Irritable Uterus? Come in!
jgal84
member
First of all, I have no idea if this is considered "high risk" or not. But, I figure this is as good of a starting point as any. Plus, if it's not, I'm sure you ladies will let me know 
Anyone else have an irritable uterus? I had it last time, but it didn't start until 30 weeks. This time, it started at 13 weeks. I'm talking contractions every fvcking day. It starts out with 5-6 in the morning, then by afternoon/evening, it's roughly 5-10 minutes apart. My Dr checked my cervix last Friday to make sure it's not getting too short (so far, so good). She'll check it again in 3 weeks. As for now, I'm supposed to "ignore" them. But, they're driving me nuts!
I'm just wondering how anyone else is coping with it. I guess I just need to make peace with them, because I still have a long way to go!
Re: Irritable Uterus? Come in!
I had contractions from 28 weeks to 39 weeks this time (DS was born at 34 weeks due to pPROM and not IU). It was incredibly annoying. I drank a ton of water and rested as much as possible, which helped, but not tons. I had biweekly cervix checks which were always fine (though I was taking the 17P shots because of DS's birth).
Have they checked you for a yeast infection? I got one at one point and it may the already existing contractions a ton worse. Aside from that, you can talk to your doctor about procardia if they're really bothering you. It wasn't an option for me since it can lower your blood pressure and mine was already on the low side, but I know it helps some people.
Otherwise, I think all you can do is hang in there. Rest up and hydrate as much as possible (probably why they get worse during the day) and go in to your doctor for extra checks/NSTs/monitoring whenever you need to for your peace of mind.
So happy to see this thread! I have IU. I had my first bout of contractions at 17 weeks and started procardia at 25 weeks. They seem to (hopefully) have hit their peak around 31 weeks and I've been doing better since then (33 weeks now). They are definitely annoying. I've been hooked up for monitoring multiple times, had the fFn 3 times, had multiple ultrasounds, cervical exams, etc. The contractions haven't caused any change at all to my cervix (either in length or dilation) but they can certainly be worrisome at times. If procardia is an option for you, I'd look into it. It can help calm things down in there. I've also had BV twice and a yeast infection- all which contribute to contractions and irritibility.
I worry about having the baby too early, but at the same time, I can't imagine going another 6+ weeks with IU! It is definitely frustrating.
Yeah, they checked me for any infections last week. I'm not going to lie - I hoped I had one! I figured if it was an infection of some sort, at least I could take something and make them stop. Apparently, this is just how my body handles pregnancy. Booh.
I asked about taking procardia, since that is what they had me on last time. She said that she was really hesitant to put me on any sort of medication yet, because it's so early. She said that if she put me on it now, it wouldn't be as effective later on, when we really needed it to work. As long as I don't progress, I guess it will be awhile before I get any. I've increased my water intake, since I read that dehydration can cause it to flare up. At this point, if I drank anymore water, I would have to sit on a bedpan
Thanks for the response!!
Misery loves company!! I did some searching before I posted, but didn't see a lot about this. With as many ladies as there is on here, I figured there at least had to be a few others dealing with this. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this as well. I can't wait to get procardia! I'm hoping I can get started on it in 3 weeks.
I had no idea that procardia became less effective the longer you take it. Now I know why it doesn't seem to be helping much any more! Well, you can start taking it in 3 weeks and I'll be done taking it in 3 weeks.
Just curious since you had this last time. Did you deliver early? My son came late so now I'm not sure what to anticipate.
@ azcobride - Yes, I did deliver early last time, but for a different reason. They had me on strict bedrest and procardia from 31-36 weeks. I got induced at 36 weeks exactly, due to IUGR complications. Otherwise, I'm not sure how things would have ended up. I got hospitalized several times last time because of the contractions. Last time, I had several shots of terbutaline and mega doses of magnesium to stop them. This time, we know what's going on, so hopefully I can at least avoid that. Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway!
@raches - You still have a long way to go as well! Well, at least you're supposed to have quite awhile anyway. How are you doing? I think the hardest part of it is the unknown. It's just so hard to know when to take the contractions seriously. Some are painful, some are not. A lot of times, they are timeable and consistent. Sometimes, they are very irregular. They say every pregnancy is different. I was really hoping this one would be "normal". Maybe that's what I'm the most upset about.
I stared bedrest and procardia (20mg every 4hrs) at 28 weeks due to IU. I never dilated, never effaced, never had a +ffn, but I did have frequent contractions (sometimes every 2-5 min) every day and ended up in L&D 6-7 times for terbutaline shots to calm them down.
I got to stop the meds and bed rest on tuesday when I hit 37 weeks. I'm still contracting and they seem to be slowly getting stronger. With all the problems I've had, I was certain that I'd be in labor a few hours after my last procardia. No such luck though. Hopefully, baby girl will be ready to move out soon cuz mama's getting tired!
I'm sorry to hear about all the ladies who are dealing with this. I just want to send you some encouragement and to say that its quite possible to carry to term! Best wishes!
Me! With my DD, I started contractions at 20 weeks, hosptialized on and off, shots of terb, FFNs, oral terb every 4 hours and full bedrest from 30 weeks until I was induced (for other medical reasons) at 38 weeks.
This time around, I started BHs at 10 weeks (I'm 14 weeks now). They haven't discussed meds yet, but they are monitoring my cervix closely - no change yet, nice and long (knock on wood!). I feel like repeating my past is inevitable but trying to stay positive and take good care of myself to prevent bedrest for as long as possible (now that I have atoddler at home). GL to you and your IU