High-Risk Pregnancy
Options
Surgery while pregnant
At my first prenatal check up my doctor preformed a confirmation u/s and discovered a very large ovarian cyst. After many specialized u/s, MRIs, and visits to numerous high risk OB/GYNs they decided the cyst needs to be removed ASAP to give the baby more room to grow (the cyst was about 7 inches long a few weeks ago, and appears to be still growing). I was okay with the surgery and the procedure until I had my pre-op appointment with my OB today. I was doing fine until I left the office and it suddenly hit me, I've having invasive surgery while pregnant. Now I'm very scared for me and my baby. This is my first pregnancy, and the cyst is not my only complication. I also have Crohn's Disease which puts me at high risk also. Has anyone else had a surgery like this during pregnancy??
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Re: Surgery while pregnant
I can imagine being very, very scared. I had to have an emergency appendectomy at 15 weeks pregnant, and only had about 6 hours to come to the conclusion that I was having surgery when pregnant. It was one of the hardest things I had to sucumb to, I had no control and felt really vulnerable.
As for the baby and safety, they assured me that the baby would be fine - and they made sure to monitor all things as well as they could, through fetal heart rates as well as what pain medicince that I was offered after (even though I declined most of it after the first day post op.) Now I am almost 36 weeks, the baby has been measuring big and healthy and we are getting ready to meet him here soon!
When it came down to it, surgery was just the best option for the health of my baby, and as it sounds for you it is the best option to ensure that your baby will have enough room to grow. I know that things will be fine for you and your baby, even though this is such a scary time. Ask them to monitor you as much as you need to feel secure and ask as many questions as you need to. It is not fun at all, but it starts a long, long line of putting our baby first!
I will be thinking of you and sending T&P your way for an easy procedure and recovery!
I'm an anesthesiologist, and I counsel pregnant women going in for surgery. The second trimester is considered the safest time to have surgery, so you timed it right. The risk of miscarriage is greatest in the first trimester, and the risk of preterm labor is greatest in the third. Good news is that none of the drugs or anesthetics used for surgery have been shown to cause birth defects.
Good luck!
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