Problems Dilating For Labor After LEEP?

[Lori1604]

I am not quite 40 weeks pregnant with my first child. In 2005, I had a LEEP to remove precancerous cervical cells. I know (and my OB/GYN has confirmed) that there is some scar tissue covering my cervix now.

I am just wondering if anyone else here has had this, and what, if any, affect cervical scar tissue may have had on cervical dilation prior to or during labor?

I should mention that I have had cervical checks for the past three weeks by three different OB/GYNs in the practice; they have all pronounced my cervix "tight as a drum." Sigh.

I am just hoping that this doesn't cause a hold-up (or crazy interventions) for me to get labor started.

Thanks!

[mamakims]

I have scar tissue on my cervix but not from LEEP. I was able to vaginally deliver my two children with only minimal "problems".
Both times I went into labour, I had no trouble dilating to 9cms... almost 10 but a lip of my cervix wouldn't dilate easily. It took a while but with the help of an OB pushing back my cervix as I pushed, the baby's head was able to push past it and be born easily after that.
It's frustrating, at least for me because my body just wants to push from 8cms on, I have no control of it but that darned cervix just won't let me totally go for it for quite a while. But I did it, it dilated and my babies were born vaginally.

I should say that I was induced with both my pregnancies. With my first, i was nearing 3 weeks overdue and she was just not intersested in being born and my second was induced a week past my edd because I had a long hard pregnancy and an over eager Dr. I was not dilated even a smidgen with my first but was 1cm for about a week before my ds was born. Not sure if that has anything to do with scar tissue on a cervix though.

[Jeannabna]

I dont know much, but I recently met someone who said somebody had to "pop" open her scar tissue for her to get past a certain point in labor. She went into labor on her own just fine though. Good luck!

[at_the_hip]

You might also consider topically applying evening primrose oil to your cervix. I have read about it softening scar tissue for women with similar issues.

[feminist~mama]

I'm sorry to say that my experience has been that women sometimes do labor for a while with very little progress in dilation. It often seems to be no change, no change, no change, followed by rapid, suddenly change.

Good luck!

[flapjack]

Originally Posted by feminist~mama

I'm sorry to say that my experience has been that women sometimes do labor for a while with very little progress in dilation. It often seems to be no change, no change, no change, followed by rapid, suddenly change.

Good luck!

Yup. I sustained some scar tissue to my cervix and conceived almost immediately afterwards: that birth was fine, but then after surgery and more scar tissue, I had another kid. I had a month of prodromal labour, finally started dilating very slowly. And then I felt my cervix pop past the scar tissue and dilate- I went from 4cm to fully dilated. Then I felt my waters break. And THEN I felt the baby move through my cervix and out with the next contraction.

I strongly recommend taking it a bit slower, because that was kind of hard to process emotionally.

[HappiLeigh]

I had a LEEP in 2000 and my first child in 2006. I dilated to five or six with no problem, but was "stuck" there for much of a day. Even though I totally knew that was likely to happen due to the scar tissue, it still caused my OB to get worried about my lack of "progress." Then finally I went from 6 to 10 really quickly and had an uncomplicated vaginal birth.
Good luck!

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Birth and Beyond.

[BanditaMamacita]

I had LEEP in 2006 in between my first two pregnancies. No idea if i had scar tissue or not, but I can say that my second labor was very different from my first. With my first, I labored a total of about 6 hours, and was at about 7 cm by the 5 hour mark, maybe a bit sooner. With my second, my labor was much more intense and cxns more frequent, but after 5 hours, i was still only 4 cm, which surprised me. All of a sudden, my cxns came one after another and 10 minutes later my baby came out... I always suspected i may have had trouble dilating past some scar tissue, but he was also posterior, so who knows? Anyway, good luck!