*** 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