My pregnancy complications were described in sexist terms, unlike male infertility
“Your cervix is in danger of effacing. You’ll be tremendously lucky if your baby makes it to 24 weeks.”
I was staring at the doctor who had just delivered this news, but I was having trouble processing what she was saying. She nonchalantly added something about my “incompetent cervix.” A wave of devastation swept over me and my face flushed with humiliation. My first thought was, “Did I somehow cause this?”
Just the day before, I had been standing in front of an ornate mansion in New York City admiring an abundance of yellow daffodils when I felt a sharp pain in my lower belly. I was four months pregnant and hardly showing my baby bump. My husband and I had been walking around for hours, and I thought perhaps I had overdone it.
On the ride back to our Hudson Valley farmhouse, the pain persisted, so I called my OB-GYN. The nurse dismissed me outright, telling me that aches and pains were normal and that I should wait for my scheduled appointment the next evening to address any concerns. By the time I walked into the doctor’s office, it felt like a stack of bricks was bearing down on my uterus.
An emergency sonogram showed that I had three unusually large fibroids — noncancerous tumors made up of smooth muscle cells — and one was pressing against my cervix, causing early effacement (meaning my cervix was shorter than normal and not strong enough to stay closed during my pregnancy as it needs to).
Just the day before, I had been standing in front of an ornate mansion in New York City admiring an abundance of yellow daffodils when I felt a sharp pain in my lower belly. I was four months pregnant and hardly showing my baby bump. My husband and I had been walking around for hours, and I thought perhaps I had overdone it.
On the ride back to our Hudson Valley farmhouse, the pain persisted, so I called my OB-GYN. The nurse dismissed me outright, telling me that aches and pains were normal and that I should wait for my scheduled appointment the next evening to address any concerns. By the time I walked into the doctor’s office, it felt like a stack of bricks was bearing down on my uterus.
An emergency sonogram showed that I had three unusually large fibroids — noncancerous tumors made up of smooth muscle cells — and one was pressing against my cervix, causing early effacement (meaning my cervix was shorter than normal and not strong enough to stay closed during my pregnancy as it needs to).
After the doctor delivered her devastating diagnosis, she told me to spend the remaining five months in bed, keep my hips elevated and stay that way until the baby started to crown. With no other information forthcoming, my husband, my incompetent cervix and I all drove home in silence.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/women-face-sexist-medical-terms-when-dealing-pregnancy-it-s-ncna1291025
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When I got pregnant at 34(!!!) it was described as a "geriatric pregnancy", FFS!
= new reply since forum marked as read
Ages 38 and 41.
I like to think of them as pregnancies of wisdom.
Got two great kids out of the deal too!
Greetings from one geezer to another. 
