I can't tell you how long it takes if you wait, as far as I know it can take weeks. If you are still measuring the same as last week it might take a while for your body to realise what's happened. This is what happened with me, my body thought everything was ok & was progressing just the baby had no heartbeat & wasn't progressing with everything else. I couldn't bring myself to wait so I had the D&C
For the D&C, it's day surgery, the actual surgery part takes around 60-90 minutes & you are under a general anesthetic. I'm not sure if it's normal procedure but for me because my body wasn't reacting as if it had a miscarriage I had to have the gels put on my cervix to start it dilating. I had to lay in the bed for an hour for it to start working before the D&C. Physically afterwards I was fine, minor cramping that evening (I had it done at 1pm) & bleeding for 10 days afterwards, not a lot, less than a normal period really.
Oh chook, I'm not 100% sure but mine started naturally last week, so a week after. I passed the sack on tuesday just gone.
My dr was concerned if I hadn't started to miscarry otherwise I would of had to go for a d&c. There is also some sort of tablets they put up to help you start naturally if you prefer to go that way.
Em, the choice is totally yours. If you decide to wait for bub to come in his/her own time it could take a couple of days it could take a couple of weeks. With things looking smaller may indicate that your uterus has began to contract and the process may not be that far away.
I had a d&c at 8 weeks. Nonreal advice, it's completely your desicion. I went in, same as Sarah. Dilated, and...yeah. Bled for about 10 days, same as a period, with cramps all the way through. Lots of xox
em I am so sorry you are going through this.
I am with Sarah no one can tell how long it could take. If your already having some spotting or bleeding then I would say your body is starting to try and it shouldn't be more then another week or two (even this to me sounds like a long time when your waiting) the thing is you can wait and still need a D&C when you start to bleed as not always does all the products come away.
Me I am all in favour of waiting but you need to decide yourself what is best for you.
A D&C generally takes all of 5mins to do the actual procedure. The GA will last much longer so you will be asleep for longer then the actual procedure. Usually 30mins to just over an hour. As a theatre nurse I haven't seen a D&C take more then about 10-15minutes at longest. When you wake up in recovery I haven't had to administer any pain relief other then panadol or ponstan. Physical recovery is usually fairly quick.
Take your time when deciding. Usually you will speak to your Dr or midwife at an early pregnancy unit to discuss your options.
As to what to do next, when I was in a similar situation my obs said I could choose to wait till my body realised or do a D&C. Mine measured 6.5 weeks and should have been 10.5 weeks, so I made the decision for a D&C given I'd had no spotting or cramping at all (I'm telling you this so you know it can take some time). As Sarah also said, I found it easier to move on and know it was done - however going in for the D&C was a very difficult and upsetting thing to do as well. I didn't have to have a gel or anything, I just had the general anaesthetic (a very light one - I didn't have trouble with it which I have in the past) and then bled like a light period (it actually lasted about 2 weeks for me). I've heard some women get bad cramping but I did not.
GL making your decision & talking to your dr about next steps. I am so so sorry you are having to go through this
With my first angel, I didn't wait as he had major problems developmentally, so I don't know how long it will take. With the others I never had U/S's, just positive HPT's and blood tests.
When I had my d&c (this was just over 5 years ago), they gave me some tablets to take which started the process of dilating my cervix, and after a 2 hour wait they finally got me prepped to go into theatre.
The choice is up to you though, you can wait a couple of weeks, and then make the decision if you're still not bleeding or your doctor tells you that there isn't another option.
For me personally, I think those extra few weeks would be a godsend, a chance to say goodbye and celebrate that little bubba's life even though it was so short. I only had 1 week bewteen finding out what was wrong with my first angel and having the d&c, and I was still in shock and denial.
It could also be harder, having those few extra weeks of bonding with the bubba you know you won't be able to hold or see grow up.
I'm probably not making much sense, but I'm speaking from the heart, and I know, much like everyone else who has lost a precious baby, how gut-wrenching it is to see all your hopes and dreams come crashing down.
Take time to grieve and cherish that small life that you had growing inside you.
Sending lots of hugs and I'm always here if you ever need to talk.
Thanks everyone, it helps to know a bit more of what to expect. Not sure what my decision will be because i keep changing my mind. Because as much as I'd like to wait, I don't want to have to wait any longer- if it happened in the next few days then great. But If I had to wait any longer I think I want a D&C to get it over with to get back on track again. But then again I really don't want to go into hospital and have a anaesthetic.
Poor DH was shattered tonight- he really thought we'd get good news, and then bless him he asked me if i can still get pregnant again with the one inside me now (i'm not sure what he'd think would happen to that one). But was good to see some emotion from him.
the only thing I can say is if you let it happen naturally be prepared for some pain, with my last one.... I had light bleeding then really bad horrible cramps like I TMI!! needed to do #2 and within the hr my little angel had passed
my first was a ectopic and was brought on by methotextrate injection it took about 4 weeks to complete
2nd m/c was at 7weeks I bled for 4 weeks then had pain and passed bubs
3rd m/c was @10 weeks I opted for a d/c light sedation ... very little pain over within a hr and out of hospital in 3 hrs very light discharge for 3 days
4 m/c was the one I mention above with the pain...I know my ssiter said this is what happened with her
Em - when depends on the beta HCG level in your blood. A significant drop or a low level generally indicates a miscarriage is likely to happen sooner rather than later.
There are pros and cons for both a natural miscarriage and a D&C. More than happy to list them if you want to know more I am so sorry
Em I am soo soo sorry!!! I chose to have the D&C at 10weeks our angel was measuring 9 no cramping or signs and I had to wait 2 days for the D&C it was too hard to wait for it to happen on its on you still hold some kind of hope I found... You do what is right for you and what you are going to feel most comfortable with sending you lots and lots of hugs and love xxoo
As everyone else has said, it's absolutely your choice to make and Michelle will probably be able to help you the most!!
In my case, I've had 3 m/c now and have had the D&C with all of them... mainly becuase my body wasn't recognising the m/c either.. the first time I was 10weeks but bub most likely stopped growing and passed around 6 weeks.. so it clearly wasn't going to happen naturally any time soon!! The last m/c I had though, I started to bleed and for me.. it was much worse than just going in for the D&C.. but everyone is different. With the bleeding came quite a lot of pain and I wasn't really prepared for the blood loss.. it was quite significant and after hearing all the options, I still chose to have the D&C. Each time for me, the D&C was not at all painful and I only bled for a couple of days.. with a bit of brownish discharge for a few more days after that. That's only me though and as I said, everyone is different. We were also told that we can start TTC again as soon as the bleeding stopped and we were emotionally ready, so another advantage for me.... we just want another bub so badly!!
Hope that helps but Michelle will be able to help with the pros and cons of each.
*** WARNING*** Graphic descriptions contained within
With the natural miscarriage option there is no surgery. Your body manages the loss of your baby through recognition of the decreasing hormone levels. You will often have the equivalent of a heavy menstrual period - the amount of pain varies and often depends on your usual pain during menses. It can be managed with strong, oral pain medication though so there is no need to manage the pain without it. The amount of blood lost should be like a heavy period and there may be clots. At the development stage of your baby, there will be nothing that is recognisable that you will pass (sorry to be so graphic ) You can manage the loss of your baby at home, in a supportive environment and with whatever you need to manage the physical / emotional / psychological pain. On the negative side, there are some occasions when natural miscarriage is incomplete and requires a D&C anyway. The risk of infection is small but still a possibility. It may also take a while - days to weeks to commence depending on your hormone levels. No one can predict when it will / can happen. You also need to be sure it is the option for you. Some women just want it all over, and some want to manage their loss in their own way. Neither is wrong.
With the surgical option you are required to have a general anaesthetic and the risks that are associated with that. The procedure requires the dilation of the cervix and the removal of the pregnancy either through suction or scraping. The risks include damage to the uterus / bladder / rectum and the removal of too much endometrium resulting in syndromes such as Asherman's syndrome. A lot of this is *operator dependent* so a more skilled clinician is less likely to have these complications. The advantages are that it is all completed within a very short time frame which is preferable for many women.
Obviously theses are not all of the risks or advantages / disadvantages but it may help you make a decision or ask more detailed questions of your health care provider. It may be that you change your mind many times over the next few days too. If you choose a natural miscarriage you can decide on surgical management at any time. You aren't stuck with the original decision if things change or if you find the process to hard to manage. Good luck
what happens now?
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks