chorioamnionitis and Incompetent Cervix

I have reading posts from a lot of women who are terrified of chorioamnionitis. In layman's terms, chorioamnionitis is a infection within the uterus during pregnancy. It is especially complicated for women with Incompetent Cervix. I am going to try to discuss it in easy to understand terms below. My hope is that it will provide information and maybe ease some minds.

The first reason it is complicated to a woman with IC is the confusion it causes while trying to get a diagnosis of IC. Because the infection can actually cause labor-including dilation, it can make doctors leery to diagnose a woman with IC. It really is a chicken or an egg problem. Did an incompetent cervix opening up allow bacteria to enter the utuerus causing the chorioamnionitis, or did the chorioamnionitis cause premature labor opening the cervix? Doctors are hesitant to perform a cerclage for future pregnancies if there is even a little possibility that something other than IC caused the dilation.

The second reason is the fear it can cause a woman after a cerclage has been placed. If infection occurs, the cerclage may have to be removed which would result in a second loss. Some doctors place the woman on preventative antibiotics, but most don't. Doctors don't like to introduce chemicals into a woman's body long term without just cause.

Now for my experiance. With Mason, the test results came back positive for severe infection in the uterus, ambilical chord, birth canal, and Mason himself was septic. However, you must remember that I was dilated for almost two weeks before I had the placental abruption which ended the pregnancy, and Mason's life. For my pregnancy with the twins, I had the cerclage, but was not placed on antibiotics. Infection did not occur this time. Anytime you introduce something into the birth canal there is a risk so I was very nervous about cervical checks, but my doctor was careful.

I hope this helps explain things and ease your mind. Feel free to post questions.