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Re: Pregnancy symptomsFrom: Richard M. Chudacoff, MD (anonymous@obgyn.net)Thu, 22 Oct 1998 09:52:36 -0500 (CDT)
At Thu, 22 Oct 1998, Sophie wrote: > >I tested positive 2 weeks ago with 4 Home tests and 1 urine test at the >doctor which makes me 6 weeks pregnant today. > >My worry is that my symptoms seem to be so different to everyone else >and I'm scared that my pregnancy is abnormal. How long does cramping >normally last for and how sore should they be? My cramps are low and >sore but not debilitating. No bleeding though. Also, other friends >said they were urinating frequently at this stage - I'm not. My only >symptoms are sore breasts and cramping. Is this normal? > >One more question, if you don't mind. I had a biopsy on my cervix 2 >years ago following CIN III - does this mean I'm at risk of an >incompetent cervix? and if so what can I do about it to reduce the risk >of a miscarriage. > >Sorry to sound so neurotic, but I'm 34 and after 15 months of trying I >want this to work!! > >Thanks for your help. First, and easy for me to say, but relax. At this point there is nothing that worrying is going to solve. Every pregnancy is different, between people and even same woman and successive pregnancies. The uterus is not a smart organ. It knows only to contract, and those contractions feel like menstrual cramps. Anything that stimulates the uterus, like a healthy growing fetus that is expanding the size of a 34 yo uterus that has not been expanded before, can cause this cramping. It should only last for another few weeks but I have had patients whom have felt cramping throughout their entire pregnancy. If there is no bleeding, I would not worry. Personally, iin my practice I do an ultrasounds to reassure my patients that the pregnancy is in the uterus. And if fetal heart motion is present there is about a 97% predictor of the pregnancy going to term. Sore breasts and cramping are the most common symptoms of an early, normal pregnancy. Frequency of urination can occur, but it is not textbook. You sound healthy, and an ultrasound may go a long way to reassuring you that so is your pregnancy. Depending on the extent of your cervical biopsy your risk of incompetent cervix increases. If a small biospy or a LEEP (loop electrocautery excision procedure) was performed the chances of cervical incompetence is small. If a CKC (cold knife cone) biospy was performed in the operating room, then the chances are greater, but most studies I am aware of state this risk is only about 1% or so. This is directly proportional to the amount of cervix that was removed during the procedure. Your OB can perform a digital exam at 14, 16, 18 and/or 20 weeks to test for the integrity of the cervix, and make management plans based on these exams. Yes, I understand that you spent a lot of time to get to this position. But, now that you are pregnant there is not a lot you can do to assure this pregnancy goes to term other than eating well, exercises appropriately, and continuing your prenatal care. Let your OB worry about your pregnancy. After all, that is why they (used to) pay us the big bucks. :-)
-- Richard Chudacoff, MD Baylor College of Medicine BaylorMedCare Houston/Sugar Land, TX
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