Please tell me about your success conceiving post-D&C

[Anonymous]

I'm getting really down. Had a D&C last year for a miscarriage, and we're having trouble conceiving. I guess my next step is to pursue testing, but part of me is concerned I should not have opted for the D&C. I'm feeling like a failure and would like to hear some positive stories.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP,

I found a lot of support on the TTC forum when I was in your same shoes last year. D & C in July 2012 at 11 weeks, didn't conceive again until June 2013... It felt like a loooong time even though I look back and it was less than a year. It still felt like such a long time and I felt like we (I) were failing, month after month. Part of what I think it took was having my body reset back to normal and everyone's body resets at different times based on your own personal factors.

How old are you?
How far along were you when you miscarried?
Have you had any full-term pregnancies?
What have you tried so far?

I can recommend the following, if you're not doing any of this yet:
1. Get a Basal Body Thermometer at CVS or Amazon and chart your morning waking temps (within 1/2 hour consistently) every day to see the trends. Determine your ovulation window. I used the Fertility Friend app; easy as anything.
2. Have sex every other day in the 3-5 days leading up to your peak ovulation day, on ovulation day, and for two days afterwards.
3. I saw an acupuncturist every other week; find one who specializes in fertility. I highly recommend Gillian Powers at Crossings in Silver Spring, but I don't know if she's convenient to you.
4. I walked a lot, took yoga, ate a lot of "blood-building" foods.
5. In addition to my daily prenatal, I took a B complex vitamin during my luteal phase (I made sure I was past ovulation) every other day until 8 days post-ovulation.

You could also ask your OB or an RE to do an HSG to determine if there are any blockages in your tubes or extensive scar tissue.

Good luck, and check out the TTC forum.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP. I'm so sorry for your loss. I had a miscarriage and D&C in may 2013 and did not conceive again util December 2014. I agree with pp that it felt like a LONG time even though for me it was only 7 months. I too was really worried about the D&C because we have had so much difficulty over the years. Something that made me feel a lot better is that I had a saline ultrasound with a reproductive endocrinologist shortly after the D&C. This might be something to consider. It allowed them to see there was no scarring from the D&C. If you go to the infertility board I'm sure you can get some great recs for a specialist in your area. Good luck - you will get there!!

[Anonymous]

*December 2013 - oops!

[Anonymous]

I'm making dinner so only have a quick minute but will give you hope.

m/c at about 10wks with a D&C in late August of '08.

We weren't actively trying to get pregnant again, so I don't know if it would have happened earlier, but I did conceive again in May of '09 and gave birth during Snowmageddon.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I had a D&C in Jan 2013 at 7 weeks (the day of our wedding anniversary no less) with my first pregnancy. I was very down about it. I think everyone handles response differently depending on personality. Are you the sort of person that needs to feel like you are doing everything possible, or will that make you overly conscious and just more stressed out?

I took the opposite approach to 14:22 because doing all that would have made me hyper-aware, and not in a good place mentally. I really just tried to enjoy being with my spouse and tried to enjoy sex again, and not to think about getting pregnant. I didn't track my temp and tried to get back to my normal exercise routine and a healthy diet. I ended up getting pregnant five months later, and now have a little girl keeping me up at night. It can and will happen for you too!

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I'm so sorry for your loss. Please do not blame yourself for getting a D&C. Sometimes it just takes your body a little while to get readjusted after a miscarriage (ANY miscarriage). You've got to release that guilt... it is not your fault!!

I had a MC and D&C in February at 13 weeks, conceived again in August (found out in September). The first time around, we had gotten pregnant on the third cycle, so I also thought something was wrong when we didn't get pregnant as quickly after the D&C. I went in and talked to my doctor about it, and she said she thought everything was fine but said I could go see an RE after 6 months to be sure. And sure enough, everything was fine and I got pregnant on my own.

I agree with some of the PPs... life got so much better when I found other things to focus on than getting pregnant. It probably didn't hurt in helping me get pregnant, either. It will happen for you, but you can't force it. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Chances are all is ok! I had a mc and D&C in Feb 2010. Period didn't come back after a few months and had to take prometrium. That kick started it and I conceived DC1 in July 2010. He was born in April 2011 and DC2 was conceived Feb 2013, carried to term and born Nov 2013. All good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Hi OP,

Sorry to hear about your D&C. I had one (in a foreign country on a business trip, I was really scared since I knew nothing about the surgeon, hospital etc), but it turned out ok. This was July 11 and I got pregnant in October 11 and now have a healthy son.

I wanted to say no to the D&C but I think I am glad I did it -- the alternative would have been to potentially retain tissue which could be worse (and luckily I was in a city with high quality health care). I hope it turns out well for you and just wanted to add a success story.

[Anonymous]

A year after my D&C, I finally went to the fertility doctor & had a HSG x-ray & turned out I had some scaring. The dr thought he cleared out the scaring & I got pregnant the next month - totally on our own! Wishes I had gone to the fertility doctor earlier.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You could also ask your OB or an RE to do an HSG to determine if there are any blockages in your tubes or extensive scar tissue.

This. Also, I would recommend a hysteroscopy instead of an HSG. Well, most docs would start with an HSG. But if it's clear and you still don't conceive for a few months afterward, I would ask for a hystersocopy. Also, if you are at all concerned about fertility issues, I would go straight to an RE. In general, most insurance will cover testing if not treatment. OB's just arent' trained to identify or address problems that can lead to difficulty conceiving. It might be a very straightfoward thing, but you'll get better care and treatment from an RE. REs' jobs are to get you pregnant; OBs' jobs are to take care of you while pregnant and during L&D.

I had a D&C for a missed miscarriage that was the result of IVF. We tried three more unsuccessful cycles (well, one was a chemical). We had an HSG following the first failed post-D&C cycle that was clear. But after two more failures, I went to a different RE who wanted to investigate some issues I was having with the transfer. Turns out I had scar tissue covering my cervix! There was just enough of an opening for the HSG dye to get in, but it was likely interfering with placement of the embryos and possibly implantation. Scarring is not that uncommon post-D&C (~10%) and not always easy to diagnose.

That said, you are not a failure for having a D&C. Despite all of the difficulties we had post-D&C, I'm not sure I would have made a different choice. As another PP said, if you opt for a natural miscarriage, there is still a high chance of retained tissue that would necessitate D&C (and could create other problems). There are just no easy choices when it comes to missed miscarriage, and you do the best you can to get through a sucky situation all around.

I'm so sorry for your loss...and I wish you luck TTC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You could also ask your OB or an RE to do an HSG to determine if there are any blockages in your tubes or extensive scar tissue.

This. Also, I would recommend a hysteroscopy instead of an HSG. Well, most docs would start with an HSG. But if it's clear and you still don't conceive for a few months afterward, I would ask for a hystersocopy. Also, if you are at all concerned about fertility issues, I would go straight to an RE. In general, most insurance will cover testing if not treatment. OB's just arent' trained to identify or address problems that can lead to difficulty conceiving. It might be a very straightfoward thing, but you'll get better care and treatment from an RE. REs' jobs are to get you pregnant; OBs' jobs are to take care of you while pregnant and during L&D.

I had a D&C for a missed miscarriage that was the result of IVF. We tried three more unsuccessful cycles (well, one was a chemical). We had an HSG following the first failed post-D&C cycle that was clear. But after two more failures, I went to a different RE who wanted to investigate some issues I was having with the transfer. Turns out I had scar tissue covering my cervix! There was just enough of an opening for the HSG dye to get in, but it was likely interfering with placement of the embryos and possibly implantation. Scarring is not that uncommon post-D&C (~10%) and not always easy to diagnose.

That said, you are not a failure for having a D&C. Despite all of the difficulties we had post-D&C, I'm not sure I would have made a different choice. As another PP said, if you opt for a natural miscarriage, there is still a high chance of retained tissue that would necessitate D&C (and could create other problems). There are just no easy choices when it comes to missed miscarriage, and you do the best you can to get through a sucky situation all around.

I'm so sorry for your loss...and I wish you luck TTC!

PP again. Sorry, meant to let you know my outcome. I had the scar tissue removed, and I got pregnant with my first IVF cycle right afterward. My daughter is now almost 7 weeks old...so there is definitely hope!

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I had two mmcs each a year apart (so took 12 months to conceive between the first and second but that may have been because DH travels so much) one at 11 weeks, the other a little earlier (the second was terrifying, I was in NYC for work and started bleeding heavily on the street so instead of coming home for DH's bday dinner, I ended up in the ER...). In any case, I agree with others, you might want to ask for an HSG or a hysteroscopy. During the second mmc, they figured out that my uterus "looked funny." Then they told me I had a bicornuate uterus. Then a 3D ultrasound showed I had an uterine septum. I had surgery to remove the septum and conceived about 9 months later (6 of those months, DH was deployed so really, 3 months). I'm now 13 weeks and my uterus presents as clearly bicornuate on ultrasound--easier to see when it's bigger.

To add to what others have said about D&Cs, I don't regret them (had a 3rd actually while the septum was removed). I have to be honest, the D&C is the easiest part of miscarrying for me. The finality really helped me heal pyschologically. Have no idea whether the septum was there before the two mmcs and but I strongly suspect it was and that it was the reason for the two miscarriages since baby implanted on it instead of uterus.

Good luck!