Needing reassurance - speculum exam yesterday

[Jessi]

Hi Ladies,

I'm quite a wreck so please be sensetive with me.

I'm 18 weeks and last night I was paranoid I was leaking so we went up to the hospital after a quick chat with the nurse over the phone who advised at this stage they cant do anything to change the outcome if I am but if I'm unsure perhaps coming in would reassure me

Long story short - there was an ******* of a male dr on duty who insisted on examining me with a speculum and prodded my belly so hard it frightened me. I wish I had flat refused the exam and walked out then as I left far more worried my pregnancy was at risk than when I went in and still had no definitive answer on the leakage.

I thought it was as simple as a swab test and off i go, reassured as i am quite an anxious person ( I have endo and PCOS) so far everything was looking good so I hoped they'd tell me I was paranoid and not to worry.

I left certainly feeling I was paranoid but then even more worried that the speculum exam had damaged things up there. It was agony (I find sex painful though due to endo so not sure how much was him being rough and how much was just pain as we've been avoiding sex due to the pregnancy)

Any reassurance anyone can give me? I did listen on my doppler and baby sounds fine but I just feel different down there, you know?

 

[leahsbabybump]

hi hun i have never known someone use a speculum during prgnancy dont want to worry you more but when i have had swabs in pregnancy they just do a lower vaginal swab basically just put a big cotton bud about 5 inches inside rub it round thats it no speculum perhpas if you are experiencing pain or discomfort you ought to ring them back and tell them what you have just told us

im sure all will be ok hun just to add things do get super sensetive down there during pregnancy so could just be sensetivity

 

[Jessi]

hi hun i have never known someone use a speculum during prgnancy dont want to worry you more but when i have had swabs in pregnancy they just do a lower vaginal swab basically just put a big cotton bud about 5 inches inside rub it round thats it no speculum perhpas if you are experiencing pain or discomfort you ought to ring them back and tell them what you have just told us

im sure all will be ok hun just to add things do get super sensetive down there during pregnancy so could just be sensetivity

thanks for the reply, it totally freaked me out. I did hear them using one on the lady in the bed next to me when she was examined and the nurse had just put it out like it was routine for the dr. I wouldnt say im in pain or discomfort phsycially, its emotionally I'm terrified. I just wish I'd flat out refused. I dont think I'll relax now till after my anomonly scan in 2 weeks if that shows all is fine I've tried ringing my own midwife for reassurance but she's on holiday and I feel like if I ring the hospital they'll get really annoyed with me. The dr was really horrible

 

[leahsbabybump]

do you have triage at your hospital hun they have it at mine and if you ring them they will offer you advice over the fone and they will also give you the number of a midwife who you can get in touch with while your usual midwife is on holiday
the number for mine is stuck on the front of my green notes

 

[ParisJeTadore]

I'm sorry you had to go through a lousy situation like that. I know I've had moments where I've gone through a medical procedure only to think afterwards, "Why didn't I just say no?"

If it's of any comfort I had a full pap/exam done at my first prenatal appointment and I found it extraordinarily uncomfortable. I don't have endo and I guess just being pregnant made everything very sensitive down below. I'm sure that could have greatly contributed to your discomfort. I'm sure your baby will be just fine so please try not to worry! (I know sometimes easier said then done )

 

[fidgets mammy]

ive had two of those done in pregnancy and i was really sore afterwards. it even hurt to wee. but sometimes the doctors are twats

 

[Jessi]

I'm sorry you had to go through a lousy situation like that. I know I've had moments where I've gone through a medical procedure only to think afterwards, "Why did I just say no?"

If it's of any comfort I had a full pap/exam done at my first prenatal appointment and I found it extraordinarily uncomfortable. I don't have endo and I guess just being pregnant made everything very sensitive down below. I'm sure that could have greatly contributed to your discomfort. I'm sure your baby will be just fine so please try not to worry! (I know sometimes easier said then done )

Thank you, its so reassuring to hear other womens pregnancy's have been ok after this. How are you other ladies managing to cope with the anxiety? this is my first pregnancy and I didn't even think I would conceive for a bit what with all the tests i went through discovering the endo/pcos. I just feel like my body's let me down so many times I dont know how to trust it anymore - in the last 2years I've had 3 operations and numerous other procedures and tests. I should be elated but I just feel scared in case there's not a happy ending. I was taking medication for anxiety and depression prior to the pregnancy but I had pretty strong doses and I just dont feel they're tested enough to feel safe using it while my baby's growing inside me

 

[Jessi]

ive had two of those done in pregnancy and i was really sore afterwards. it even hurt to wee. but sometimes the doctors are twats

thanks, I dont feel sore now... just different. Maybe cos nothings gone 'up there' in months since due to the endo pain we're giving sex a miss in pg anyhow. How long did it take for things to return to feeling normal for you?

 

[ParisJeTadore]

I had mine done at almost 14 weeks and baby is fine!

I also suffer from anxiety (it's something I have dealt with for a loooong time) and I find most days it stays at bay. If something, say a doc appointment or test, comes up I DO get very anxious but I think feel-good-pregnancy hormones have allowed me to not let it get out of hand.

I know its really hard to do but I just try to stay positive no matter how many scary thoughts I can come up with in a day and tell myself that I can only control so much of my situation. So I eat well, try to stay active when I'm feeling well and keep my stress levels low when possible. That's all you can do!

 

[Jessi]

I had mine done at almost 14 weeks and baby is fine!

I also suffer from anxiety (it's something I have dealt with for a loooong time) and I find most days it stays at bay. If something, say a doc appointment or test, comes up I DO get very anxious but I think feel-good-pregnancy hormones have allowed me to not let it get out of hand.

I know its really hard to do but I just try to stay positive no matter how many scary thoughts I can come up with in a day and tell myself that I can only control so much of my situation. So I eat well, try to stay active when I'm feeling well and keep my stress levels low when possible. That's all you can do!

Yea I guess I know deep down that what will be, will be...and nothing I can do can change that so I should try to enjoy my pregnancy as no matter what, I've still spent 18 + weeks so far with my baby and hopefully get to spend a lifetime more with him. It's gonna be a hard 2 weeks until the 20 week scan but I think after that I'll relax knowing its not long till viability is possible. I've just read the thread about 'another angel growing his wings' it was dumb of me to read something that would obviously scare the hell out of me. Just wondering though, do you think they would let you pay for an internal scan to diagnose if you had an incompetent cervix? I know they dont routinely check....but knowing surely I could do something about it if I did happen to have that problem? Or can they see that on the abdominal scans anyway?

 

[ParisJeTadore]

Yea I guess I know deep down that what will be, will be...and nothing I can do can change that so I should try to enjoy my pregnancy as no matter what, I've still spent 18 + weeks so far with my baby and hopefully get to spend a lifetime more with him. It's gonna be a hard 2 weeks until the 20 week scan but I think after that I'll relax knowing its not long till viability is possible. I've just read the thread about 'another angel growing his wings' it was dumb of me to read something that would obviously scare the hell out of me. Just wondering though, do you think they would let you pay for an internal scan to diagnose if you had an incompetent cervix? I know they dont routinely check....but knowing surely I could do something about it if I did happen to have that problem? Or can they see that on the abdominal scans anyway?

I honestly don't know so for your own piece of mind I would call up your doctor and ask. In fact, if you are ever concerned about anything in your pregnancy never hesitate to call your dr./mw and ask

Also, to keep it all in perspective in regards to the post you read (I read it too and totally bawled my eyes out!)...although, very sadly, those things do happen the percentages are very small and your odds are way more in favour of having a healthy baby. So let that reassure you!

 

[Shezza84uk]

Try not to worry Hun I've had 2 in the last few weeks due to bleeding and everything is ok. It was very painful and I found the entire process uncomfortable as I'm not comfortable with internal examinations so the whole experience makes me tense I think if you were leaking they would be able to tell based on a swab.

I'm very paranoid about leaking due to extream cm I did find some amniotic fluid detector panty liners on I might get later for reassurance.. I've copied the link if your interested in getting them x

https://www.langtoninfo.co.uk/showi...a=X&ei=P_iaT9HkIsW_8gPBtrCdDw&ved=0CEUQgwgwAA

 

[LaurenDC]

Had a pap done at 8 weeks - routine thing here in the US at your first prenatal appt and all was fine. To be honest, having sex would open you up more than a speculum I think! But not being sexually aroused can make vaginal exams a LOT more uncomfortable.

 

[Jessi]

Try not to worry Hun I've had 2 in the last few weeks due to bleeding and everything is ok. It was very painful and I found the entire process uncomfortable as I'm not comfortable with internal examinations so the whole experience makes me tense I think if you were leaking they would be able to tell based on a swab.

I'm very paranoid about leaking due to extream cm I did find some amniotic fluid detector panty liners on I might get later for reassurance.. I've copied the link if your interested in getting them x

https://www.langtoninfo.co.uk/showi...a=X&ei=P_iaT9HkIsW_8gPBtrCdDw&ved=0CEUQgwgwAA

Thanks funnily enough I was looking at them earlier today, so expensive but i'm sure worth every penny for peace of mind. I did see the box about £10 cheaper somewhere, amazon perhaps? so shop around before you pay out! I also saw amazon do them for £3.95 singly so was thinking I might order a few just for the moments I'm freaking out initially to avoid trips to the hospital. honestly I'm scared to ever go back and I'm booked to deliver there!

 

[Jessi]

Had a pap done at 8 weeks - routine thing here in the US at your first prenatal appt and all was fine. To be honest, having sex would open you up more than a speculum I think! But not being sexually aroused can make vaginal exams a LOT more uncomfortable.

Oh! that makes me feel so much better, thank you! I'm sure if it's routine they must not have any risks really.

i will take it easy and try to chill till my 20 week scan

 

[daydreaming22]

Im sorry he made you uncomfortable. Just know that a speculum cannot harm your baby. It is commonly used here during pregnancy and I have had SEVERAL exams due to all of my complications. No worries

 

[Jessi]

Im sorry he made you uncomfortable. Just know that a speculum cannot harm your baby. It is commonly used here during pregnancy and I have had SEVERAL exams due to all of my complications. No worries

Thank you, hearing it's commonly used really puts my mind at ease! It must be fine if it's routine!

 

[Graci]

I also have had two speculum exams during pregnancy. I can't imagine what problems that would cause! It only opens your vagina, not your cervix! If you're worried about incompetent cervix, you could request that they check your cervix length next time you get an ultrasound. They've checked mine three times so far b/c I lost a little bit of my mucus plug, and strangely enough, my cervix seems to be getting longer! Incompetent cervix is rare so try not to worry yourself too much, especially if you have no risk factors for it (like a previous LEEP). I read that same thread you mentioned and felt anxiety after I read it too.

 

[arj]

I had a hindwater leak and a speculum two weeks ago, luckily I had a lovely female doctor.
My advice is to put it behind you and look foward to your baby coming nice and healthy at term! If you do get leakage then next time you do go to hospital just tell them how you felt about last time