Uterine scarring

A woman who has had previous surgery on her uterus – for example, to deliver a baby by caesarean section, or to remove a uterine tumour – will be left with scar tissue where the severed uterine wall has healed. Scar tissue is less flexible than the intact wall of the uterus and it cannot stretch evenly during labour contractions. If the labour is obstructed for a long time, the powerful contractions of the muscle layer in the uterine wall may cause the scar tissue to tear open. Another reason for scarring of the uterus is if it was perforated during an abortion for a previous pregnancy.