thread: Question, fluid leakage/possible PROM?

  1. #1
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    Oct 2008
    Kallangur, QLD
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    Question, fluid leakage/possible PROM?

    I'm not sure if this belongs here or not but I figured you ladies would know more about this than I do and I have a few questions.

    I'm 20wks 3d and had some small gushes on the toilet from my vag early in the morning a bit after midnight after feeling a "trickling" kind of feeling and a lot of dampness down there while lying dow, went to maternity and they did the swab tests which came back negative and they said it was most likely just excess discharge.

    I had my 20wk morphology scan this morning and there's fluid in my cervix and collecting between the sac and top of the cervix as well, no noticeable reduction in amniotic fluid around bub, everything else looks fine with bub and the sac, placenta etc, cervix is closed (even with the fluid in it) although it has shortened by 0.32mm since the last scan at 17wks 5d.

    There was no visible break in the sac either that the sonographer could find, but he did suggest a possible hind water leak or pin-***** hole/s that aren't visible on the scan.
    After almost 3 months of daily irregular contractions from my irritable uterus I now haven't had any at all for the past 3 days and lost a large bit of plug on wednesday last week after my last bout of bad contractions (3 in the space of 6 minutes, lasting approx 30 seconds each).
    I'm still leaking a bit now, just a tiny trickle/drip with the occasional small gush after I pee.
    I don't see my OB until March 2nd, less than 2 weeks away but it might as well be a lifetime at the moment with the worry from this hanging over my head.

    I don't want to go looking on Google and scare myself more than I already am.

    So my questions are:

    1) What are the chances that this leak will stop on it's own?
    2) If it doesn't stop on it's own what will need to be done re: monitoring, treatments etc
    3) What are the chances of going into labour with this?
    4) What risks are involved with leaving this be in a "wait-and-see" approach for the next 9 days as the midwives and sonographer think I should?
    5) What should I be asking my OB when I do see him? I've never had any amniotic fluid leakage or had my waters break on their own before so this isn't something that I have much of a clue about.

    Again, I apologize if this should be somewhere else, and any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    In my own little fantasy world
    2,946

    I'm so sorry you are going through this. I don't have any advice except call your ob asap if you need to, if only to put your mind at rest. Lots of I hope it stops on its own.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Jan 2012
    WA
    420

    My only advice would be to phone the OB and get in sooner, I don't think they would want you to wait with things like that going on.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Hork-Bajir Valley
    5,722

    Keep a very close eye on yourself. it is normal to have extra discharge while pg but woth your other symptoms sounds very sus (shortened cervix and contractions). if it changes at all id be getting checked out. is the discharge clear? if it changes colour at all or smells funny etc get checked out. also if it is a leak infection is a big concern so avoid baths and pools etc. if you are worried get checked out.
    Hope it works out ok (and sorry if ive scared you)

    Sent via my vortex manipulator!

  5. #5
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    Oct 2008
    Kallangur, QLD
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    thanks for the quick replies ladies, it's clear, sometimes a little gush but mostly just a trickle, and no smell at all so that is a good thing. Hubby is getting his vasectomy right now as I type so I have to wait until he gets back to use his phone to call since I have no credit on mine at the moment.

    The sonographer did say that there was only a small amount of fluid collecting above my cervix and that it could wait until I saw my OB again in 9 days as long nothing changed in between now and then, but I'll definitely call as soon as I'm able to to find out what I should do. I have a pad in at the moment and it's only slightly damp in the middle so it doesn't seem to be a big leak, just worrying at this gestation. My cervix is currently measuring 4.38cm, so not really short, but since it was 4.7cm just under 3 weeks ago it is a bit of a change and a worry in itself right now.

    It's quite scary just thinking about everything that could go wrong, I had been hoping that all the worries and problems would be over by now, apparently not

  6. #6
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    Oct 2007
    Eastern Wheatbelt WA
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    I can only go on my past experiences... with DS2 I started losing both my plug and some fluid (which was clear, no smell) at around 19-20ish weeks which continued until his birth (34+3). I went in to PTL at 26 weeks which they were able to stop. I continued to contract, lose fluid and my plug and was on bedrest for the pregnancy. My body finally gave out and I went in to labour at 34+2 and they chose not to stop it that time.

    What I do know is 4.3cm cervix is not a concern, I'm sure they will keep an eye on it anyway.

    At the moment there isn't a lot they can really do for you, IF it is your waters it's just bedrest and keeping your fluids up whilst being careful with hygiene down there until you reach 24 weeks when they can give steroids and start magnesium etc etc. Of course that depends on your hospital as I've heard of slightly different things from other people as it's really up to the dr at the time as to what happens.

    With DS1 I lost both sets of waters at 28 weeks and he wasn't born until 30+1, so it is definitely possible to last weeks, even months (I've heard lots of great stories of people lasting until term after an early break).

    The only advice I can give you now is to not stress, try and keep calm and relaxed. If you feel something is not quite right then just take yourself to the ED. thinking of you x

  7. #7
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    Oct 2008
    Kallangur, QLD
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    Thanks hun, means a lot to me knowing I can come on here for information when things go wrong, I went back up to maternity last night for a few hours, they checked for pooling again and there wasn't any and I haven't had any trickling/dripping feelings since. They basically just told me to wait until I see my OB to be reassessed, keep an eye on everything and go back in if a smell develops or I get a fever of some kind and put a pad in for an hour if I notice any more leaks before heading back in so that they can check it, and to avoid baths and keep myself clean, and to rest (impossible at the moment as DH is feeling really sore and sorry for himself and can't do much after his vasectomy yesterday, I'm not very sympathetic as he was the one who wanted to get it done and I was happy to leave it). I also asked for some more information from the doctor and midwives on what I could do and expect and they pretty much glossed over it all and didn't give me much information etc to help me settle down and be prepared just in case.

    Bub is still sitting quite low, every kick makes it headbutt the area around my cervix, it's the earliest I've ever felt that happen, but it's moving a lot so I'm trying to stay as positive as I can, and I had a bit of mucous loss for the first time since wednesday last week! So I'm taking that as a good sign that it's starting to build up again and will hopefully fill up the gap where the fluid was/has been sitting, and hopefully this is the end of unexpected leaks until at least 37wks!

    Thank you again everyone, I've received more information from all of you here than I got from the doctors and midwives, and quite frankly you have all put my mind more at ease than the doctors and midwives did - thank you so so soooo much for that from the bottom of my heart!

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Sep 2007
    Brisbane
    5,729

    I am sorry, I know nothing about this... except how stressful it must be for you. Thinking of you.

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    In my own little fantasy world
    2,946

    That great news that the leakage seems to have stopped. FX that this bub doesn't give you any more scares and bakes away happily until at least 37 weeks.

  10. #10
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    Oct 2007
    Eastern Wheatbelt WA
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    Everything crossed for 37+ weeks xx


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