Cerclage Information From Someone Who Has It

I just wanted to make a post for anyone who's curious about getting a cerclage and what comes with it.

Mind you all doctors are different when it comes to technique so some things can vary, but most are generally the same.

First I want to start by saying if you have a short cervix this doesnt automatically mean you'll need a cerclage, there are some people who take progesterone that can make progress with cervix length. I sadly wasnt one of those cases, I did go up in cervix length on progesterone and bedrest, but whenever I would start walking again it'd drop immediately.

Also know that you always have a choice with everything. So if you are able to and it's not an emergency situation, do the research prior to deciding.

For me after two weeks of progesterone and strict bedrest, then trying walking again and it dropping I decided a cerclage would be best. I also only had .8cm when I decided this.

The procedure itself is not invasive, but it does come with risks.

Your membranes can break and theres risk of infection. I asked my doctor prior to deciding to get a cerclage more specifics about those risks and I was lucky to have a doctor that had never had the membranes break in her 31 years of practice, but infection risk is always there. You just need to keep a close eye on your discharge and follow all instructions no sex, nothing in the vagina after the procedure to keep the risk to a minimum.

As far as during the procedure you have an option of general anesthesia and spinal epidural. I spoke to the anesthesiologist about these choices. I wanted whichever one was better for my baby, but because of where I was in pregnancy neither one would affect my little one and both came with different risks. I ended up choosing general anesthesia because my doctor performing the procedure preferred that, but also I felt being awake with how anxious and worried I was would not be a good mix, plus with the epidural your numb for hours where general is only the duration of the procedure.

You will have a catheter placed and also they may stuff your vagina with gauze afterwards as well. I had to have the gauze placed which made me feel like I had to poop and pee after surgery.

The pain you feel is like period cramps.

I have endometriosis so my period cramps are pretty bad, but I imagine for someone who doesn't have endometriosis it would be like period cramps for them just more intense. They gave me pain medication after the procedure when I woke up and also that night so I could sleep, the next morning the pain was gone completely.

My little was was moving during surgery and after surgery, which helped me feel secure about him not being severely affected by the medications and reassured me on what the anesthesiologist told me about it not affecting the baby.

You will bleed after the procedure so dont worry if you see blood for the next few days, but you do want the blood to darken which indicates that it's old blood not new blood.

You will have discharge after its healed. The discharge worried me at first because it was alot and I was worried about infection, but because your body has a foreign object inside it's natural reaction is to create more discharge. With that being said, if the discharge looks abnormal in anyway call your nurse (if your in the hospital) or take a picture and call your doctors office.

After the cerclage it's natural for your body to experience contractions (cramping) they will monitor and give you medication if needed to calm your uterus down. The reason your body does this is because it's trying to get rid of that foreign object, but eventually it will stop once it gets used to it.

Please feel free to ask my any questions. I know before I had the procedure I was searching the interest religiously and posting as much as I could to find information so I know how it is.

❤