Chances of having another preemie?

alphaphi98 · May 2013

My DD just turned 8 months yesterday. She's my 1st child. I had her unexpectedly at 32 weeks due to unknown PTL. I had no idea she'd come early. My entire pregnancy was so easy & I had no problems. Luckily DD is healthy & never had any health concerns.

Here's my question: what's the chances of me having another preemie? I hear there's a higher chance. I want to start TTC again & don't want to go through a preemie & NICU again.. How many of you had preemies again?

thishappyhouse · May 2013

personally, m,y chances are high. I delivered at 25 w 0d due to IC. I had been on bedrest for 4 weeks so we knew exactly why I delivered early. I have since gotten at Transabdominal Cerclage to help prevent another early birth.

That said, Id suggest you have a consultation with a MFM doc to review your records and discuss a monitoring plan for your next pregnancy. Its always good to have a plan! Im not a doc, but Id guess that they would suggest P17 injections, closer monitoring, and possiblyserial cervical length measurements.

Did you go into spontaneous PTL? Did your water break before your labor started?

sdtchica13 · May 2013

I asked my OB and my high risk doc this exact question before TTC again this time. Basically I was told that the average first time mom has a 20% chance of having a pre-term birth (any time before 37 weeks). If you have already had a pre-term birth, your chances go up to about 34%. However, if you can take the P17 shots (which you can only get if you have already had a preemie), that may drop your chances by about 40% which brings you down to about a 22% chance of having another preemie. So basically, your odds to back to slightly worse than the average first time mom.

alphaphi98 · May 2013

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely talk to my OB. He has no idea why my PTL happened. He said he'll probably put me on pelvic rest for my 3rd trimester next time. My water broke unexpectedly at 32 weeks. They gave me the steroid shots and magnesium to try and keep her in me for 2-3 more weeks. She wanted out and she was born 2 days later.

Mommy2CB · May 2013

I had my DS1 at 33wks due to unexplained PTL.. no signs whatsoever. Thankfully he had no developmental problems and is a healthy 22 month old now

We waited til he turned 1 to TTC again and got pregnant within a couple months. I was labeled "high risk" due to the PTL and was seen a lot more at my OB's office, lots of U/S's and weekly NST's starting right at the start of 3rd tri.

I am happy to say I passed the point of when my son was born and then some.. I am 36wks this week and it feels so great. So it IS possible! The only thing we really changed was dr put me on pelvic rest.. so no sex! I guess that helped?

kuetgal · May 2013

Such a tough one! As pp said there is an increased risk, but they can do so much once they know you have that risk. With DD I delivered due to gestational hypertension and prom at 33.5 weeks. This time, I'm 32 weeks and having a ton of contractions (I went to L&D yesterday with 10-12 an hour, but I'm not progressing). They have me on the p17 shots which are helping (I think because there is no change in my cervix) and I'm on bp meds. For us, the decision was made for us (as we were deciding if we should on shouldn't I got pregnant unexpectedly), but this time around knowing so much more they have been able to do so much preventatively. Best of luck.

Cst2CstBride · May 2013

sdtchica13:
I asked my OB and my high risk doc this exact question before TTC again this time. Basically I was told that the average first time mom has a 20 chance of having a preterm birth any time before 37 weeks. If you have already had a preterm birth, your chances go up to about 34. However, if you can take the P17 shots which you can only get if you have already had a preemie, that may drop your chances by about 40 which brings you down to about a 22 chance of having another preemie. So basically, your odds to back to slightly worse than the average first time mom.nbsp;

This really depends on why you delivered early. You should meet with MFM to discuss your risks. The above information isn't accurate for me. After meeting with MFM I was told that I have a 3050 chance of another preemie. I had severe preeclampsia and dd was born at 27 weeks. Because of my MFM appointment I was found to have a clotting disorder which may change my odds. But, the important part is that only your own high risk dr can advise you on this and how best to manage a future pregnancy.

jcsntms06 · May 2013

I'm with the other ladies, definitely talk to your OB about your chances of having another preemie. I know when I talked to my doctor they told us that I had a 33% chance of having another preemie and that was even on 17p shots. My first DD was born at 33w 4d due to pre-e. My second DD was born at 34w 5d due to PTL. I was monitored very closely for pre-e and I was also give the 17p shots because my water did break at 33w 3d unexpectedly. You'll want to weigh the odds and decided if you want risk another premature pregnancy. Good luck with your decision.

CTbride79 · May 2013

I have heard that if you had a preemie due to PTL, you are 80% likely to have one again, but definitely something to discuss with your doc. My son was also born at 32 weeks, but he had severe IUGR and the placenta was not functioning properly, so doctors decided to delivery him early. My OB told me that because he was not a 'natural' preemie I am not at risk for having another one. However, I my pregnancy itself will be considered high risk the next time around.

MinaE01 · May 2013

DS was delivered at 32w3d due to spontaneous PTL in October. I will be TTC again this summer. My OB said that my risk of delivering early again are higher, but with the p17 shots, I have a 30% chance of having another pre-term birth. In my mind, that means I have a 70% chance of making it to 37 weeks! I'm trying to think about it that way. Definitely have a chat with your doc. Good luck!

sdtchica13 · May 2013

Cst2CstBride:
sdtchica13:
I asked my OB and my high risk doc this exact question before TTC again this time. Basically I was told that the average first time mom has a 20 chance of having a preterm birth any time before 37 weeks. If you have already had a preterm birth, your chances go up to about 34. However, if you can take the P17 shots which you can only get if you have already had a preemie, that may drop your chances by about 40 which brings you down to about a 22 chance of having another preemie. So basically, your odds to back to slightly worse than the average first time mom.nbsp;
This really depends on why you delivered early. You should meet with MFM to discuss your risks. The above information isn't accurate for me. After meeting with MFM I was told that I have a 3050 chance of another preemie. I had severe preeclampsia and dd was born at 27 weeks. Because of my MFM appointment I was found to have a clotting disorder which may change my odds. But, the important part is that only your own high risk dr can advise you on this and how best to manage a future pregnancy.

Hence why I said the "average" woman has the odds I stated and that came straight from my MFM doc's mouth. Obviously there are variations from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy, and this concern should, of course, be discussed with your own doctor.

Want a personalized experience?

Chances of having another preemie?

Re: Chances of having another preemie?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards