TTC after CSection

mlynn333 · March 2014

Did any of you get guidelines from your OB/MW for how long you need to wait to TTC? I'm curious about what others in the medical profession are recommending.

We are hoping to have our kids pretty close together, so we were going to go without BC now, knowing that it wasn't likely we would get pregnant on our own (fertility treatments made this LO possible) and figured we would be ecstatic for any LO that came as a result. But, my OB said it wouldn't be safe to get pregnant anytime soon and pushed BC on us. (I think this pill is pushing me towards the BSC side of things...yikes)

Anyway, just looking for what info you were given. TIA!

Soap1 · March 2014

I was not a c-section mom, so I can't speak to that, but I got pregnant with my 2nd when DS1 was only 5.5 months old. He tried really hard to be born early, I ended up in L&D a couple times trying to hold him up! Fortunately he cooked til 38 weeks, but the doctor said that two pregnancies that close together can often result in preemies.

I'm sure there are even more risks when it's two c-sections; I have always heard that's very risky!

ziggy903 · March 2014

After a c/s, if your uterus isn't given enough time to heal it can rupture during pregnancy. That's why your doc recommends waiting- to possibly save your life, and the baby's.

My doctor didn't give me any "wait this long" advice, but I told him we're not having #2 anytime soon(possibly ever) so I guess he wasn't concerned.

magentawarped · March 2014

I was told that, regardless of delivery type, it's best to wait a year. Pregnancy is really hard on your body, and it needs time to recover. If your OB is "pushing" birth control on you, it's because she feels that it would not be healthy for you to get pregnant right now. I would listen to her.

JackieP1023 · March 2014

I'm not a csec mom, but my OB is pushing for me to get my tubes tied. We aren't sure if we want another or not (but if we do, it won't be for another few years). My pregnancy was difficult, to be sure: but we know what it takes, and we know the risks. I will probably be getting a second opinion on whether another pregnancy (at all) would be too risky.

(My mom has the same condition I have: she had 5 term babies with med intervention. I don't see how my situation is different-and we would only want maybe 1 more).

I would at least get another clear opinion on the situation. Your doctor probably knows best, but getting another medical opinion can't hurt.

pinkgrl84 · March 2014

I haven't had a c-section but like the other ladies have said....I would listen to your doctor.

CarynJeanG · March 2014

My doctor said 6 months to wait. I don't even think I'm going to try for another but he was pretty adamant that I needed 6 months to heal.

[Deleted User] · March 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

BearyBear210 · March 2014

I just had my 6 week appointment and my doctor cleared me for sex. She said that sometimes women who breastfeed don't get their periods for awhile or not at all while feeding (fingers crossed!) but that I might still be ovulating so if we were sure we didn't want another one immediately than to be careful and use protection. I couldn't imagine another c/s or being pregnant again so soon so I told her we would definitely be careful! She didn't give me any kind of time frame though :-/

Soap1 · March 2014

car seat said:

DoraEric said:

I just had my 6 week appointment and my doctor cleared me for sex. She said that sometimes women who breastfeed don't get their periods for awhile or not at all while feeding (fingers crossed!) but that I might still be ovulating so if we were sure we didn't want another one immediately than to be careful and use protection. I couldn't imagine another c/s or being pregnant again so soon so I told her we would definitely be careful! She didn't give me any kind of time frame though :-/

Just to clarify - if you ovulate you WILL get your period at the end of your luteal phase, but you could start ovulating at any time with no notice. You could also have bleeding without ovulating, so bleeding isn't a sure sign that you've started ovulating again.

I'm assuming the doctor here meant that you can ovulate and get pregnant even if you haven't had a period yet, as in, you would "catch the first egg," but the specifics may have got muddled from the doctor's explanation to this poster's post

djtippietoes · March 2014

My doctor didn't say anything about how long to wait but I am not TTC any time soon (or maybe ever).

I'd listen to your doctor rather than look for what other people's doctors told them.

1linedrawing · March 2014

TyrannosaurusLex said:
Recommended reading

mlynn333 · March 2014

Thanks for the feedback! The only reason it's a conversation now is that my insurance will help cover fertility treatments after I've been off BC for 12 months. I was trying to see if it was worth the risk to go without BC for now so we don't have to wait another 12 months after the "safe period". That, and I bawl every time I take the pill because in my head it means my little girl won't get a little brother or sister. (Irrational, I know)

I had done some searcing for medical standards and I found a huge range (from it doesn't matter to wait at least 18months) so I was curious where on the spectrum others had gotten advice.

BearyBear210 · March 2014

Soap1 said:

car seat said:

DoraEric said:

I just had my 6 week appointment and my doctor cleared me for sex. She said that sometimes women who breastfeed don't get their periods for awhile or not at all while feeding (fingers crossed!) but that I might still be ovulating so if we were sure we didn't want another one immediately than to be careful and use protection. I couldn't imagine another c/s or being pregnant again so soon so I told her we would definitely be careful! She didn't give me any kind of time frame though :-/

Just to clarify - if you ovulate you WILL get your period at the end of your luteal phase, but you could start ovulating at any time with no notice. You could also have bleeding without ovulating, so bleeding isn't a sure sign that you've started ovulating again.

I'm assuming the doctor here meant that you can ovulate and get pregnant even if you haven't had a period yet, as in, you would "catch the first egg," but the specifics may have got muddled from the doctor's explanation to this poster's post

@Soap1‌ that's exactly what I (and doctor) meant I just didn't word it clearly here

Thanks

ShePersisted · March 2014

As pp said- it's entirely possible to ovulate while BFing so if you don't use any form of BC there is a chance you could get pregnant.

Now, if it's safe to get pregnant again so soon after a baby and csec? In my opinion probably not. Common sense says my organ that was cut open to remove the baby and is still healing. Now risk does not mean guaranteed that there will be an issue. There are many factors like how your body heals from the current c-sec, your overall health etc. that will determine your level of risk. From getting pregnant again. As you see there have been people who got pregnant right after the baby and did just fine. However, there are many ( and emphasis on many) who did and suffered from premature birth or other complications. Hence the term 'risk' used by your dr.

I think in the grand scheme of things yes you can go on and take a chance and not use BC and even though finite there is a possibility you get pregnant soon. Are you willing to take a chance that endangers your health or your new LOs due to the risk getting pregnant this early? There is no way of knowing if you will be fine so hence 'risk' which you need to evaluate if you are willing to take.

I would refer to statistics of this risk, consider what you are willing to lose ,I.e. Your well being and the baby and them take chances.

SuzyQq02 · March 2014

mlynn333 said:
Thanks for the feedback! The only reason it's a conversation now is that my insurance will help cover fertility treatments after I've been off BC for 12 months. I was trying to see if it was worth the risk to go without BC for now so we don't have to wait another 12 months after the "safe period". That, and I bawl every time I take the pill because in my head it means my little girl won't get a little brother or sister. (Irrational, I know)

I had done some searcing for medical standards and I found a huge range (from it doesn't matter to wait at least 18months) so I was curious where on the spectrum others had gotten advice.

If that's a concern, I would go with barrier methods. We're planning on just condoms (possibly in conjunction with charting, but I would want my sleep to be a bit more predictable before attempting to rely on that) given we want to ttc sometime next year. It's a bit retro, but a diaphragm is another option, too.

Given that you had fertility treatment, there may be addiTional factors in play that are guiding your doc to say wait a year. I would ask for more info as to why she is advising that, but I would be inclined to follow the advice given the complications other posts have mentioned.

sdlaura · March 2014

I agree with listening to your OB. I didn't go on BC after my first baby because we had trouble conceiving/staying pregnant the first time, so we didn't want to wait too long, and my OB was fine with that. But I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and vaginal delivery. I ended up conceiving DS right after my first PP period when DD was 8 months. It's definitely closer than we would have expected or planned

slwprincess · March 2014

I believe 1 yr is the standard recommendation after c/s. The chance of uterine rupture increases if you don't allow it to fully heal. Pop over to the c/s board and read thru some of the posts on the first few pages. I know this question has come up there recently- you might get more feedback.

dadalou · March 2014

My OB told me to wait until 6 months, but that she wouldn't have a problem with us starting TTC at 5 1/2 and if it happened at 5 months that would be ok too. I think we just need to give our bodies enough time to heal from major abdominal surgery.

Dexter&11 · March 2014

car seat said:
*looks at two month old babies*

*looks at still recovering abdomen*

*hears two month old babies start crying*

*thinks about MORE babies right now*

I mean really. This conversation? ALREADY?

This. I'm too tired to even contemplate sex at the moment, let alone TTC

[Deleted User] · March 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Want a personalized experience?

TTC after CSection

Re: TTC after CSection

Choose Another Board

Search Boards