When you are pregnant your world seems absolutely perfect, so when a complication arises the and that world comes crashing down you want to know why. Sadly if the cause of your falling world is an incompetent cervix, you may never know what caused it.
If you don't know exactly what an incompetent cervix is, then let me explain. It is when the cervix, normally around 16-24 weeks opens and starts dilating and you don't feel any contractions. This can often lead to miscarriage but sometimes it just means you will deliver prematurely.
Even though we don't know what causes this problem we do know of some factors that put you at a higher risk. These factors don't mean you'll have an incompetent cervix just that you are at a higher risk for one.
Cervical Trauma
Multiple D&C's or procedures like cervical cone biopsy can put you at a higher risk of this problem. If you have had a prior delivery where a major tear to the cervix occurred you are also at a higher risk.
DES Exposure
This was a medication prescribed to woman in the 1950-1970's. The female children born to those women taking the medication may have developed problems, including unusually shapes to the cervix. So when they become pregnant they are at an increased risk of an incompetent cervix. Luckily most of these women are past the age of parenthood so this problem is decreasing and will soon be non-existent.
Previous Incompetent Cervix
If you have had a previous pregnancy with an incompetent cervix then your risk of experiencing it again increases tremendously. You will want to make sure your doctor knows about it as soon as you get pregnant or, even better, before you get pregnant.
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