Positve Fetalfibronectin test...

[Christy31]

Hello my name is adrian my wife christy used to post on this great forum on and off before we found out we were having our precious baby girl. Right now she is 27 weeks and 2 days and we just got POSITVE fetalfibronectin test yesterday afternoon. We have been at the hospital since and she is being monitered for contractions and cervix length. Back in december her cervix measured 3.5 and translavial ultrasound done yesterday evening revealed it has shortened to 2.6 which her dr says its still on the ok side. for right now shes has not any serious cramping.Hopefully a transvaginal ultra sound tommrow will reveal some improvements wih her cervix. Hopefully ive explained our situation the best way possible.

Looking for any woman who at 27 weeks have had a similar experience. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully everything will turn out ok. Dr says baby is fine.

thanks so much. adrian

 

[mummy3]

Ok, firstly don't panic

It's more a test to establish whether you WONT go into labour rather than you will. The cervix length of 2.6cm is still decent.

Sorry for the tmi here but have you had sex in the 48hours before the test was done? this can give a false positive as can any spotting/bleeding. Also have you had a previous preemie?

Generally the test is used with other risk factors to determine your risk of preterm labour. If your wife is not having any kind of contractions this is very promising.

I'm 25 weeks this time, with a cervix as of last week at 2.1cm, no fetal fibronectin done yet due to spotting, but have weekly cervical length checks as well as weekly progesterone and terbutaline to take when I get contractions. I have 3 preemies though. I had a positive fetal fibronectin last time at 33 weeks and had my daughter 5 days later, but I was having regular contractions, which was more indicative than the ffn.

 

[Breezy]

^^WSS

The FFN is more so used in the case of a negative. A positive one is pretty useless so try not to worry.

Best of luck!!

 

[HelenGee]

Hi,
If you look at the thread on incompetent cervix, threatened labour, stitch, cerclage under the gestational complications heading, you may find some help. There is a lady called Mich who had a positive ffn although I can't remember the exact gestation. I do know that we have been supporting each other and have both just given birth to healthy babies, hers at 36w5, mine at 38w3.

The thread is reeeaallly long though, but you may find some help and reassurance reading through the dire situations we were in xx

 

[Motsy]

I am in complete agreement with the previous posters about the fetal fibronectin test. I hope that I have a story that is of some encouragement to you as well. With my last pregnancy I was hospitalized at 26 weeks because my cervix had shortened to 1.3 cm with funneling down to 0.7 cm. That night in the hospital the nurses came in putting me on drips and medications because I had gone into pre-term labor with contractions 2 minutes apart. I was discharged eventually and went home to continue strict bed rest, medications, and at least once weekly appointments with my perinatologist. At his office I always had a level II ultrasound and sometimes also had non-stress tests and bi-weekly fetal fibronectin tests. I had my first positive test at about 29 or 30 weeks. Like you, I was very nervous, but was soon encouraged by the peri and other women that a positive really means NOTHING. It does increase the likelihood of going into labor, but barely and not enough to matter. My daughter stayed in until 35 1/2 weeks despite multiple positive tests. I don't pay them one bit of attention.

 

[tennismom]

I had a pos test at 25 weeks. Ended up delivering at 38 weeks. Like others have said, the pos. result doesn't mean much one way or another. . .they are looking for a neg. result. other factors - is she contractiing? cervix still hard and long? not thinning out?
she can get steriod shots, to mature the lungs, just to be on the safe side. but, if she is not contracting, cervix isn't changing then I would say she is okay.

 

[AP]

I had a positive at 22 weeks, you can imagine how hysterical I was considering I had a baby at 27 weeks before!(who is now nosing at this thread as I type!)
It was followed up with a scan to check cervix length and tunnelling but that was all ok.

I've had the test every fortnight since, and they have been negative.

I'm guessing the first was positive because we did have sex prior to the test. Now we don't for at least 4 days. Learnt from that one!

My cervix length was 3cm at 24 weeks, I was told that was better than normal,, so 2.6 I'm assuming is still all good at 27 weeks.

I'm 29 weeks now, and all is well like mummy3 says, a negative is far more reliable than a positive, however odd that may seem. These tests aren't even widely used here and I only get them because I'm on a study. They aren't the best indicator of pre term labour, but they do help you get the medical checks just in case, and that's all I can ask for!

 

[AP]

Ironically after posting this I got a positive again yesterday, no sex either
However, just like I said, it gets me the check ups and follow up I need, as I will be rescanned and measured next week to see what's been going on, if anything.

Adrian i hope baby is staying put, the preemie section is good too if you have any further worries