Tear in Cervix?

[ilovebabies]

Hi, I'm not new to the mothering forums but it's been so long since I've been on that I couldn't remember my information and had to re-register! Life has been BUSY!!

I have a question though. A couple of weeks ago I had my yearly checkup with my OB/GYN (my babe is now 9 months old!), and when he checked me, he said that I had a tear in my cervix. I didn't know this because I never went in for my 6 week pp check. He said that it's not anything to be concerned about unless I get pregnant again. I meant to ask him why it would be a problem, but got sidetracked and forgot to ask. I'm sure I received the tear during birth because my babe flew out very quickly (he was #4)!!

We would like to have more children and I'm curious to know how this might affect the pregnancy. Has anyone heard of it or experienced it?

Thanks!
Tracy

[Synchro246]

Hi My cervix tore in my first labor. (insert long story about why it happened & how I found out--if interested LMK and I will divulge)

My second pregnancy I was really focused on my cervix for this reason. I don't have a boat load of info and I tried to find things out, but, at least for me there wasn't much to find. Anyway. I went to term just fine (first baby was 38 weeks on the nose, second was 41+). Labor progressed, but I did have one MEGA cervical lip. It was huge and "floppy". I am almost certain that my cervical lip was due to the tear--it allowed the anterior part of my cervix to lag behind in dialation. Being the believer in women's bodies that I am I tried to allow my body to labor past the lip. I figured it'd go away on it's own, but it didn't and I ended up feeling very very pushy for over an hour before I decided to let the MW "reduce" the lip (push it behind the baby's head). She did so sucessfully and it hurt like hell, but it worked. He was born 6 minutes later. Of course now I wish I had just consented to the reduction when she first brought it up .

From what I have read on the subject it all just depends on where and how the cervix tore. A large proportion of cervixes tear to some degree BTW, it's usually not mentioned. Maybe the doc was just pointing out that you were in that particular statistical sect.

I have re-formatted my comp since all my torn-cervix research, but I will try to re-find what was helpful to me

[ilovebabies]

Thank you for trying to find more information, I appreciate that! I've been told at my last 2 births that I'm completely dilated except for a "lip" and we wait just a bit longer and I know at times the mw has "helped" with it. Maybe the tear has been there? Don't knows since it's never been mentioned that I've had it before.

I was concerned that it could cause complications in pregnancy (miscarriage, pre-term labor??).

Tracy

[wendy1221]

I think the risk is having scar tissue that may prevent you from dialting fully on your own during your next labor. I had a scar on my cervix that my midwife said probably wouldn't be an issue, but if it had kept me from dialating, she would have manually separated the scar tissue, which I've heard can be painful. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Synchro246]

Originally Posted by ilovebabies

Thank you for trying to find more information, I appreciate that! I've been told at my last 2 births that I'm completely dilated except for a "lip" and we wait just a bit longer and I know at times the mw has "helped" with it. Maybe the tear has been there? Don't knows since it's never been mentioned that I've had it before.

I was concerned that it could cause complications in pregnancy (miscarriage, pre-term labor??).

Tracy

It might have been there. I didn't know about mine until *I* found it and asked both my MW and my OB/GYN and they confirmed it. My OB/GYN was at the birth of my first son, and I think she was part of the reason why my cervix tore (not that I blame her, I think that if my cervix didn't tear I would not have had a vaginal birth). I haven't found anything that indicated that a run-0f-the-mill cervical laceration would cause significatnt increase in chance of miscarriage or PTL.

Originally Posted by wendy1221

I think the risk is having scar tissue that may prevent you from dialting fully on your own during your next labor. I had a scar on my cervix that my midwife said probably wouldn't be an issue, but if it had kept me from dialating, she would have manually separated the scar tissue, which I've heard can be painful. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

AHHH! I had scar tissue in my first labor that inhibited my dialation and my OB tried to strech me out (manual dialation). I'm pretty sure this is when I tore. I found conflicing info about whether the scar tissue from the tear would inhibit labor or not. I can see how it can and how it might not. I think, for me, that I still didn't dialate "normally" in my second labor--I think I just opened up along my tear again. I think it can go both ways though. I think the tear can heal in such a way to cause scarring.
My tear was un-repaired BTW. Most cervical tears are as cervical tears are common. Do you know if your cervical tear was left to heal on it's own or if it was sutured?



I really think that a lot of this JUST DEPENDS. I think it's a hard thing to draw conclusions about based on anecdotal evidence.

[Synchro246]

http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/cervix.htm


a recent mdc thread http://www.mothering.com/discussions...php?p=11304794

[ilovebabies]

Thanks for all the info. Wow, I hope it wouldn't rule me out as being able to use our birthing center. You have to be low risk to be able to use it. That would be a big issue for me because I do not want in the regular maternity ward. No thank you. I think I'd have to look into homebirthing if they refused me because of that. Of course I'm not even pregnant again yet but it's something to be thinking about.

[Synchro246]

At least in my state cervical tear is NOT on the risk assessment form for OOHB. It would be something that would be at the discression of the HCP. Since to my knowlege there is no emperical evidence about this topic you are probably safe from being risked out of a type of care.

[barefootpoetry]

I tore my cervix during labor with DS1. Apparently it wasn't a big deal because no one told me about it. I would have liked to know, though, because I didn't do too well at taking it easy and the tear wound up hemorraging a week PP.

My CP has told me that the only thing about it is that I might be more likely to tear again since my cervix is already "compromised" so to speak. I don't consider it a risk factor for HB, since the CNM who told me this doesn't even know I'm homebirthing. The factors that led to me tearing would not even be taking place at a HB anyway!

[Shelsi]

Out of curiosity do you know if tearing your cervix during labor would make it even more painful? The obvious answer would be yes I guess but I thought I'd ask anyways. I have a friend who wanted a NCB but ended up with demerol and an epidural. They told her that she was starting to tear her cervix and that's why she was in so much pain and needed an epidural. The thing is though that she was stuck in the hospital, she had a very unfriendly nurse who would ask her at the peak of every contraction if she wanted drugs, she was a surrogate and had agreed with the bio parents that she would follow doc's recommendations so as soon as she got there they broke her water and did an internal monitor on her, she was stuck in bed on her back, and the bio parents were in the room who were VERY pro-drugs (they are in fact merck representatives) and kept telling her basically how much it obviously hurt and to just get the drugs....they also reminded her of her code word for "she really and truly is not kidding and honestly wants drugs and not encouragement" at the peak of one of her worst contractions. After that there was really nothing me or her boyfriend could do. She did go on to have the baby vaginally which is cool. But I've often wondered if the cervical tearing thing was just something they said...much like how they will do a c-section for a stupid reason and then say "oh thank goodness we did, he had the cord wrapped around his neck!"