This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Breech presentation

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Breech is the most common malpresentation, occurring in 3% of pregnancies. It is thought to increase foetal mortality, but it is unclear how much this increase is due to the breech presentation or due to the factors which predispose to breech.

There are various types of breech:

  • frank breech - hips flexed, legs extended at the knee (i.e. feet by ears) - 60-70%
  • flexed breech - also called complete - both legs flexed at hip and knee (i.e. legs crossed) - 30-40%
  • footling breech - at least one leg presents below the breech - < 1%; this type of breech presentation carries the greatest risk of cord prolapse

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.