Anybody ever have a cerclage?

[hadleys_mom]

I was wondering if anyone already knows they are going to have one or has had one in the past? I know I'll have one at 12 or 15 weeks. DD#1 was born at 23 weeks and I was told that this baby will come even early if I don't have the cerclage. I'd love to hear how the procedure went, how long the recovery time was and what it was like when they removed it. I've been told that it will be removed at 36 weeks and I should deliver shortly after that.

Thanks,
Michele

[Quirky]

I don't have any personal experience but I was thinking you might want to post in the general pregnancy forum as well as the midwives forum to get more answers. I have also seen recently a study that cerclages aren't effective at preventing preterm labor, so you might want to do some research and get a second opinion.

Good luck for a healthy LONG pregnancy!

[CrunchyClark]

Quirky, I've seen that same study. I have a friend who had a cerclage and her ds was born full term, but I'm not sure of efficacy of them in general.

[hadleys_mom]

I believe there is some question of how well a cerclage works once preterm labor has already started. With my last pregnancy, I went into preterm labor at 23 weeks and the decision was made that a cerclage could be more dangerous than beneficial. This time I will have a cerclage at 12 weeks to try to prevent becoming dilated. I apparently have a incompetent cervix. Thanks for the suggestion of posting this to the larger group.

[Quirky]

There is also more recent research showing that in randomized controlled trials cerclage did not reduce the incidence of preterm labor when done on women with short cervixes (not in preterm labor).

It can, however, increase the risk of preterm rupture of membranes (which means the baby has to be delivered). So it is not a risk-free procedure.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15183621

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10521734

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11408848

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15507959

I am not a medical professional and I'm not qualified to sum up all the research out there, and this is just some of it. What I'm trying to do is help get you started on your own research so you can make an informed decision.

If you're not already seeing one, I would definitely see a maternal-fetal medical specialist/high-risk OB, someone who's up on all the latest research, and get them to explain to you what they think the latest research means for you in your circumstances. In other words, I would not just see my regular OB, because not all of them keep up with the research.

Good luck, mama!