Scoliosis and Pregnancy

[lb]

My dr didn't really say anything about my scoliosis, but I've had nothing but worse back pains than I had before. I try to sit as straight as possible and support my back with pillows when I go to sleep to help with the pain, but that's as much as I can do at this point.
When I was diagnosed when I was 10, the dr didn't say anything about how it would impact a pregnancy. I guess nine years later, I'll be finding out.

 

[hanelei]

I thought there must be a scoliosis thread on here somewhere! It seems like most of us are told that it might cause problems during pregnancy, but not what kind of problems exactly.

I have an S-curve with a twist- I was booked for surgery when I was 15, but it partly corrected itself so they decided I didn't need the operation after all, thank goodness.

My shoulders are even but my hips are different heights and I have a slight swayback as well- I could see there being some extra back pain as I get bigger, but hopefully nothing else.

I have also heard that an epidural can be risky with scoliosis, but in Japan where I live over 90% of women give birth with no pain relief at all, so an epidural isn't usually an option here anyway.

Would be interested to hear if there are any other ladies with scoliosis and what they are experiencing/have experienced!

 

[Dilek]

Ive asked the same question to midwife re scoliosis and epidural and im meeting the lol epidural guy in a few weeks to see what he says. Well let u know, but im hoping i wont need the epidural and survive on gas and air.

 

[diva4180]

Hello girls, I have scoliosis and went on to have two kids...the doctor said it may worsen during pregnancy and he advised to have one or two follow-ups after giving birth and my orthopedist did find out it worsened directly after. However, several months later when I went back for another follow up it had gone back to what it was pre-pregnancy when my body shifted back I guess.

Also, it may affect an epidural. In my personal experience, while getting an epidural with being in labor with my first, it didn't affect me at all, no pain, no multiple attempts at putting it it, etc. With my second, it did hurt, but he also said he might not have numbed me enough before inserting the needle.

Good luck with your pregnancies!

 

[Lunaty]

I have mild scoliosis and neither the midwife nor the docs at the hospital made any comment on it..

Ive had an epidural and it seemed to work fine..

The only thig i noticed is that my back hurt quite bad during pregnancy to the point where id be in tears sometimes because of my soar shoulders and in between my shoulder blades..

This time around i do feel that my back is starting to act up again slightly, butit may just be becaus of the ligaments stretching and the rest getting a bot looser..

I also had a lot of pain in my hips last time at the end and now the clicking has already started in my lower back.. ill be talking to the midwife next time and geta support belt to combat it.. Thoguh in the end it will be worth it all!

 

[PeaceLoveBaby]

I've gone on to have my baby since posting here last...just wanted to let yall know that I had the epidural and it was just fine. No problems at all.

I did have some lower back pain towards the end of pregnancy..it got pretty bad..but even women without scoliosis seem to experience that.

Good luck to all of you! I'm sure all will be ok

 

[jls502]

Hi,

I know it's a while since anyone has posted on this, but I've got scoliosis and had lots of checkups etc when my spine was still growing up until about 14 but now i'm 27 and thinking about having children and I'm worried that I won't be able to carry a child like everyone normally does. I have an S shaped spine so one of my hips is higher than the other and my ribs are also rotated round. I never had to have a brace/surgery but it came close. Has anyone gone through the same thing? did everything work out ok?

Thanks for any comments

 

[PeaceLoveBaby]

I think you'd be just fine..if you're unsure, ask your gyn about it and see what they say.

I think it'd have to be a pretty severe case to be a problem..such as needing surgery to correct or braces.

I have the S curve as well..one hip is slightly higher but it's most noticible at my ribs. One side is much higher than the other. You can't tell by looking at me, unless I show you where my ribs are!

Good luck!! xx

 

[cookie111]

hello there
I myself had scoliosis. i went to 3 diffrent doctors befor i got a strait answer myself so just hunt around for a specialist.
As for being pregnant i got told that it would not be no problem, but the only diffrence being would be that i have had an oparation to correct the spine and i now stand straiter than most people because of it, it made a big change to my life in a possitive way.
yes you are still restricted on things but the oparation stops it from getting worse and i was only a week in hospital.
if i where you i would consider this oparation all it is, is to straten the spine and place metal rods in to keep it strat. it does not sound plasent but people can not tell if there is anything wrong with me inless i say somthing and it really is not that unpleasent.
you will not be able to have this antill you baby is born though, but i thought i would mention it to you so that it gives you other options and if you consider another baby in the futer it will be less stress on you back.
hope all goes well with you baby and all best wishes.

 

[highhopes19]

hi all

i also have scoliosis,

my curve is the bottom of my spine and curving inwards. ive been told right from the very start that i will more than likely need a c-section and that my scoliosis will be a lot worse after LO is here aswell (oh the joys!!!)
. ive been told that due to where the curve is located, they dont reccomend me having an epidural (sp). so if i have a c-section i will be put right to sleep im guessing. but im gonna do all i can to have a natural birth even if that does mean no epidural as i want to be able to remember he first moments of seeing LO enter the world. so fingers crossed

i started gradually worse right from the start of pregnancy really, it hurts walking but yet its sharp pains at the base and my bottom when sitting so i cant win really lol.

doesnt help having unsympathetic employers either

holly

xxx

 

[Alias]

hi all

i also have scoliosis,

my curve is the bottom of my spine and curving inwards. ive been told right from the very start that i will more than likely need a c-section and that my scoliosis will be a lot worse after LO is here aswell (oh the joys!!!)
. ive been told that due to where the curve is located, they dont reccomend me having an epidural (sp). so if i have a c-section i will be put right to sleep im guessing. but im gonna do all i can to have a natural birth even if that does mean no epidural as i want to be able to remember he first moments of seeing LO enter the world. so fingers crossed

i started gradually worse right from the start of pregnancy really, it hurts walking but yet its sharp pains at the base and my bottom when sitting so i cant win really lol.

doesnt help having unsympathetic employers either

holly

xxx

Good luck Holly, I hope it goes the way you want. I just wanted to let you know that I had a section under general anestetic, and while it's not ideal, in the end it didn't impact me bonding with my daughter. We had a really rough birth experience, but once I got her home everything sorted itself out!

 

[highhopes19]

hi all

i also have scoliosis,

my curve is the bottom of my spine and curving inwards. ive been told right from the very start that i will more than likely need a c-section and that my scoliosis will be a lot worse after LO is here aswell (oh the joys!!!)
. ive been told that due to where the curve is located, they dont reccomend me having an epidural (sp). so if i have a c-section i will be put right to sleep im guessing. but im gonna do all i can to have a natural birth even if that does mean no epidural as i want to be able to remember he first moments of seeing LO enter the world. so fingers crossed

i started gradually worse right from the start of pregnancy really, it hurts walking but yet its sharp pains at the base and my bottom when sitting so i cant win really lol.

doesnt help having unsympathetic employers either

holly

xxx

Good luck Holly, I hope it goes the way you want. I just wanted to let you know that I had a section under general anestetic, and while it's not ideal, in the end it didn't impact me bonding with my daughter. We had a really rough birth experience, but once I got her home everything sorted itself out!

thankyou hun thats very reassuring xxxx

 

[nottmgirl]

I have recently got married and looking to start a family. I am really quite scared at the moment as I'm not sure how my back will be affected during pregancy and giving birth. I've had 3 spinal operations, 2 to correct scoliosis at age 14 and 16 resulting in me being fused with rods and bone from T4 down to L3, I then had a slipped disc at L5/S1 aged 20. I am currently in good health doing swimming mostly,anything low impact due to the slipped disc I daren't do anything more. I just wondered if there was anybody out there with this extent of spinal fusion and whether they have any information or advice on how to approach pregancy and what I should expect during birth? I have seen my doctor who has written to the scoliosis clinic here in nottingham, all I was told when I was 16 by the consultants, was to avoid trampolining, bungy jumpng and long distance running. I suppose at that age pregnancy was not on my mind but I think there should have been some support offered at a later time to people who have had these kind of operations. If I do get to see the big wig at the scoliosis I will mention it!!

 

[Soos]

hey there scoliosis and kyphosis anyone? i work out almost constantly (even while pregnant) and it keeps my back at bay. oh and controlling weight gain is also important. it absolutely didn't get worse after my first pregnancy (it was full term). actually i don't feel any difference at all. nothing happened to my back during birth itself either (i refused epidural myself so can't say anything about that part).
long story short, i don't really think that it's a big problem. just stay active and control weight gain

 

[truebloodfan]

Nice to finally hear of others with this condition. I found out i had it when i was 15 Not terribly but still a bad curve. Dr said to me it would't affect my pregnancy i just got backache alot with no. 1. Now pregnant with no. 2 about 6 weeks and backache has started at 3 weeks just take care and rest more. good luck

 

[FunkyJ]

I'm so glad to have finally found a scoliosis & pregnancy forum! Really good to hear about other people's experiences guys
I'm 26 and am starting to think that I would like to start a family, however I'm really concerned that it won't be possible. I have a Scoliosis, Lordosis and Kyphosis in my upper-mid thoracic as well as a couple of prolapsed discs and I have severe chronic pain all of the time (I'm in constant pain although it fluctuates). The pain is in my mid and upper back and neck and is made worse by sitting, being inactive and carrying stuff, e.g a handbag. My neck pain is so bad that I can't even wear necklaces unless they are really thin and because of where the pain is in my upper-mid back, I am unable to wear tight tops or bra's

I was not diagnosed as having a scoliosis until I was 18 and by then I was told it was too late for bracing etc and that the UK NHS would not operate on me as my curve is not severe enough (I believe it is 42 degrees). Since diagnosis I have been through treatment with the Pain Management Services and have been on various types of medication. I am now on a combination of painkillers (buprenorphine, pregabalin, amitriptyline) and have had lots of physio and do lots of pilates-style exercise to try and keep mobile and stop myself from getting too stiff.
However, I am really worried that given the severity of my pain (I only manage to sleep 4 days a week anyway), that pregnancy might be a really bad idea for me - especially as I rely so much on being active and not having any extra weight to carry around.
I'm just wondering what your opinions are on this. I know I should consult my Doctor/get a referral to a specialist but it would be good to hear from all of you.
Also, when I went for my smear test I was also told by my the Doctor that I have a retroverted uterus (I don't know if this would have any impact on pregnancy or not?).

Thanks for reading, xxx

 

[Soos]

I'm so glad to have finally found a scoliosis & pregnancy forum! Really good to hear about other people's experiences guys
I'm 26 and am starting to think that I would like to start a family, however I'm really concerned that it won't be possible. I have a Scoliosis, Lordosis and Kyphosis in my upper-mid thoracic as well as a couple of prolapsed discs and I have severe chronic pain all of the time (I'm in constant pain although it fluctuates). The pain is in my mid and upper back and neck and is made worse by sitting, being inactive and carrying stuff, e.g a handbag. My neck pain is so bad that I can't even wear necklaces unless they are really thin and because of where the pain is in my upper-mid back, I am unable to wear tight tops or bra's

I was not diagnosed as having a scoliosis until I was 18 and by then I was told it was too late for bracing etc and that the UK NHS would not operate on me as my curve is not severe enough (I believe it is 42 degrees). Since diagnosis I have been through treatment with the Pain Management Services and have been on various types of medication. I am now on a combination of painkillers (buprenorphine, pregabalin, amitriptyline) and have had lots of physio and do lots of pilates-style exercise to try and keep mobile and stop myself from getting too stiff.
However, I am really worried that given the severity of my pain (I only manage to sleep 4 days a week anyway), that pregnancy might be a really bad idea for me - especially as I rely so much on being active and not having any extra weight to carry around.
I'm just wondering what your opinions are on this. I know I should consult my Doctor/get a referral to a specialist but it would be good to hear from all of you.
Also, when I went for my smear test I was also told by my the Doctor that I have a retroverted uterus (I don't know if this would have any impact on pregnancy or not?).

Thanks for reading, xxx

The pain u r feeling is probably caused by prolapsed disks, not kyph./scol. I heard surgery can fix that (or a really gifted chiropractor--my cousin did it this way). Also, the best physical activity for all back problems is swimming. I have no idea how pregnancy can affect that. Extra weight might contribute the pain? Don't know really. Contact ur doc and get more info regarding ur disks. To get rid of the pain u gotta fix the disks for sure
And retroverted uterus is just a one of the variations of norm. It's tilted backwards a bit. No problem for pregnancy at all mine is severly tilted forward (was! Previous pregnancy straightened it ) and the only advice from obgyn regarding getting pregnant was to lay on my stomach for a bit after sex. In ur case I'd say lay on ur back for a bit for the same reason.
Good luck hun xx

 

[bmd4191]

I just joined and I'm looking for more information! Alias, I too have scoliosis caused by mild spina bifida and tethering of my spinal cord. Some of my lower vertebrae are also fused. Surprisingly my back doesn't cause me too many problems, just occasional muscle and sciatic nerve pain. I am 8 weeks and a little nervous about everything! This was completely unplanned, but I was happy to find out that my back can support the pregnancy. I can't find much on spina bifida and pregnancy on the web, so I was hoping you could tell me what your experience was like. My neurologist told me not to worry, and the only thing I won't be able to do is have an epidural, but I still have a lot of concerns. I would love to hear from you!

 

[Alias]

I just joined and I'm looking for more information! Alias, I too have scoliosis caused by mild spina bifida and tethering of my spinal cord. Some of my lower vertebrae are also fused. Surprisingly my back doesn't cause me too many problems, just occasional muscle and sciatic nerve pain. I am 8 weeks and a little nervous about everything! This was completely unplanned, but I was happy to find out that my back can support the pregnancy. I can't find much on spina bifida and pregnancy on the web, so I was hoping you could tell me what your experience was like. My neurologist told me not to worry, and the only thing I won't be able to do is have an epidural, but I still have a lot of concerns. I would love to hear from you!

Hi and welcome
As it turns out, I've just found out I'm expecting my second! With my daughter, my back was suprisingly good the whole way through the pregnancy. Barely any problems at all, and certainly less than I'd normally have without any pilates or physio.

I had a neuro consultant, and they thought I'd be find for an epidural, based on the xray report I had from about 15 years ago. Apparently my fused vertabrae are lower than where they'd put in the epidural. I'd tried to get the actual xray for them (as xrays on lower back not exactly advised while pregnant!) but they'd been destroyed. I have no tethering (that I know of) or sciatica, most of my problem shows up in my upper back and shoulders.

If there's anything specific I can try to answer then let me know.

 

[Tigerlilyb]

I also have Scoliosis and very mild Kyphosis, I had it corrected at 14 with titanium bars and a little lumbar fusing, and after that a lot of bracing, and since then I've been pretty well except for the odd backache (Doc said it could be the starts of some arthritis, hurray).

The first thing I asked the surgeons was "will it affect me having children?" and all they said was "no". No further details but I suppose they wondered why a 14 year old was so concerned about having kids

After reading your stories though I'm a little more reassured that everything will probably be ok.

Forgot I have a picture of my x-ray! Taken about 8 months ago at A&E

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1-4SL00x8BA/TTWvC2PnrFI/AAAAAAAAAFI/wd4JMjZ6xN8/s320/bobisbendy.jpg