short cervix at 20wks

[griciai]

I am fairly familiar with the medical literature, but I'm looking for possible firsthand accounts...

I am 20wks 3 days pregnant with my third, and had a cervix of 2.2cm on u/s yesterday. Still closed and thick, with no funneling, but significantly shorter than 2 weeks ago (2.6cm). I do have a feeling of pressure, but no cramping or spotting or anything else.

Bedrest would mean losing my job, so I've been told to take it easy as much as possible until my next u/s in a week.

Yikes.

I carried my first two to term, and while working a much more strenuous job.

Any success stories out there for me to grasp onto?

:(

[sonshine_rae]

who measured it? A regular u/s tech or a perinatoligist ?

I went through a horrible time in my first pregnancy ..... at 24 weeks was told by a regular u/s tech that my cervix measured 2.0 cm and they freaked ...... immediate pelvic/bedrest later within a week a peri measured me it was 2.5-2.7 and stayed that way until almost term when it started to naturally drop.

But meanwhile I'm a person who frequently contracts in pregnancy (but being my first preg they didn't 'know' that despite me telling them my family all contracts the whole pregnancy long).. so they had me on bedrest for 9.5 weeks, and a few medications.. to 'stop' my preterm labor (that I never was in.. just had a lot of BH).

In the end I delivered at 37 weeks no problem healthy normal baby.  I had progressively less care with my 2nd pregnancy as it became apparent things were fine.. with my 3rd and now 4th pregnancy I've gone the home birth midwife route as they seem to 'understand' me much better.

Soooooooooo this is not to say that it 'can't' be bad.. but it also could be that your fine!  Did they ever measure your cervix in your other pregnancies?  Some women just have a shorter cervix for no reason at all .... (((((((hugs)))))) hang in there.

Oh and about it being 'shorter' then a previous measurement.. there is a large room for error in those measurements as your current position (and baby's) can alter the 'length' of your cervix temporarily.

[Mamatoabunch]

Why is your cervix even being measured?

[griciai]

Thank you for the replies!

In response to your questions, my cervix was checked at the 18wk anatomy scan as per usual protocol; the u/s tech couldn't see our little boy's brain or heart well because of positioning, so I had a repeat u/s yesterday for that purpose. Again, the cervix was rechecked because they were doing the u/s anyway, and because it was on the short side (2.6cm) two weeks before.

With my other two pregnancies, the cervical length hovered around 2.8cm - 3.0cm, so on the short side as well. I carried both to term with no intervention or even really any special monitoring.

The u/s was done by a tech, but she did transabdominal first, then translabial, which is much more accurate.

It's just very scary, especially since all our children took a while to conceive and we had unexplained infertility before having our first.

Yuck.

[sonshine_rae]

Even with a vaginal u/s if they aren't a perinatoligist.. they aren't a expert I'd be hesitant to freak without an expert's measurement.

But it sounds like you err on the side of a short cervix, which just might 'be you.'

Honestly given your history I think they had exactly the right advice.. you 'might' take it easy for a bit but not overly worry, and not quick your job.  It's probably just normal flucations and given you tend to be short those 'seem' more important, but might be just fine.

Let us know how things go ((hugs)).... it was a very scary.. terrifying thing in my first pregnancy.. we really didn't know if it was necessary or not and they kept scaring us with how serious it'd be to have a preemie at that stage etc.. so I've been down that road, and am grateful it was unnecessary (though a tad frustrated that it happened at all).. but very grateful my baby was and is fine!

[griciai]

Thanks so much!
I'll keep you posted...