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High-Risk Pregnancy
Incompetent Cervix?
Hello ladies. I am so glad I found this board. I lost by second Angel who we nicknamed OBI (long story:) on 4/14/09 (16wks) to an incompetent cervix. I don't know much about this diagnosis except that the next time we get pregnant I will need to receive a cerclage to keep my cervix closed because my cervix is thin due to the 1st D&C I received now including the 2nd D&C with this past m/c.
I had one m/c the year before along with a D&C to complete the process. What I don't understand is IF the doctors know that a D&C can cause an incompetent cervix why don't or didn't they check for this during my 2nd pregnancy? All of our heartache and pain could have been relieved if only they had been more thorough.
There are SO MANY women suffering from this diagnosis and it seems that doctors always right off the 1st m/c as something the is COMMON. I think that they should make this a standard check between 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy. What is so damn difficult about checking for this issue at one of the ultrasound appts? Apparently, 1 in 100 women are diagnosed with IC. That is a high rate for the medical industry to not pay attention to.
1. Is anyone suffering from this?
2. Have you gone to have a successful pg?
3. How soon after your loss did you start TTC again?
4. Any additional advice?
Thx for listening.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Incompetent Cervix?
First, I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. I can't imagine your heartache.
There are many girls on this board who have IC and i'm sure can offer more advice than me. My IC was discovered at 19 weeks and then an emergency cerclage was placed. My IC was a complete shock- I don't have any history of m/c or procedures on my cervix that could cause it. I'm now 33 weeks and my docs think I'll make it to full term. Successful pregnancies are definitely possible with an IC.
I agree with you that doctors should automatically check for IC at an ultrasound. your situation is very frustrating. I wish you lots of luck TTC.
First of all, I am so sorry to hear about your loss.
The tough thing about IC is you can never know you have it with your first pregnancy until you lose the baby or go into labor early and have a preemie. It isn't as common as you think.
I do have IC and had DS at 24w5d due to my cervix shortening and the onset of PTL. Most women receive one ultrasound their entire pregnancy so it would be kind of foolish to give every woman an u/s every two weeks "just in case" when it isn't that common. It does suck, but it is the truth.
DS spent 4 long months in the NICU and is now a happy, healthy 13 month old. I am now 23 weeks pregnant with my second and had a preventative cerclage placed at 15-16 weeks. I am also receiving weekly p17 shots as well. They are monitoring me every 2 weeks for cervical length until 28 weeks and then we will play it by ear. The good news is that so far my cervix is still measuring 4.2 cm and at this point in my last pregnancy I had shortened to 1.8, lost my mucous plug, was funneling and had a positive fFN test. I was put on hospital bed rest and I managed to get both steroid shots before DS was born 6 days after I was admitted.
It is possible to go full-term with a cerclage and, like myself, not end up on bed rest. I have included a link below to a forum dedicated only to IC and you can get more info there than you can on this board since everyone on there has IC. Hope this helps!
https://ic.hobh.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16
Jacob 3.23.08 * Grace 7.22.09 * Eli 7.26.11 * Annabelle 1.18.14
I'm sorry for your losses. There are many of us out there dealing with IC. I had 2 losses (15 and 17w) before being diagnosed and am now pg for the 3rd time after getting a transabdominal cerclage in July 08 (I'm in my 26th week). Each time it took us about 6 months to want to start trying again. I would say do your research to understand the effectiveness of each cerclage type, talk with your OB to make sure that's the doctor you want, etc. You'll probably be high risk in your next pg. You can go to www.abbyloopers.com which supports the cerclage type I have or https://ic.hobh.org/forums/index.php which supports really all types.
It truly is completely awful that we have to lose baby or babies before it is determined as IC. I am so very sorry that you have had to join the group of IC ladies. I have also experienced two losses (both around 21w). One loss was a complete surprise and the second was with a cerclage placed at 13w. Unfortunately, the cerclage does not work for all people which is why I now have a transabdominal cerclage - like Josie above. I would also suggest discussing all the cerclage types with your OB before getting pregnant again.
Concerning TTC, I also have IF and the docs made me wait 3 months after each loss. This seemed like an eternity at the time, but was very good for me emotionally. With this third pregnancy, I didn't get pregnant until 8 months after the loss. I think that amount of time was even better for my emotional well-being...but we started trying again at the 4 month mark. It's really a personal decision, but allow yourself time to grieve.
I am very soory about your loss. I had symptoms of an IC for weeks and finally one of my docs decided to check when I was 22 weeks too late for a cerclage they said my cervix is 1.6cm. I have lost my mucuos plug and have already dilated I am now 29 weeks which they never thought I would make. But please make sure you get a doc who listens to you.. We know our bodies and know when something isnt right I will pray for you and your family and make sure you take care of yourself and stay healthy. If u ever need to talk I am here.
Hugs
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your angels. I have IC (I still check this board ocassionally now that my girls are to see if my story can help others who also don't know they have an IC or have cerclage questions).
1- I never knew I had IC....I had a 'normal' pg up until one Friday morning last May when I 'felt' funny. I'd been to see my OB the week before b/c I thought I'd lost my mucous plug, but at 20.5 weeks she checked me and was like it's just regular discharge, and upped my modified BR (she does this with all her multiples mom's).
2- I was soooooooooooooooo very lucky. Had I been an hour or so later to the L&D I would have been too dialated for them to save my twins. WHen I arrived in L&D I was dialated 4 cm and Baby A's bag of waters was in my birth canal. SOOOOOOOO they put me in a trundle position (head below feet) for 24 hours to 'convince' baby A to slide back (which she did)...and I then had a rescue cerclage placed the next day. I was then placed on hospitalized BR for 3 weeks due to PTL issues and then continued my BR at home until one of my bags of waters broke at 30 weeks.
My girls were in the NICU for 13 weeks, but are perfectly healthy (just tiny).
3-
4-IC causes a high risk pg, you will ultimately need to see a perinatologist/MFM, even if your OB tells you that htey are more than capable of managing your next pg, I'd request a referral (if your ins. needs it) to a MFM group where you live. Also, be prepared for the possibility of BR and for the potential for NICU time.