How soon after a caesarean can I get pregnant?

The BabyCenter India editorial team

Our panel of health writers.

Currently, the World Health Organisation recommends waiting two years after having a baby before conceiving again, regardless of whether you have had a caesarean or not. This means ideally leaving an age gap of two years and nine months between your babies' births. And the Government's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommends ideally spacing your babies' births three years apart.

About 8 per cent of all births in India are by caesarean section. A caesarean is a major surgery and many women don't realise how long it takes to recover. You are likely to feel exhausted and very sore afterwards and it can take several months to get back to your day-to-day activities. So giving yourself a really good rest after your first caesarean can only benefit you and your next baby.

Evidence suggests that it's best to wait atleast 18 months after a your caesarean section before becoming pregnant again. The longer your scar has to heal, the better, especially if you want a vaginal birth next time.



There isn't enough research in this area, but one analysis suggests that women who waited more than 18 months after their caesarean before conceiving had a higher chance of a successful VBAC (86 per cent) than those who conceived earlier than 18 months (79 per cent). The difference was very small though, and at the moment we don't know whether waiting longer between pregnancies will make a difference to the success of a VBAC.

However, there is a very low risk of your caesarean scar tearing with VBAC. This is called uterine rupture. Even though the risk is low, it may increase if there is a short gap between your pregnancies. The risk appears to be highest with a short gap (6 months or less) between your caesarean and becoming pregnant again.

A short gap can also increase the chance that you'll have problems with your placenta. These may include the placenta being low-lying, called placenta praevia, or the placenta separating from your uterus wall, called placental abruption.


There are other advantages to having a longer interval between babies, whether you've had a caesarean or not. Experts think that you and your body need time to recover from the stress of the last pregnancy, and replenish your body's nutrients for the next baby.

The recommendations are in place to reduce the risk of future health problems for your baby, such as being born early or with a low birth weight. Read our article on age gaps between siblings to learn more.


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Last reviewed November 2014


Caughey AB. 2013. Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery. Medscape Reference.


Gibbons L, Belizán JM, Lauer JA, et al. 2010. The Global Numbers and Costs of Additionally Needed and Unnecessary Caesarean Sections Performed per Year:Overuse as a Barrier to Universal Coverage. World Health Report.Background Paper, 30. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Nahum GG. 2012. Uterine rupture in pregnancy. Medscape Reference.




WHO. 2005. Report of a WHO Technical Consultation on Birth Spacing. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

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