To have a D&C or not?

[StrawberryMumma]

Whether or not to have a D and C is such a personal thing isn't it? I had one. The procedure went fine. I wasn't aware of any major risks. Following it I felt a bit achey that night, and just had like a normal period following it and then some light spotting for a few weeks after. I expected it to be much worse than it was but really it was fine. It's just all the emotional side of things that takes it's toll. I took a month off work as I was so shattered after losing my little one But it gets much easier as the weeks go by. Still painful of course, but much better.

My ob was happy for me to wait and mc naturally, he said there was no rush even though, like your gf, bub had probably died a bit before my US.

Huge :hugs: to your lovely friend. It's such a sad time.

[SOUSIE]

Hi Ange,

I'm so sorry for your loss

I’m 27 and at my first ultrasound in July I was told I had miscarried (blighted ovum). I was devastated but even more so just angry at myself for being oblivious to the fact that this is actually quite a common occurrence amongst pregnant women. I had no idea what this was, what it meant, what to do or what to expect. My gynecologist advised me of my choices and suggested we wait until it passed naturally. I’m not a big fan of surgical procedures and immediately agreed this would be the better option for me.

As it was too private and far too embarrassing to share with friends and family I frantically hunted the internet that night to read up and see what I could find out about miscarriages, specifically blighted ovum.

There was plenty to read up on, lots of information and many forums where people had kindly shared their experiences and opinions. Many women had opted for a D&C rather than letting the miscarriage pass naturally but there was very rarely an explanation as to why they had chosen this option. For this reason, I would like to share with you my experience.

I was told by my gynecologist that my body would expel the miscarriage in roughly about the next two weeks (this matched up to the information I had read on the internet). He also explained that it would be expelled through heavy bleeding, much more than just a normal period (much of this was also confirmed through information I had read). I was ready.

Two weeks had passed and nothing had happened. Three weeks had passed and nothing had happened. My gynecologist was constantly calling to check up on me throughout this time and seemed a little concerned but suggested we should wait one more week before we proceeded with surgery.

Four weeks and two days later I felt symptoms of a period coming on walking home from the bus stop after work. My first thought was ‘finally!’ We had dinner plans with friends that night and so after a shower and a fresh (thick!) sanitary pad we headed out. Within 30 minutes I felt myself bleeding very heavily and headed straight to the toilets. The second I sat on the toilet there was an enormous gush of blood that came out and from that point there was constant dripping. Composing myself (which was extremely difficult to do at this stage), I cleaned up and headed back to our table, excused ourselves and headed straight home.

A twenty minute drive felt like an eternity and once home (after having bled through my clothes and onto the car seat) I headed straight for the toilet again.

This time after only maybe five minutes I went pale, I couldn’t see straight, felt all tingly and was being held up by my husband while he was quickly trying to dial ‘000’ to call for an ambulance. I was trying to fight to keep my eyes open but my body felt like it had given up. I will never forget feeling like my life was at that point going to end.

The ambulance arrived within a matter of minutes and took me to the hospital where I was hooked up to machines and injected with two lots of blood transfusions having lost so much blood over the course of a few hours. The hospital’s gynecologist attempted a D&C (Dilatation and Curettage) which was excruciating but advised she would be sending me up to theatre to perform a Suction Curettage to make sure they had removed everything. Following the Suction Curettage I remained in hospital a further day and have since recovered and feel as good as gold.

Looking back on this now I so wish I had decided on a D&C. Although, and I understand that, my situation is very extreme and does not happen often (apparently anyway) I would without doubt suggest to anyone they should opt for a D&C (purely based on my experience). If I am unfortunate enough to have any subsequent miscarriages (touch wood) this will be my decision. I feel that it would have saved me, even a little, heartache and pain. However, of course, everyone is at liberty to make their own choices. I just hope that I have managed to paint someone out there a different side to the picture.

May God bless and I hope that this never falls upon anyone.

Thank you for listening.

I wish you all the best Ange! xx