Cervix after pregnancy

[rainbowMIT]

Hi ladies

I'm now 5 months PP and Iv had a dreadful recovery after a traumatic birth.

Anyway since Iv given birth from what I think it is, my cervix is quite low. I can feel it with half a finger inserted. It's a round lump like barrier with a hole in the middle. I can insert my finger into the hole. Is this normal?

Literally sex is uncomfortable and impossible. Iv been examined but doctors can't figure it out. Honestly swear to god there just useless tho! And say I'm making a fuss.
I also have spotting after anything is inserted. I also have a slight discharge but nothing heavy. I'm so worried. Iv actually just booked a smear because I'm worried about the C word!
Please tell me this is a normal thing after pregnancy.

Iv had a pelvic MRI scan a couple of months back as I fractured cyoccx in labour & blood tests so please tell me cancer would of been picked up and I'm just being stupid.

I'm 28 and first time mummy and sooo anxious and worried x

I could (pre hysterectomy) feel my cervix and yes I could, when checking for the strings of my coil, put my finger in the hole.
Have you been doing pelvic floor exercises? If it was a traumatic birth then maybe your muscles are a little weak still so it’s sitting lower?

it can take anywhere from 12 weeks to a year for your vagina to go back to its pre-birth state, and some things may never be 100 percent the same again, Jessica Shepherd, M.D., a minimally-invasive gynecologist at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, tells SELF.
www.self.com/story/vagina-changes-after-birth

Is your smear test due? I only ask because the lab won’t test if you attend early, they just dispose of it which I imagine would cause you more stress. If the Drs have examined you and everything looks normal then I wouldn’t worry too much, it’s still not very long after having your baby.

The spotting & discharge is a different issue but is it not just normal discharge but slightly heavier than pre pregnancy?
www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaginal-discharge/
If not then maybe request the nurse takes some swabs to see if there are any treatable reasons for the spotting & discharge.
If you had a traumatic birth it might be worth requesting the GP refer you for counselling to help. It could be that it’s your birth experience causing you to be so anxious which is triggering you to be anxious about your health. If your smear tests are up to date, try not to worry about cancer. I’m sorry you are worrying so much, I hope a nurse/Dr can put your mind at rest soon

It could be a uterine prolapse. I have one from a non-traumatic birth. Dr fobbed me off at 8 week check so about 4 months after birth I saw a private women's physio. I couldn't be bothered to go back through GP and wait for a referral. Private consultation was I think around £50-70. She was so knowledgeable and gave me lots of answers.

It's not been fixed with pelvic floor exercises but is manageable and so I haven't been back to her again, and am now pregnant again (will be 2 years between births). I'll probably go back to her again at some point after this birth to get her advice on going forward with anything surgical or using a 'ring' to hold it up - she identified a torn pelvic muscle which can't be fixed. And then I'd go through the NHS armed with the knowledge from her.

Great advice above already. Sounds like a wee bit of a prolapse - common after vaginal birth and esp if traumatic birth. The tissues can remain pretty weak for a while - so even if it’s uncomfortable for you now, it may well still improve (as above, at 12 months plus). Sex being uncomfortable is common too. Are you breastfeeding? It sounds like you have atrophic vaginitis - that would account for the discomfort and the spotting probably, due to oestrogen deficiency and happens a lot with breastfeeding. Definitely an up to date smear and swabs is a good idea to rule out other problems though.
Suggestions - see a pelvic physio if you can, Women’s health physios are amazing and can examine you and give another opinion on whether there’s prolapse there (lots of them are better than doctors at that) as well as Assess any muscle weaknesses and teach you how to do pElvis floor exercises well. Also, remind yourself it’s normal for sex to feel uncomfortable at this stage, take the pressure off, and when you are in the mood plenty of foreplay and lube, plus ask your GP for a prescription for oestrogen cream. Also agree with counselling/debriefing around your birth if you are able to access that. Hope that helps!