Anyone have a previous LEEP procedure done and then gone on to have an 'easy' or at least...

[ItzKel]

I am wondering if any of you have experienced a previous LEEP procedure and have then gone on to have a standard labor/delivery with NO cervical dilation delays or issues in subsequent pregnancies?

I ask this because between having my DS2 and this pg, I had a LEEP procedure down due to pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. I have been reading a lot of stories lately of women who have had this done and then experienced hours/days of little to no dilation as a result of scar tissue build-up on their cervix from the LEEP procedure. I would love to hear any stories from those of you who may have had this procedure but then did not end up with dilation delays or the need to have your OB or midwife manually break apart the scar tissue during labor (which I hear can be very painful)... actually any experience with laboring/delivery after a LEEP procedure would be helpful to hear!

At this stage of my pg with DS1 and DS2, I was at 3 cm dilated and 4-5cm dilated right around my EDD. My EDD for this pg is today, and as of a few days ago, I was at 1 1/2 cm dilation. My FEAR now is that I do have some scar tissue build-up that is not allowing me to dilate as fully as I have with my previous pg prior to labor - I would think I'd at least dilate as much as my 1st pg, if not more since my body has "done this before." I have another midwife appointment today (am planning my 2nd homebirth) and will talk to her about it, but in the meantime thought if I heard some stories from women who have 'been there, done that' then maybe it would give me a little peace of mind.

Thanks for any feedback and/or stories!


Kelly , mama to DS1 and DS2 (05, 07) and pg with DD, due around 10/07/10

[Tresa]

How long has it been since your leep?

I had a fairly invasive leep done when I was 17, every hcp I've had since then for a pap has noticed my massive scar tissue on my cervix. (I'm 30 now, had my first baby at 25)

I've had the same midwife for all my births, and before my first baby, she told me that sometimes it can cause problems with dilation, sometimes it doesn't. But most all of the time, the cervix will dilate so a baby can pass through. That sometimes it can take a little longer, but it's not a cause for c/s or anything.

I did lots of EPO, orally, toward the end of my first two pregnancies and don't know whether it directly helped anythign, but they were smoooth births.

[ItzKel]

It's been a couple years since I had the LEEP. I've been taking two capsules of EPO orally for a couple weeks now and having been placing one capsule vaginally at night (although I am not sure how successful the vaginal one has been since I can only get it in so far - not sure if I'm getting even remotely close to my cervix!).

I'm not so much worried about a c/s as I am about laboring and laboring, only to find out I am not dilating due to scar tissue. Labor is bad enough without finding out something is literally holding back dilation - I'd feel like it was pain I was enduring that wasn't productive at all, if that makes sense. My 1st labor lasted 14 hours following my water breaking on it's own and then contractions building up, etc. My 2nd labor lasted 6 hours from the first easy contractions to birth, with really only about 2 1/2 hours of what I'd say was hard labor.

I am glad to hear you had smooth births! Did your midwife have to do anything to help break apart the scar tissue or did it just do it on it's own? Did you feel anything when it happened?

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Birth and Beyond

[jeninejessica]

I don't have personal experience, but my SIL had the procedure done. Her first baby, which was a few years after the procedure, the labor lasted about 18 hours, and she was given pitocin, but her and I both believe stress was holding her body up (her mother and fiance fought for most of the labor). Other than the pitocin, it was a normal labor and delivery.

Before the birth of her second daughter she was diagnosed with severe endometriosis as well, and was actually recommended against getting pregnant, as they wanted her to go back onto bcp's to ward off the growths. She decided to try to get pregnant anyways and actually had a hard time due to the scarring from both issues. The actual delivery though was a 'piece of cake'. She labored at home in early labor for about 4 hours, and then once she got to the hospital, baby was out after less than 2 hours of labor and only 15 minutes of pushing if I remember correctly. It doesn't seem like the scarring held up either of her deliveries from what I saw, but I suppose it could depend on where ti was located.

[azjen43]

I had a LEEP procedure on my cervix several years before my last baby was born. My labor was pretty uneventful. The eary part was longer than with my first two, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

[ballmom]

I had a LEEP done 7.5 yrs before DD was born. The only issue I had was scar tissue built up and it did keep me from dilating (I did not go past 1.5 cm). Once the dr realized what the problem was the scar tissue was broken and I dilated quickly (went to 6 right away) and went on to have a normal delivery.

I asked the dr at my last appt if this would cause an issue this time around (been 9 yrs) and he said it may or may not, but in his experience the scar tissue will not build up a second time.

[KLM99]

I had a LEEP two years prior to my first birth and had no problems whatsoever. I was pretty worried throughout the pregnancy because I had read about either your cervix opening too early (premature birth) or not at all, but in the end, no issues at all.

For my first birth, I went 2 weeks late and had an uneventful homebirth. For my second birth, I went 1 week late and again, uneventful.

[mrsberman]

I had a LEEP 3 years before my daughter was born. When I went for my induction, I was already 4 cm on my own. I ended up with a c/s, but that had nothing to do with my LEEP.

A friend of mine also had pre-cancerous cells removed, but I can't remember if the procedure was done through LEEP or not. She had to have a stitch put in after the cells were removed and she had a normal vaginal delivery.

Good luck!

[Beauchamp]

For me, my labor was long and intensely painful. DD was also posterior and my MW didn't know it (she said my abs were so toned that she could rarely feel the baby's position.)

I had my LEEP in January '08, and had DD June '09. My contractions started at 5:15am, and I started to have to focus on each one by 7:30am. My water broke at 12:30, and after that I was in a LOT of pain. My MW arrived around 1:30-2pm, and she immediately said (based on my "vocalizations" and how I looked during contractions) that I was in transition. I was NOT. I was 3cm!!! (she checked me.)

She then said that LEEPs create "bands" of scar tissue that a woman must break through. She couldn't say how many bands there would be, but that breaking each one would "feel just like transition". I have no idea whether this info is true or not, but my labor was horribly painful, and the fear of the unknown overcame me very quickly. (So, PG with #2 now, I am already terrified!)

I stayed at home until 6pm when we transferred. I ended up getting an epi at just about 8cm, and they noted my cervix had swelled, which MW didn't know, and they also noted that the baby was posterior and didn't turn. I am still not in a good place about this birth, and wonder if the LEEP, for me, had anything to do with it. I have two bad discs in my low back/sacrum, so back labor with a posterior baby on arthritic/degenerated discs could be a factor as well. The epi ran out and I pushed for 2 hours and 15 minutes. DD was born at 1:15am the next day.

Here's hoping that scar tissue is all gone! (BTW, I also took EPO regularly to soften the scar tissue, but I don't think it helped at all, based on how much I was screaming during labor. )

[JudiAU]

One of my former roomates just gave birth vaginally. We aren't close really and I don't know the details. Other than it was hospital vaginal birth at a csection happy hospital. She had at least three leep procedures while we were living together.