To ECV or not to ECV? The current evidence base concerning external cephalic version

External cephalic version (ECV) is the technique of attempting to turn a baby in the womb from a head-up to a head-down position. The practice is grounded on evidence that vaginal breech birth (VBB) presents greater short-term risks for babies than caesarean section (CS) (Hofmeyr et al 2011), but that labour and vaginal birth also offer benefits to both mothers and babies. Therefore, if we can turn babies to a head-down position, we can reduce the risks associated with both VBB and CS, and enable mother and baby to benefit from labour and birth.