Cervical stitch - experiences?

[BabsUnited]

Hi everyone

I am 10+4 weeks and I'm booked in for a cervical stitch for when I'll be 12+3. The reason I'm having this is that my DS was born prematurely at 30+2 weeks. It's officially gone down as 'unexplained' but the consultant thinks some sort of infection made my membranes rupture which then kicked off labour. So the stitch will keep my cervix tightly shut and the plan is to remove at 37 weeks (if I get there). DS suffered as a result of his early arrival and has cerebral palsy so I feel desperate to do anything I can to prevent something similar happening again.

I know a little about the procedure (I'll be having a spinal, and its done as a day case) but does anyone know of any good resources to find out about success rates? Consultant said there's not been any widescale studies on it but she thinks that the stitch, along with progestone pessaries, will likely help me. But other people I speak to seem to be pretty 'for' this, and others say it won't do anything (including a GP relative).

The procedure itself carries risks (risk of membrane rupture/miscarriage and, ironically, introduction of infection) so I'm trying to be totally sure I'm making the right decision. My consultant has recommended it, but another I saw said she wouldn't recommend it and I had to push her to contact the other consultant who then said she should go ahead, so she booked me in for it. The procedure will be done at Homerton Hospital which has a very good NICU and I think they do a fair amount of research into premature birth. This is where my DS was born.

I feel like I should be doing something proactive to reduce my risk of premature labour again. I think I'm doing the right thing but wobbling a bit. .

Has anyone had one? Any positive stories?!

[Suzie2010]

Thanks i will look into that ar the moment have kept at 21mm for the last two weeks. Only had internal scan yesterday. Got 20 week scan next thursday so will ask then. Also got another internal scan 4 days later so if they do not know i can ask my doctor. Think thay are being very keen as my son was born at 30 weeks which is why i had all the test.

[Itscurtainsforyou]

Hi there - after my cervix shortening by around 10mm in less than a week, my consultant has booked me in for a stitch tmw. I'm a bit scared, but know it's the best thing (& fingers crossed nothing goes wrong).ill be staying in a few days after so they can keep an eye on me...

As an aside, I have a friend who had3 premature births. She went for a preventative stitch at 12 weeks but they couldn't do it as there wasn't enough to work with. She ended up carrying until 36 weeks. So every case is different I suppose.

[Suzie2010]

Good luck for yours. Hope all goes well and you are home soon. Nice to hear about your friend.

[willnotbetamed]

Hi Suzie, just want to put my oar in! My first DC was born at 32 weeks and with my second, they spotted cervix shortening at about 25 weeks, so I've been in a similar situation to you (not quite as grave). After monitoring the situation with DC2 for a couple of weeks, during which it shortened further, I was on bed rest until 34 weeks. I wasn't offered progesterone, but this was 5 years ago, I don't think they were so sure about it then. The bed rest was a bit of a trial, but it worked out - DC2 was born at 36+4, absolutely fine. I'm now 34 weeks with DC3, no stitch, but lots of rest and progesterone, and this has been the smoothest pregnancy yet. I've got my fingers crossed that you are able to get to the same stage with rest and progesterone too! If in doubt, do try and lie down as often as you can - I also have an office job but stopped working at 20 weeks because my doctor felt that sitting all the time would put pressure on the cervix. Good luck!

[Suzie2010]

Thank you. Glad to hear your good news about second two. My next internal scan is 4.7. I am not due back in work till friday so would be doing just over a week. If it shortens in that time i will be asked to get signed off as it has not moved in the time i have been off.i am also going to ask about the progestarone.

[BabsUnited]

Well I had the stitch put in on Monday. I was offered a general anaesthetic which I took up and the whole experience was better than I imagined.

Somewhat disappointed as I didn't get to see the consultant who did the stitch after, I saw another one who said it had gone well. I was still a bit out of it and didn't think to ask the salient questions so had to go through my notes myself after and looks like my cervix was 15mm which after googling seems not very good. It said 'cervix 15mm, long'. I was given five days worth of progesterone pessaries after I asked for them but I wanted more. Will see consultant again in 4 weeks.. Am going to ring today and see if I can get a prescription for more progesterone.

Have had hardly any bleeding from the stitch but I do feel uncomfortable, like I'm in the middle of a heavy period, that sort of 'heavy' feeling with the threat of cramps but not quite. Getting in and out the car feels weird.

Good luck Suzie! I felt very well looked after. Having a wee after didn't hurt and no problem mobilising afterwards. Hope yours goes well

[Suzie2010]

Hi babsunited. I am glad all went well and you have had no bleeding. I was given the spinal when they attempted mine which was a strange feeling.hope you now go on the have a full term baby. Have they just advised rest now for the next 4 weeks?How for are you?

[BabsUnited]

They haven't advised rest at all, I assume I'm meant to carry on as normal but I am taking it easy as much as I can.

I am 12 weeks 5 days. How about you?

[Suzie2010]

I am 19 weeks. They are watching me closley. It is good that you were able to have the stitch so early.my hospital do not do it till 16 weeks.

[Pizdets]

Babs pleased it all went well. I had quite bad cramping after the op this time around and it took about 5 days to go but I feel fine now and no complications since (except for a bit of bleeding over the weekend which FREAKED me out, but they saw me right away and said it was nothing to worry about), hope your discomfort clears up soon. Definitely take it easy and try to rest as much as you can - although easier said than done! My notes said only 1cm cervix but I asked at my next appointment and she said that was only the external measurement, not the whole cervix, so try not to worry too much. Notes from my last scan measure the cervix at 3.1cm which is very good by my standards!

Suzie another one due in November! Sorry to hear you weren't offered the stitch sooner but hope the next scan goes well.

[BabsUnited]

That's reassuring re the measurement Pizdets, thanks for posting that.

[Suzie2010]

Thanks pizdets. Will let you know when i have had it.

[Newlywed123]

I had a stillborn due to a weak cervix, I had very little pain and was 10cm when I was checked due to a little bleed.

When I got pregnant with 2nd they refused to put a stitch in, my cervix ended up shortening and halved in size over night so was rushed to have one placed (17 weeks) I had a spinal, stayed over night and left midday. I was on bedrest for 2 months and was allowed to resume as normal apart from long distant walks. My baby was born healthy at 37 week's days after my stitch was removed!

I'm 6/7 weeks now and have a consultant appointment at 12 week's so I will be asking for one to be placed within the week

I felt a lot of pressure and tugs from the stitch which was uncomfortable. But once placed it didn't shorten, it did funnel.

Hope it goes well for you

[Suzie2010]

Sorry for the loss of your first. Hopefully they will put a stitch in for you on this one aswell and all would be fine. I asked about beinf steraliesed after this one and was told they would but i could aslo have a stitch placed as soon as i started trying if i did want another.

[Itscurtainsforyou]

I had a stitch put in today under spinal anasthetic. They're keeping me in until the weekend and giving me antibiotics as a precaution.

Had some bleeding but nothing they're concerned with so far.

So glad it's done, now just have to see how things go from here.

[BabsUnited]

Well done curtains, hope it's all positive from here on for you.

Had a tiny bit of bleeding this morning, only one little bit and no more, not sure whether it's worth calling or not. I hardly had any bleeding at all from having the stitch put in (and what I did have straight after procedure was really red tinged discharge), presumably what I saw today might be just blood from the procedure? Only had it done on Monday.

[Pizdets]

If it was me I'd leave it. The op is still very recent and things are settling down. That said I'm sure they'd talk to you or see you and put your mind at rest if you're worried - I had a bit of bleeding at the weekend and went in on Monday, he was very reassuring and said they're happy to see me any time as they don't want me to worry. I had the op on a Wednesday and it wasn't until the following Monday that I felt things really settled down.

[BabsUnited]

Thanks Pizdits. That was my gut feeling to be honest. Thanks. If I have any more I will call but for now I'll leave it. It wasn't bright red, sort of browny, which reaffirms my thoughts that it might have been a little blood from the op, either way I will just keep an eye. I'm sure they'd see me if I rang but I'm quite far away and meant to be working today and really can't spare the time, I know that sounds bad but I've had way too much time off already so far this pregnancy.

[April1984]

Hi all, hope everyone is doing well and those who've been stitched up are recovering well.

Just a query for those who took progesterone suppositories. I take them rectally (tmi!) and have found I have dodgy bowel movements (even more tmi!) anyone else? Also if you went to the loo soonish after inserting one did you put in another or just leave it?

Thanks guys xx

[BabsUnited]

Hi April. I almost posted exactly the same thing. I had read about horrendous wind with them but yes I have been getting an upset stomach frequently, sometimes within minutes of putting in a pessary. I've been putting them in last thing at night to try and go to sleep before I feel the impending doom, then often i just have a bowel movement in the morning so I've had the chance to absorb the hormones.

I did have to go to the toilet about an hour after putting one in and I inspected my poo and I couldn't see much of the white waxy substance from the pessary so I deducted I must have absorbed most of the hormones. I think if you can see the whole pessary or sections of it, I'd insert another one.

[willnotbetamed]

I took my pessaries vaginally, and had no problems other than the irritation of lots of discharge. I asked a doctor once about how long suppositories taken rectally took to be absorbed into the gut (although this was in the context of babies and nurofen - I live in Germany and babies are usually given suppositories here, much easier than trying to get them to take calpol!) and was told that by ten minutes they were definitely absorbed. So if my babies didn't poo within ten minutes after getting a suppository, I didn't need to repeat.

I took my pessaries until 34 weeks (now 35+0) and it was so nice to finally stop! But having said that, they seem to have really helped - this has been the first pregnancy without a premature birth or cervix shortening. I'm interested to see how much longer it lasts now...

[April1984]

Hi thanks both! Babs, yes I sometimes get problems or feel ill soon after inserting one. Sometimes I'm fine, it's very strange. Good to know they are absorbed quickly tho. I have sometimes noticed very very small chunks (which don't seem to want to flush!) in the toilet but only v small amounts. I just find they make my bm very odd and unpleasant! (sorry!). I know they have got a lot going for them tho and so of course I will happily continue and bear the side effects.

I take two 200mg a day so one in the morning and one at night, I agree the one at night seems to cause less issues. In fact I started on just one 200mg per day and found it want as bad then.

Ah the fun and games!! X

[Itscurtainsforyou]

Hello again - had my follow-up scan today (stitch put in 2 weeks ago), which showed that cervix length had increased back up to 3.5cm (two weeks ago it was 2.5cm, the week before it was 3.5). So far, so good.
However, they also saw funnelling.

The consultant I saw (usual one was on holiday) was very dismissive of my concerns and told me that my anxiety was doing me more harm (I'd been fine before my appointment, but was really upset at the thought of things going wrong). She also said that I shouldn't be resting as there was no evidence that it would make any difference (usual consultant had signed me off before and after the stitch).

Does anyone have any experience of funnelling in these circumstances? If I'm honest, if my usual consultant had told me it was nothing to worry about I probably wouldn't, but this different doctor was much less understanding...

Thanks