Uterine Artery Notching - my experience

[turkeysmom]

Lots of hugs! I was so so worried!
Drink lots, take the aspirin and stay as relaxed as possible. xx

That sounds like pretty good advice to me. Reading what you went through makes me feel SO much better. Did you take it easy and go on modified bedrest or did you choose to keep active?

 

[24/7]

I left work at 31 weeks and just relaxed at home although I still went out, I just tried to take it easy. xx

 

[sweety2513]

Hi Ladies,

So happy to find this thread. I just got back from my mid-pregnancy ultra sound (I am 19 weeks, 6 days) and baby looked good. All organs were good and she was in 50th percentile for size which I was told is average. However, when they did the blood flow thing they saw some "notches" that is all he would tell me really. Told me that it could clear up and to come back in 6 weeks to check it and to monitor growth and if it was not better I would go on asprin. This is not my regular Dr. so he was not very involved with my pregnancy and offered very little information. How worried should I be? Does 6 weeks seem to long? Is there a chance this will resolve itself? I am a nervous wreck now, anything you can offer would be appreciated! I placed a call to my regular Dr but she has not seen ultrasound results yet.

Thanks!

 

[turkeysmom]

HI Sweety, I know first hand how stressful this can be. I am also stressed out right now over notching issues. I have bilateral notching in placenta. From what my specialist has told me notching basically means that the blood vessels in the placenta aren't dialating properly and that in some cases it cause blow flow restriction to the baby and pre eclampsia.

The good news is that my specialist also told me that in 50% of cases notching resolves itself or least gets a bit better by 24 weeks. If it's not better by 24 weeks though than it probably won't get better. Notching affects everyone differently though. I had it when I was pregnant with my son and went until 38weeks before my blood pressure spiked and had ot be induced.

Your little baby is going to be perfectly healthy he/she just might be born a little early or a wee bit small.

HUGS

 

[sweety2513]

Thanks for your feedback. It is good to know that it can correct itself. Hopefully we are both fine at 24 weeks. I have had enough stress with this pregnancy.

 

[turkeysmom]

Thanks for your feedback. It is good to know that it can correct itself. Hopefully we are both fine at 24 weeks. I have had enough stress with this pregnancy.

I know what you mean about having had enough with the stress. It's frustrating because I really thought that this pregnancy was going to be stress free for me.

Have you started taking the baby asprin yet? from what I've been told the earlier you start the better.

 

[sweety2513]

No I haven't. The Doctor that did the scan told me to come back around 25 weeks and if it was still there I would start the aspirin then. I have a call into my regular OB to get her opinion.

 

[turkeysmom]

I just got back from seeing my perinatologist and am happy to report that now I only I have unilateral notching. It's only on one side now instead of both. My Dr said he is pretty confident that I will go full term or close to it.

 

[sweety2513]

YAY! That is great news. So happy to hear that . Maybe there is hope for me too.

 

[turkeysmom]

YAY! That is great news. So happy to hear that . Maybe there is hope for me too.

Fingers crossed that you have even better luck than me and all your notching goes away !!!

I'm not not sure if it helped but I took the advice that someone mentioned earlier in this thread and started drinking lots of water as well as taking a pre natal DHA supplement which is supposed to help thin the blood naturally and is good for the baby.

when is your next ultrasound?

 

[kayo]

 

[sweety2513]

I have already been taking the DHA but I will increase the water even more. Thanks! My Doctor also said I could start baby asprin. My next ultrasound in April 2nd.

 

[Starry Night]

Hi!

I had uterine notching during my pregnancy last year on the right side (left side was normal). I also had a miscarried twin, a sch and a partial placenta abruption. Yeesh. I was able to carry my son full term though he ended up coming via a crash C-section. His heart rate would drop with every contraction and once it came time to push it dropped and stayed there. Thankfully, he was born completely healthy!

I was seeing a specialist at one of Canada's best children's hospitals (my bloods came back as high risk for spina bifida) and it was during that scan that the abruption and the notching were caught. I do recall being told that there was some reversal of the flow but he told me the risk of reduced fetal growth was slim. However, at the time he was measuring in the 97th percentile (my family has big babies) and he ended up being born in the 40th.

We moved in the middle of my pregnancy which did complicate my treatment so I got my last scan at 34 weeks at a different hospital in a different province. They couldn't find anything then and the DR said they wouldn't be able to see notching anyways. As DS was a good size they weren't worried. So I led a fairly normal life after that.

But yeah, there was a lot of distress during my labour. I have no idea if it was related to the notching at all. But with about 1/4 of the placenta already reduced to scar tissue (the abruption had healed but no longer functioned), the other uterine bleeding and the notching I'm sure the contractions restricted how well the placenta functioned at giving oxygen.

 

[turkeysmom]

I have already been taking the DHA but I will increase the water even more. Thanks! My Doctor also said I could start baby asprin. My next ultrasound in April 2nd.

How did your ultrasound go??

 

[sweety2513]

So far, so good. Thanks so much for asking They did not check to see if the notching was still there but they were able to tell that it is not effecting anything. The baby is right on track with her growth. I have another one in 3 weeks!

 

[Libbysma]

We are 22 weeks and have been told we have bilateral notches, I also have pre existing high bp, and been taking tablets to control this for years(I'm only 24) I have suffered from sickness throughout my pregnancy and spent 6 occasions in hospital with dehydration!!! I'm fine for a week or so then wake up one morning feeling sick, and can't eat or drink anything and end up back in hospital on a drip!! This is my first pregnancy...
anyway so we have been told about these notches and the possibility of pre eclasmia and have been scheduled a scan to monitor baby growth at 25, 28, 32, 36 weeks and for bp and urine tested fortnightly then weekly after 30 weeks.. Unfortunately I'm allergic to asprin which stumped my dr. Does anyone know of anything else to take rather than asprin??? Please help....

 

[katylamb55]

Wow this is the first time ive been on this forum and i am so pleased ive found it! I have had a uterine doppler scan today at 22+5 weeks and been told i have mild uterine notching so am at risk of restricted growth and Pre eclampsia, my BP was a little bit up to but baby is growing fine at the mo so im trying not to worry too much and reading the experiences of such lovely ladies has really helped so even though this is an old thread I just wanted to thank everyone for sharing it really helps!

 

[vixxen]

Hi Katie i also have notched arteries and at the moment intermittedly absent edf.
It has been completely absent so had steroids at 24 weeks but still going
Try not to worry to much and for pregnancy!

 

[SisterRose]

Bumping! It seems this thread us long gone but i had a consultant scan to check my placental function yesterday at 20+2 since i have had two previous babies with growth problems. The scan confirmed i have notching on both uterine arteries and i will be starting regular growth scans from 24weeks as well as carrying on with aspirin. Even though i have had growth problems in the past they have never had a look at the placenta so in a way i am relieved to know that there is a medical problem acknowledged, a lot of family thought babies were just genetically smaller and that i was paranoid about lack of movements so i obviously know my body well. Hoping that this baby continues to grow well, and i make it to at least 37 weeks but in very nervous!