The Short Cervix Club

[Pizdets]

Given the high number of threads started in 'pregnancy' on short/incompetent cervixes of late, I thought I'd have a crack at starting a club which we can join to share how we're getting on and pool the information we've been given which hopefully can also reassure or inform other ladies coming on here and worried about the state of their cervixes.

I'll kick off with a bit about my own story:

I'm currently 24+4, due 26th September. I had a scan at the prem clinic at Queen Charlotte's in London who measured my cervix as 2.3/2.4cm and advised a stitch (they do this for anyone who measures under 2.5cm). I had the stitch put in at 15 weeks with a spinal block and so far so good - I'm walking the dog, doing pregnancy yoga, still fairly active and no problems or twinges at all (so far!).

Please feel free to share your experiences, ask questions or update, it's great to hear from other people going through the same worry and so reassuring to know if things are going well!

Piz

Again welcome. I'm so sorry to hear of your most recent loss. As you know I haven't got a success story but there are others earlier on this thread. I do feel knowledge is power. Perhaps you would be a good candidate for a TAC placed pre-pregnancy?

Jess good to hear you're doing well and 30 weeks.

April I was warned about additional discharge after the stitch but haven't had the stringy discharge that you describe. I would be tempted to ask for a swab if possible.

Fraggle are you taking Cyclogest? If so, you might find it easier to take it rectally - less messy, less risk of an infection and just as effective. Good luck tomorrow.

Moonlight I would get a private scan in your position - it would either confirm that your cervix is open and/or shortening, or not. You won't have a stitch after 24 weeks but the cervix can be strengthened with progesterone and bedrest, so best to know what's going on so that it can be treated.

It's so stressful eh ladies?!

Hello to everyone. And sorry to hear about such difficult losses and situations. Just update the thread, i had my first cervical scan today at 15wks and it measured 35.6! So pleased. Being scanned again at 20 and 23 weeks. No stitch needed at present and just taking the meds. Consultant also did a really detailed check of baby, which was great x

That's great Fraggle! Also great that you are continuing to be monitored.

Congrats fraggle! Must be a relief:)

Thanks blueroses, I'm going to see the midwife tomorrow so will see what she says and if no luck convincing her I know what I'm talking about then I'll book a scan. I just really can't afford it at the moment but obviously if I don't get anywhere with her then it'll be worth it for my piece of mind.

Good luck tomorrow Moonlight. Just bear in mind that the midwife may not be able to scan you, so you may need to see a doctor or other specialist. Keep repeating that your concerned that your cervix is open and it needs to be checked. Out of interest, how far along are you?

Thanks :). 28 weeks! I will let you know how it goes.

Hi everyone
I lost my little girl last october at 20+4 week i had been having weird pulling sensations in lady bits for about a week with some blood stained discharge when i call midwife was told this happens sometimes and to do a urine sample as probably have uti. Then a few days later at midwife appointment i mentioned it again but she didnt seem concerned so i went about my day later that night i had a big bleed called 111 as couldnt get hold of maternity triage they sent ambulance when i got to hospital abd by the time i was examined was told cervix had dilated 3cm and there was nothing they could do my little girl was born 23 hours later. They put it down to weak cervix so when i found out i was pregnant again they said i would have cervical scans every 2 weeks from 12 weeks when i went for my 16week scan cervix measured 34mm and was told this was good then this thursday at 17 +2 weeks i started having strange pulling pain again so called antenatal clinic like my consultant told me to but was told because i was not 18 weeks they could not see me and to wait till my scan next week i was not happy with this as i was told that i could be seen if i had any concerns i ended up in a&e thursday afternoon and was there from 2.30pm it was not until 12.05am i was seen by gynaecologist who did a quick exam and said cervix was closed but to stay in over night and have scan in the morning. When i had the scan it showed my cervix was 24mm and was funneling so i had a stitch put in friday night was home saturday lunch time with progesterone pessaries to insert twice a day. Today im getting pulling pains again and was wondering if this is normal after having the stitch as im really worried about it my next appointment is not till the 23rd. Any advice or similar experience where things where ok would be appreciated.

Sorry for my slow reply to your lovely and thoughtful message @JOMH1982 ! My cervix is 2.8cm full stop (I asked them to measure it while I went in for a scan to confirm my mmc (thankfully finally in the midst of currently miscarrying naturally)). That's all I've got to work with! My cervix was measured at 2cm when I was 19 weeks pregnant with my son last year but they didn't bother doing anything about it and lo and behold I gave birth the following week at 20 weeks.

That's really encouraging news about your friend with twins. We have an appointment with our specialist cervix consultant tomorrow to ask more about our options going forward given we have choice with IVF/number of embryos.

I kind of feel like you though in regards to switching hospitals. I feel I've been so let down by everyone at the hospital that we're thinking about stumping up the money and going private next time but not sure yet. I think if you're considered a 'high risk' pregnancy, the NHS treat you v well.

Welcome lisakmarks. Very sorry to hear about your daughter and wishing you all the best in this current pregnancy. Sorry I have no words of advice with what you're going through but hopefully someone with more wisdom and experience will hop on soon.

So much loss on this thread. Makes me sad :(

Moonlight how did you get on?

Lisa welcome. I'm so sorry for your loss. My advice is to seek medical attention anytime that you're worried, particularly in this stage i.e. second trimester of pregnancy. Chances are the pulling pains will be completely normal BUT the cervix can change so quickly between 16-24 weeks, it's always worth getting checked out. I had brown bleeding 2 weeks after my stitch was put in, but not really any pain as you describe. I had my cervix checked at 17+3 (closed and long), and booked in again for next week (20+1) and the following week (21+3).

Again hope it goes well with the cervix consultant. My hospital are great if you want to switch across instead of going private.

How is everyone else doing? xx

Hi All,
I am new to the forum and need some advice PLEASE!

I unfortunately lost my first baby on the 22nd August 2016 - he was born at 19+1 weeks after my waters broke at 18+5 weeks on the 19th August.
I had no warning whatsoever and the pregnancy had been pretty much perfect beforehand. I had abnormal cells removed by hot loop treatment in June 2015 and was told it may affect be giving birth prematurely but not this premature!

I now find myself 11 weeks pregnant again and I met with my consultant yesterday for the first time.
She didn't seem very keen to offer me the stitch as she said there are too many risks and it is often not needed anyway.. she has advised I have fortnightly scans on my cervix from 14 weeks and if it starts to shorten a plan will be put in place. I am TERRIFIED!
I can't find any information out about cervix length scans and want to know if anyone on here has any advice?

Thanks, Faye x

Hi Faye, I'm sorry for your loss and that you find yourself here.

I had a specialist midwife that said all those things that your consultant said to you, so I know how worrying it is. My anxiety went sky high and has barely calmed down since then. But when I eventually got to see the consultant, she gave me the option of having a stitch or just 'wait and see', and was fully supportive when I opted for the stitch. Although there are other factors that may have caused my loss, personally I couldn't take the risk that it was the cervix because I felt that it could shorten suddenly between monitoring appointments.

In your shoes, I would press for a second opinion. Depending on where you are in the country, there are cervical specialists out there that you could try to see (even privately if that's an option). There are obviously risks with any surgical procedure but I believe the risks of NOT having a stitch are higher than the risks of having a stitch. I also believe that, having experienced a loss, I would rather have a procedure that might turn out to be unnecessary rather than not have a preventative stitch when it could mean that an emergency stitch is required (which has a lower success rate) or it being too late for one. I couldn't handle another loss for reasons that are now known. I think they totally underestimate the psychological impact of 'wait and see'.

I found my GP was very supportive and helped me get in front of the right consultant. There are other consultants and there are other hospitals, you can always seek a second opinion and/or change if you don't have confidence in the one that you have seen. One thing that I've learnt is that you need to be proactive and on the ball - you care more about this pregnancy than any medical professional!

Good luck xx

Thanks for the quick response BlueRoses

I'm waiting for a call back from my bereavement midwife to talk about a second opinion.
I suffer with anxiety anyway so like you, I can imagine my anxiety is going to go through the roof with having to wait for scans etc.
From my little boy's post mortem results it also showed an infection in my placenta but they aren't sure if that got in after my waters broke or if the infection broke my waters - a really chicken and egg situation!

From the day after I lost my little boy I was researching the stitch and future pregnancies and I literally cannot find one bad thing about it. I know it's what I want.

How far gone are you now? xx

Hi Faye, I am 19+2 today. I lost my little boy on 14th July 2016 so only a few weeks ahead of you in respect to both.

I also had signs of infection on my placenta (Group B Strep) so had the same chicken and egg conversation!

The risks of the stitch are manageable:

• higher risk of infection (be more careful, no sex, swimming or baths, take prophylactic antibiotics if needed)
• risk of pre-term labour (i.e. If there was actually some other reason that caused the previous loss - but you're in the same position as if you hadn't had the stitch! So not really a risk)
• risk of piercing the membrane and causing miscarriage (highly unlikely with an experienced surgeon and more risky the later the stitch is put in place)

I think if you are sure, then fight for it! My bereavement midwife was also great and helped move things along for me.

Hi blueroses

Thanks for your message back - I'm going to have one last good think about it and make my decision.
Going to show my partner all these messages on here and hopefully he will realise how simple the stitch can be (the consultant scared him so much about all the risks)

xx

Thanks for asking blueroses the midwife just told me off again... made me wish I hadn't mentioned it which is ridiculous really. I said I've already been told off once and she said good! Making me feel shit about it doesn't change what I felt in there or the anxiety I'm feeling now does it, not helpful at all! So I'll be booking a private scan. The dates/times they have available when I checked are not very convenient though and I can only find the one place locally that does it so I need to have another look tomorrow when I'm in work and book a half day off I think.

So sorry to those of you who've had losses :(. It seems a bit ridiculous that it's not something routinely checked at scans really when it could save so much heartache and they're already scanning you anyway. I suppose by 20 weeks it's a bit too late though, is 12 weeks too early to check?

Oh crap 😂 there's my namechange for another anonymous thread out the window... shh!!!

I had my 20 week scan today and the good news is that baby is doing well, and all measurements within normal ranges. The not so good news is that my cervix is open and has funnelled down to the stitch. Cervix is 16mm at the moment. This means that I definitely needed a stitch so any doubt regarding this has been dismissed.

I have a stitch, am on progesterone and under 24 weeks so it feels like there isn't much more they can do for me. I'm putting myself onto full on bedrest for at least the next 4 weeks. Consultant will see me again next Tuesday and hopefully weekly thereafter. So frightened

Holy shit Blue!!! You must be very worried!!! Sending positive cervical thoughts, which sounds odd but meant with best intentions!
I would just lay still as can be for four weeks. What has the consultant advised? Has he upped your meds? I'm have no stitch as yet but I'm on constant knicker watch for fluid! Bloody nightmare!x

Thanks Fraggle. They don't really advise bedrest but I'd rather do it than not. No other advice really, just wait and see as I'm less than 24 weeks. Paradox is that I can't risk dehydration as it increases risk of infection so I have to drink lots and get up to go to the loo frequently. Besides that, trying to stay horizontal...

Sounds stressful! My friend went into to prem labour at 23 Wks and 5 days. She went to A&E and they wouldn't do a thing as not 24 Wks (sent her home). She hung on two days and then they did everything they could. No advice. I would do the same and just rest. I didn't know about the hydration info x

Sounds stressful! My friend went into to prem labour at 23 Wks and 5 days. She went to A&E and they wouldn't do a thing as not 24 Wks (sent her home). She hung on two days and then they did everything they could. No advice. I would do the same and just rest. I didn't know about the hydration info x

Hopefully someone will come along with some helpful advice x

Hi Blue

Sorry to hear about your cervix funnelling, scary stuff. I think you're doing the right thing putting yourself on some kind of bed rest. Don't worry about loo breaks, hydration is more important than loo breaks and in any event you should get up every so often to get the blood flowing.

I agree with the hydrating, I think there's research that says it can help avoid contractions etc.

I would Keep your feet up in bed/on the couch. Get Netflix on and tick down the days.

Keep us posted xxx

Oh my goodness Blue, what a scary time for you, I can imagine how terrifying this is for you. I agree with the others and what you're doing for bed rest, there is some evidence somewhere that bedrest is as effective as anstitch, so you're really covering the bases with the progesterone and stitch as well. Definitely keep drinking, I've heard it can reduce contractions too. Be really hot on watching out for any loss of waters, and if you do, please go and be seen and push for prophylactic antibiotics and just take it easy. What day is your next appointment? Sending you all the luck in the world and thinking of you xxx

Thanks ladies. The last 4 weeks have gone really fast, I am hoping the next 4 pass quickly too. MIL has come to stay so she is doing things for me during the day, mostly bringing me food and drink. I'm finding the sofa uncomfortable for lying on my side so it means I can be upstairs in bed. I get swab results on Friday and my next appointment is on Tuesday.