is severe cervical pain normal at 6 week PP check?

[tree-hugger]

At my 6 week postpartum internal exam, my cervix . hurt . like . %@^&. Is this normal and to be expected?

I am worried that it might mean there is something wrong with my cervix and I can't find any information about whether this is normal or not. My baby was posterior, but my homebirth midwife never figured this out--my doctor figured it out after the transfer to the hospital on Day #4 of labor. I had asymmetric dilation and a cervical lip. The homebirth midwife tried to push the lip out of the way during contractions, without my informed consent, which hurt more than words can ever describe. On a scale of 1 to 10, this was off the charts. I was doing 100% fine with the labor, staying relaxed, and coping very well until this happened, which demoralized me. I screamed bloody murder and told her to stop but she kept doing it through several contractions. Eventually she said the lip was gone, but babe still did not descend after being fully dilated and actively pushing for 24+ hours. I then had an emergency c-section, which I assume involved pushing the baby back up into the uterus because the head was at least partially through the cervix before the c-section. How likely is it that all of this did something bad to my cervix and that there is now something wrong with it?

My cervix doesn't hurt in general--just during that 6 week PP internal exam. I'm beating myself up that I didn't ask the doc about it then, but I was just so unprepared for it to hurt so much that I was completely caught off guard and didn't say anything. I can't say whether it hurts from ummm...intimate activities...because I haven't done that in the 6 months since the babe was born because the birth was just way too horrid.

Sorry for the long post. If you're still reading and can enlighten me on whether I should worry about my cervix being injured somehow, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

[bobandjess99]

I think chances are that you are just finding out what many of us have...that for some of us, especially after a traumatic delivery, take WAY, WAY longer than 6 weeks to heal. Personally, I can't IMAGINE..can't even imagine letting ANYone touch me "there" at only 6 weeks PP. I have still been in extreme pain at 6 weeks pp. both times, it has been at least 12 weeks before I could even examine myself without pain. I don't think there is necesarily something "wrong" with you, you just need a LOT more time.....with dd, it was 10 MONTHS pp before I could have intercourse due to the pain. This time it was only 13 weeks.
Give yourself more time to heal.

[sparkysgirl]

Sex pp (4 weeks after c-section) was quite painful. When I got checked at 6 weeks, not to bad. CNM said it wasn't going to hurt as bad because I had already had sex, So I assume that it is expected to hurt. I was supprised that sex was really painful since I had a c-section. Must have something to do with hormones??or dialation?? don't know, but probably normal. Mw told me that it has to do with fear (which I didn't get because it had only been 4 weeks for me, and no vb) and dryness because of the bf (we used lub cause we knew about that) So I don't think it has a whole lot to do with fear. But in your case with a tramatic delivery, maybe that was part of it too.

[queenjulie]

Um, no. I think you need to go to a doctor, and probably NOT the one who did your PP checkup, since he or she hurt you. I've had two labors, both posterior babies, one a hideous 28-hour marathon with epidural and all interventions except c-section, and one all-natural, with a cervical lip that had to be pushed out of the way.

Neither time did I have bad cervical pain afterward, and I never even felt the OB move my cervical lip, even though I had no anaesthetic. I think you need to talk to someone about your midwife--hurting you like that while moving the lip away, not being able to tell a baby was posterior through four DAYS of labor? Those seem like pretty serious problems to me--my midwife could tell the baby was posterior for months before delivery. And I think you may have some kind of injury that should probably be checked out. I'm sure it'll heal, but you might need medical care for that to go smoothly--you don't want to be in pain for ages any time your cervix is touched when they might be able to do something now.

[tireesix]

I have never even had an internal at a 6 week PP check. We are simply asked if we are feeling ok etc and thats it. They simply don't fiddle lol.

Considering your birth, this might have been your cervixes normal reaction to trauma but also, it depends on exactly what the Doc did to your cervix during your internal.

[Mrsboyko]

My cervix hurt for a good 4 months after birth . I had 24 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing with a posterior baby that ended in a c-section. It really felt like i had given birth 2 ways. I think my cervix was just really bruised nad beaten up. I think you should go in and talk to someone. Tell them not to touch the cervix, but i would let them look at it. Maybe see if they see a tear or something, KWIM?

Sex finally became bearable aroudn 6 months PP. Before then, sometimes I would suck it up once a month or so, but it really felt like my cervix was too low or something. It was completely unbearable before 3 months PP. i tossed DH off of me one time becasue it hurt so bad.