Pre-term labor causes? Does it matter if you know?

ciclon01

So we have finally gotten all the results and had all the consults and we have no answers as to why I went into pre-term labor.  People keep telling me that 50% of the time you will never know and even though I know that I can't stop obsessing.  How are others coping?  For those of you who have a cause for your pre-term labor does it help to know why?  I feel like if I knew the cause I would have specific things to work on...now I just feel extremely helpless and vulnerable. 

lavril

I'm so sorry for your loss    

taurus424

i know how it feels to have no answers. We are still waiting for genetic testing that so far has been "normal"....and like you i will not stop searching for answers....and if all is well genetically then i will forever feel vulnerable and nervous that it will happen again. (Bc something went devastatingly wrong, it wasnt all normal bc if it was normal I would still be pregnant...)

(not sure if this helps but with my first DS i went into PTL and they were able to stop it with medication and bed rest...i wasnt dehydrated, didnt have a uti (all of the things they say may trigger it) and they never figured out what caused it

futuremrsofficer

I know what you mean about the cause. They told me it could have been due to an incompetent cervix or due to the fact that I was pregnant with triplets, that's what scares me about even trying IVF again.

ciclon01

Interesting they told you it could have been an incompetent cervix because I was told mine definitely wasn't because you normally don't make it to 22 weeks.  Normally between 14-17 weeks the baby will simply fall out ( I have heard of this happening).  They also told me that since my son didn't come out as soon as my water broke and the fact that I had to be induced meant that it was not an incompetent cervix.  They do think I might have a short cervix but there is no way to tell because my cervix was already dilated in my 20 week ultrasound.

ciclon01

That is exactly my concern...if we don't have answers how do we know it won't happen again. 

pnkfaerie

First of all, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I went into preterm labor at 22w3d. I had regular contractions and unfortunately at the time dilated SOOO quickly. My son had a tumor in his chest called a CCAM. I gave birth to him and got to hold him for a while before he passed (about...30-40 minutes). I actually just got the call back yesterday from the hospital saying they have my autopsy report and that they want to go over it. I don't know if this includes my genetics testing though because i already sort of saw my report at my 6 week follow up with my OB, not that she let me read it. I *WILL* be reading it when I go to the hospital! I want to know exactly what caused my preterm labor, at first they said possible incompitent cervix but because i had contracts then said that couldnt have been it. Was it the tumor...etc...I dunno and I really don't think there will be a solid answer. I'd like to know because i want to try again and it horrifies me. My doctor and my high risk spec have seen me already though and we made a plan...lots of shots and ultrasounds weekly next time. ugh.

ekmOC

I'm not sure if you had an autopsy done on the baby to see if they could find any reason that he may have been in so-called "distress."  Sometimes a problem intrinsic to the baby (not the mom) can trigger preterm labor as well.  I agree, based on what you said, sounds like you did not have any problem w/ incompetent cervix. 

 Will you be seeing a high-risk specialist in the future?  He/she will probably be able to put your mind at ease a little.  If you have frequent monitoring, they might be able to detect any problems before they threaten a pregnancy in the future.  

Temp984666312503071

ciclon01:

Interesting they told you it could have been an incompetent cervix because I was told mine definitely wasn't because you normally don't make it to 22 weeks.  Normally between 14-17 weeks the baby will simply fall out ( I have heard of this happening).  They also told me that since my son didn't come out as soon as my water broke and the fact that I had to be induced meant that it was not an incompetent cervix.  They do think I might have a short cervix but there is no way to tell because my cervix was already dilated in my 20 week ultrasound.

Please excuse my tickers.  I am only answering because my DD was premature and I have had two losses.

You cannot rule out IC at 14-17 weeks.  My high risk doctor actually told me that people lose babies due to IC up to 27 weeks (though at that point they have a chance of survival).  Many women go in for their anatomy scans between 18 and 22 weeks only to discover an almost nonexistant cervix and have a rescue cerclage (if possible) and hospital bed rest.

Cervix issues are something that I have found many doctors are not very educated on.  My best friend is an OB/GYN and I taught her a lot of things going through my high risk pregnancies.  I don't have an IC, but I have a very very weak cervix that likes to shorten (efface) and dilate early which puts me at very high risk for PTL and pPROM.  I require constant monitoring, 17P shots, Procardia, moderate bed rest, etc.  So your PTL could have been caused by your cervix (sometimes a dynamic, shortening cervix can cause contractions) even if it isn't IC.

If you are up for it, there is a good blog post by a bumpie who lost her son at 19 weeks and was told by her OB team it "couldn't have been IC".  She got a second opinion by a well known high risk specialist and this was her journal about it: 

https://ourbabyh.blogspot.com/2010/08/dr-miracles.html

Best wishes to you!!

ciclon01

sweetheart

thank you for the info.  i will definitely check out the blog.  i will take any info i can get. i love the pic of connor.  thank you for sharing.