What kind of cut do I have?

Without reading your surgical report there really is no way to know.  Many times the scar on your belly does not match the scar on your uterus.  You can request your surgical report from the hospital where you had your c-section.  You usually have to do this in writing and they may or may not charge you for the copies.

While you are reading your surgical report one thing to note is how high the vertical segment of the incision went, if you had one.  OBs will tell you that if the scar extended into the fundus that you are more likely to rupture.  That isn't necessarily true, at least one mom who's scar did extend into the fundus had a successful VBAC.

Classical - A classical incision is a vertical incision in the upper segment ( or fundus) of the uterus, this was the incision that was most used when they first started doing cesareans.  It is not used very often anymore, except on very premature babies.

Inverted T - An inverted T incision usually begins with the doctor making the low transverse incision and then making a vertical incision for whatever reason up the center of the uterus, usually because the baby is stuck in an odd (transverse) position.  The length of the vertical portion varies.

J - An incision that looks just like a J, the doctor may have started out with a low transverse incision and then added a vertical incision up the side of the uterus, usually done for the same reasons as an Inverted T.  The length of the vertical portion varies.

Upright T - An upright T usually starts with a low transverse incision then a vertical incision down from the incision toward the vagina.  This is usually only done when the baby's head is stuck in the birth canal.  Like the others, the length of the vertical portion varies.

Myomectomy

"with an extension" - What exactly is an "extension"?  An extension is where the doctor has stopped cutting with the knife and just separates the tissue with his/her hands or the tissue separates on it's own while the doctor is pulling the baby out.  They may sound scary, but it apparently happens quite often and isn't that big of a deal.  You will want to note how far your incision(s) extended though.  Can extend laterally (to the sides) or vertically.

What are the risks?

From Jessica:

"Oh, I thought of one or technically two!  Not sure if it's a true risk or not, but I think there is a greater fear of Placental Accreta/Percreta if you have an anterior placenta in a subsequent pregnancy.  They tried to lay that one on me.

"I don't think there are any different risks for these types (unless I'm just being really obtuse right now), just a SLIGHTLY higher risk of rupture.  I don't think I'd ever want to induce (chemically) on one of these scars.  For myself, if I were having a verified problem that the baby needed out and I wasn't in labor or wasn't far enough along in labor, I might opt for the RCS rather than trying any form of man-made chemical induction.  I might try nipple stim, sex, other less stressful forms of induction, I'd have to look at a list of all the different types to see what I would or wouldn't consider.  I did use EPO orally for weeks before my VBAC.

"I would also be less likely to try a manual version with one of these scars, I can say this honestly, my vbac baby was breech until 39-40 weeks.  I tried everything else, but an manual version was not a happy thought for me."