After 11 months TTC I finally got pregnant (Im 38 and only started experiencing endo symptoms in the rectal area only about a year ago). It is not my first baby but much wanted last baby. At my 20 weeks scan the sonographer said the baby’s head was only at 5percentile and the rest of the measurements were also at around 10percentile. It got me really worried as I have a history of having large babies (3.9kg, 4.2kg and 4.6kg). They sent me to another hospital for a more detailed scan the week after that showed the head was in fact also around 10percentile but now the femur was below 5percentile. I was all over the place and they suggested I do a TORCH test to check for infections and also a NIPT test to rule out trisomy. After an agonising week the results came back negative. I am still worried and wondering why this baby is small.
So now my question is : can endometriosis restrict the growth or cause small for gestational age babies? I just came across a study that said those were linked but I would like the opinion of women who had a successful pregnancy while diagnosed with endo, were their babies on the small side?
Sorry for the long drawn out post.
Thanks for reading this far x
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Trinity613
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Thanks for your post, and congratulations on your pregnancy! Relieved for you that the tests came back clear and that your baby is healthy, I can imagine it's been a huge worry. I'm afraid that I don't know the answer to your question regarding a correlation between endometriosis and the size of babies. Perhaps other members of the community will be able to share their experiences. Otherwise, it'd be best to seek advice from an experienced Obstetrician who has worked on endometriosis patients.
If you'd like to speak to someone for support, Endometriosis UK has a helpline run by friendly volunteers who also have endo. The opening times are here: endometriosis-uk.org/helpline
That’s so kind of you Claudia! I would love to speak to a gynaecologist/obstetrician specialised in endo, unfortunately (or fortunately) I have been discharged from the endometriosis clinic since the announcement of my pregnancy so have no one to turn to except this forum. I am really grateful for the link you posted xx
You're welcome! Sorry you've been discharge and have no professional to seek advice from (and how I can relate to this scenario! 😂). Let's hope that others can share some of their thoughts and experiences. Take care x
Hi trinity ,I can imagine how u feeling I had all three children with endo last one developed adenymosis was under the care of endo team saw a consultant with every baby scan.i was advised endo doesn't affect the baby growth it's all down to the functioning of the placenta.i was told my babies are all going to be big 8 IBS turned out 6 to 7 IBS rangex
Hi Lasa! Thanks for your message. Very interesting as 6-7 lbs is around 10percentile which for me would be very small. That reinforces my opinion that the endometriosis is causing this baby to be small. As long as the baby is healthy I’m not worried as they can catch up after birth. Thanks for your message! Oh and how did the labour go? Was it painful in the same areas as your endo? I am petrified as my rectum pain is way worse than giving birth without painkillers for me… the pain was so sharp that I almost fainted, while giving birth was definitely painful but not to the point where I felt like I was passing out, it’s more of a diffuse pain that is spread in the whole uterus.
Hi trinity your welcome ,well with my first baby I got to 8 cm then felt like I'm Gona pass out ,throw up couldn't even lie on the bed felt so much pressure in my bottom so I ended up taking an epidural.Oh and I have a retroverted uterus so had to have forceps.So from then on the endo team were like epidural be best for me in future.I didn't feel anything giving birth I was high on the epidural x
Oh amazing! That’s exactly what I’m planning to do: get the epidural asap. Unfortunately it doesn’t always go as planned, my last baby came so quick that I arrive at the hospital fully dilated. I still suffered another 30-40min of very difficult pushing so regretting not getting the epidural… This time I will head for the hospital at the first contraction 😝
Hi trinity ,yes hope u do get it on time my last one had it when I was 6 cm dilated ,it's the best thing as with endometriosis we get so much pain.Trust me I'm in so much pain I don't feel that needle going in x
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I also have endometriosis/adenomyosis and am 22 weeks pregnant. We had our 20w scan a couple of weeks ago and head was in the 3rd centile (and baby wasn't playing ball so they couldn't do most of the other measurements) so had a repeat scan today. Head now measuring in the 8th centile and the rest of them is just a bit on the small side too, but they've said they don't think it's anything to be concerned about. I also spoke to the consultant about endo during pregnancy and they said that there had been some studies but there's no robust evidence that it affects anything once you get pregnant, which I found really reassuring!
Hi Femacrae! Congratulations on your pregnancy too!! Thanks so much for your message it’s so reassuring! I think the reason they got concerned is because I have a history of having large babies. Regardless, they had be really worried for 2 weeks with these screening test, I could hardly sleep and found myself crying a lot. Thank Gd that period is over and I can enjoy my pregnancy. There’s nothing wrong with small babies but in my case it would definitely be linked to my recent onset of endo as there is no other difference with my previous pregnancies. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy! Is it your first?
Hello lovely,I don’t know the answer to your question but I suffer from severe endo and adenomyosis and gave birth to my miracle rainbow baby nearly 4 months ago. He was measuring small for the gestational age throughout my whole pregnancy (both my husband and I are really tall) and he was only over 5 pounds when he was born but he is a healthy baby and thriving. Xx
Hi Eternalwarrior, thanks so much for your message and congratulations on the birth of your miracle baby boy!! It’s really reassuring to hear that all went well and he is healthy. My husband is tall (6foot something) but I’m average. From my experience, birth size doesn’t mean much as they can catch up anytime so I’m sure your baby will grow to be a strong tall man. May I ask how the birth went? Did you manage to get an epidural? Also how did the postpartum bleeding go? I’ve been thinking about it today: is it like a period (which would mean excruciating rectum pain for me) or just normal bleeding? Also as your baby is now 4 months did you get your period back or are you breastfeeding with no period?Sorry for all the questions, you don’t have to answer if it’s too personal. I just have all these questions and no one to ask them to…
Thank you, lovely, and of course I don't mind you asking.
Although I had a very high risk pregnancy, the birth went really well. I had wanted to have a natural birth so I did a wonderful hypnobirthing course. They thought I would need a c-section because baby was transverse/sideways but he moved head down last minute! So, I had a natural vaginal birth with no pain relief at all and no epidural.
To be honest with you, I suffer from adenomyosis and deep infiltrative endo pretty much everywhere and for me my periods and a bad endo flare are worse/more painful than giving birth. At least when you are giving birth, you know it will be worth it in the end, but living with chronic constant excruciating pain due to endo/adeno is just so hard!
I had had excision surgery before getting pregnant so my pain levels weren't too bad, although two endometriomas had already grown back soon after the surgery.
My endo pain improved towards the middle of the pregnancy and I am better now than I have ever been 😊 I am exclusively breastfeeding and no signs of a period yet. I really hope they don't return for as long as possible.
Baby is growing well and is on a higher percentile now.
The postpartum bleeding lasted quite a long time 5-6 weeks and I was in quite a lot of pain for around 2-3 weeks after birth. I think it is because of my adeno and the uterus was contracting to go back to its normal size. It took me so many years of heartache to have my rainbow baby but it has been all absolutely worth it and pregnancy and EB are keeping my endo at bay at the moment. Fingers crossed it will stay this way! If you have any questions, please feel fre to ask.
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