Schedule D&C or wait to miscarry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. It really sounds like everyone prefers the D&C to natural m/c. Is there anyone who has been through this and m/c wasn't really that bad?

OP, I'll add my experience in taking Misoprostol / Cytotec for 3 miscarriages (my fourth was a chemical). I was encouraged by my RE and my midwife to consider Cytotec rather than a D&C (although they were supportive of my going that route if that was what I really wanted). The reason Cytotec was presented as a better option to me is that with a D&C there is a chance of scarring, which can affect your ability to carry later on. Obviously, that doesn't happen to everyone - as you can see on this thread, the D&C worked out as a good option for a lot of women here.

Also, some women don't have good experiences with Cytotec. I knew from my first experience with it that my body seemed to be okay with it - I had no hemorrhaging. There was pain, but it wasn't extreme.

With Cytotec you pick the day you start the meds, so in my case, I always took a Friday off and started that day. I then had Friday plus the weekend to go through the first 3 days, which were generally the worst. I'm not sure how a Cyctotec-induced miscarriage compares to a natural miscarriage. I did have some pain (Advil did the trick) for the first few days, and lots of bleeding with clots, but things eased up after 4-5 days. I think bleeding generally stopped after 10 days.

I'm so sorry you are going through this, OP. Please do take care of yourself and try not to exert yourself any more than is necessary. If you can possibly take today and / or tomorrow off, that would probably make things easier for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I can't take the day off. I own my own business and have 6 appointments I need to see. I guess I just take some Advil and bring a lot of pads and make it through te day somehow. I don't know that there's anything else I can do. I can't cancel these appointments bc rescheduling would be a nightmare.

It might work for you this time around (I hope so!) but you can't just assume that your body will always cooperate with whatever schedule you planned for it. People get sick all the time, you know, and even young people can suddenly find themselves tormented by terrible diseases. Your business plans need to take these possibilities - no matter how remote - into account.

[Anonymous]

"m so sorry, OP. I am sure everyone has their own individual feelings about this, but I chose to let it go naturally, b/c I too had scheduling issues, and I actually ended up liking it better that way. Although it certainly took some time, I think it was emotionally healing for me to do it gradually (my sis says she woke up from a D&C and was crying and just overwhelmingly sad that it was all gone, so quickly) and to see my body do what it needed to do. I cannot emphasize enough this 2nd point and how helpful this was to me, personally, after having gone thru IF, to see my body actually do something "right" and then, about 6 weeks later, start my regular cycle again. This was so so helpful and I still look back on this now about 6 years later and think, "Whew, that was a nice, unintended consequence, but I sure am glad it all worked out that way."

Good luck to you, whatever you decide. I just word pads and kept Midol in my system pretty much continuously. When the baby finally passed, luckily I was at home for this part b/c that was when the cramping and bleeding broke through the aforementioned set-up, but it was all fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. It really sounds like everyone prefers the D&C to natural m/c. Is there anyone who has been through this and m/c wasn't really that bad?

OP, I did. I am the poster right above, and I preferred it this way. Best of luck to you whever you decide.

[Anonymous]

OP, I haven't read through all the responses, so forgive me if this has already been covered.

I had a long m/c process - opted for the D&C but they didn't get it all, so I then had to take the pill to pass the rest. That still didn't work, so 5 week later I had an actual m/c.

If I had to do it over again, I would do the D&C. When I finally did pass the baby, I was in my office, and couldn't even make it to a bathroom. It was extremely messy, and a pad didn't help catch it. I'm worried about you and your appointments - if you happen to pass it while you're with a client, it really could be awful for you. I was alone and it was still humiliating and awful.

The D&C, for what's its worth (even though it didn't work) was not painful and just one day of inconvenience, versus the wait and wait and possible multiple days of inconvenience if you wait for it to pass.

[Anonymous]

I had an MC back in July. I was supposed to be 11wks but it turned out the fetus had stopped developing at 8w 3d. I was scheduled for a D&C to take place 2 days later but started bleeding heavily and got to rush to the ER. I passed the fetus but retained a lot of lining and was passing clots constantly. My doc was at the hospital that day and managed to get me squeezed in for a D&C. I had retained some tissue so we were able to get chromosomal testing done. The fetus had Trisomy 9. I've had 2 other natural mcs but they were at 6w and 8w and were like very, very heavy periods with occasional clots. Having done both, I much more preferred the D&C. I only had some random spotting afterwards.

[Anonymous]

New poster. I decided to wait. It was eay more painful than I ever imagine it would (both physically and mentally) but it was fairly quick. It felt like labor for about an hour and the amount of blood and clots was crime scene worthy. I don't regret it at all. I didn't want the D/C and the whole hospital experience, though I understand the feeling of wanting it to be over with.
It took me around a week to fully recover my strengh. Dr. Saw me once a week for a month or so until my hormone levels went back to normal. I was 11 weeks but the baby had stopped developing at 8 weeks. It would have been my third kid.
Didn't get a period for 2 months and them got pregnant again. Healthy pregnacy, beautiful baby boy.
Sorry for your loss OP. tons of luck

[Anonymous]

I had a m/c at 5 and 10 weeks. Both felt like slightly heavier periods and lasted 7-8 days. I did go to the doctor for both to get the ultrasound and make sure everything had passed, but I didn't have the months of trouble like some others. I also had a m/c at 17 weeks. I bled for a month after that, but that's a very different thing. I think PP's are right to suggest you see your doctor, but you may be one of us "lucky" ones who doesn't suffer physically as long. Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I was told I was going to miscarry somewhere around 5.5 weeks. Transvaginal ultrasound and normal ultrasound could find no heartbeat. I was to schedule a D&C for the following week or choose to wait. It was extremely agonizing emotionally. I chose to wait and went to a new OB a few days later. Heartbeat was very strong and there was my little peanut. It astonishes me still, 2.5 years later and looking at my amazing healthy son, how quickly the hospital was to tell me I was going to miscarry.
I'm no expert in this whatsoever- as that was my first and so far only child and pregnancy- but I would wait at least a week or so and see what happens and in the meantime seek a second opinion.

OP - please ignore this poster. She has posted this BS several times on threads about D&Cs. 5.5 weeks is often too early to find a heartbeat on an ultrasound - no one would recommend a D&C based on not finding a heartbeat at 5.5 weeks. Most OBs don't even do ultrasounds until 7-8 weeks for this reason.

This horrible woman posted on my thread when I miscarried at 10 weeks, AFTER I'd already had the D&C, and after I posted that we'd seen the heartbeat twice and then it was gone. It sent me into a tailspin. My sister had to talk me off the ledge. If you have found a heartbeat, and then the heartbeat is gone, your baby has died. Ignore her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. It really sounds like everyone prefers the D&C to natural m/c. Is there anyone who has been through this and m/c wasn't really that bad?

OP, I did. I am the poster right above, and I preferred it this way. Best of luck to you whever you decide.

OP, I am just so sorry for your loss.

My first miscarriage was about 10-11 weeks (not sure when the baby died exactly). After a HORRIBLE ER experience (after waiting and praying and staring at an ultrasound for hours, the doctor barged in, never looked at me, and barked, "You are aborting your fetus. Why are you wasting everyone's time? There's nothing to do except schedule your surgery), I swore I would not go back to the hospital. I miscarried on my own a day later.

It was extremely painful for me. The actual miscarriage took about an hour.

But I will be totally honest with you: I ended up hemorrhaging three weeks later, which resulted in another AWFUL trip to the ER, with the doctor (different one) saying "People don't come to the ER when they have their period" as she pulled huge clots out without anesthesia and I screamed in pain. I swore again I would not go back (I had been taken there in an ambulance when I fainted while walking down a hallway).

That led to three months of nonstop bleeding. Every day was the miscarriage. It was hell, the lowest time in my life.

All that being said, I am still glad I did not have the D&C.

I hope you are feeling physically better now. And I hope you have complete healing soon. God bless you.

[Anonymous]

8:32 - Wow, I am so very sorry for your terrible experience!!!

I am the OP, and I'm sitting in the doctor's office now waiting to see if they can get me in for D&C today. They did ultrasound this morning and the embryo is very close to my (closed) cervix. OB thinks I will miscarry on my own soon, and he suggests I just wait it out. I told him that I just want this to be over,I've been bleeding for two weeks, and I took today off from work. I have appointments scheduled tomorrow and Monday and cannot afford to have the miscarriage during an appointment. Like a PP said above, that would be horribly traumatic and embarrasing for both myself and my clients. So... I hate going against my doctor's recommendation, but I just want this to be over in a controlled way. I'm just sitting here waiting to see if they can schedule me. Anyone have any advice? I know what I want to do, but hate that it differs from what my OB recommends. I don't want to do the wrong thing.

[Anonymous]

If they cannot schedule you in, I would just wear a big maxi pad at work (I love stayfree brand), and in the unlikely event that you are in the middle of a meeting when you start bleeding heavily, just excuse yourself for a moment, take 3-4 advil, change into a depends or something, and you should be able to make it through the meeting.

But if you cannot make it thru, you cannot. People are very forgiving. If you told everyone "I'm having a miscarriage," believe me, they would be apologizing to YOU if you left the meeting.

[Anonymous]

I am scheduled for D&C this morning.

[Anonymous]

Good luck OP. I was given the option of D&C or wait it out and I chose D&C. I'm a SAHM with a toddler and I was afraid it would happen while we were out somewhere or at home and I wouldn't be able to take care of him because of pain etc. I also had a very large subchorionic hematoma and I was afraid of the amount of blood. I was nervous about the D&C but it was really easy. I didn't have any pain afterwards and very minimal bleeding. I would do the same thing again if given the choice.

[Anonymous]

OP here with an update. It's done. I am glad I had it done, no more waiting and agonizing.