Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss

D&C Description Question, so mad!

Hi Ladies, I haven't posted on here since earlier this month, I had a D&C on June 5th for a Blighted Ovum miscarriage.  It was our first pregnancy and even though it was found early in the pregnancy it was still devastating.  I've been doing good emotionally after the surgery, it was almost like a closure for me, all up until today.  I received a bill in the mail from the surgery center and when I opened it I couldn't believe my eyes what the description of the surgery said. It reads "Treatment Of Missed Abortion".  I would never in my life have an Abortion!!!!  Isn't it supposed to read "Treatment of a Miscarriage"?  A blighted Ovum was a pregnancy where the baby never developed and made it to the sac so I don't understand how this is considered an "Abortion"?  I am just appalled, my dr never mentioned that this is the description of this surgical procedure, in fact on the papers I signed at the surgery center before I went in said "Dilation & Curretage" for miscarriage.  Talk about a way to re-open old wounds and make a person feel like a piece of s****.  Sorry, i'm just so upset and confused by this right now, and I was doing so good with healing emotionally and moving forward.  For people who have received their bills, what was the description on yours? 

Re: D&C Description Question, so mad!

  • kcmichelkcmichel member
    edited June 2015
    Abortion is a broad term used in the medical field. We think of abortion as a malicious act towards an unwanted pregnancy, but from a scientific standpoint our bodies are supposed to "abort" the fetus like aborting a mission because something isn't right. I know it sounds harsh but don't take it personally, it's not a reflection on you at all. I kinda felt the same way when i first saw missed miscarriage identified as "missed abortion"
    Edited for typo.
  • Ok, thanks for the clarification, it just shocked me when I seen that and made me feel ashamed of myself because I would never intentionally have an abortion in my life.
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  • I think mine read incomplete miscarriage or something similar, abortion was not a term used. I would be annoyed too If it said abortion.
  • Mine said "incomplete abortion." It's just the medical terminology.
  • You know, 1 in 3 women have had or will have an abortion in their lifetime. IMO, that is significant enough a population that you don't want to alienate them. Many are the ones you'd least expect. There is no stereotype for women who've had to make that choice.

    You know, it is quite possible for a woman who has had an abortion in the past to still be devastated by a loss of a pregnancy that she hoped to take to term.
  • I'm sorry that this upset you- it is a difficult enough time already! Like previous posters said, it is the correct medical term.

    Also, from my understanding, miscarriages were originally referred to as abortions. Once it became an elective procedure, they used the same term to "lessen the blow"- same as if we used the term "miscarriage" for what we think of as an abortion. Makes it seem less awful. "Abortion" then took on the negative connotation and people turned to the word miscarriage.
  • Receiving the D&C bill can definitely be a blow regardless, in that it's definitely a painful reminder.  But as others have said, "abortion" is the medical term for a miscarriage. The type of abortion you're thinking of (where a woman makes the decision to terminate a pregnancy) is really known as an "elective abortion" whereas what you went through was a "spontaneous abortion." Both types get called "abortion" for short.  I'm pretty sure my D&C bills said "abortion" as well.  Remember - the medical profession has lots of terms and phrases that the average person isn't familiar with. 
  • Thank you ladies for the information. And my intention wasn't to alienate anyone, I just expressed my feeling on the situation, I just stated that "I" would never in my life have an abortion by choice, and that's why it upset me when I seen it listed. Now I understand, it is medical terminology.
  • I had my D&C Friday and mine said "incomplete abortion" on my paperwork. That made me feel so awful reading that even though I knew what t meant so I know how you feel.
  • Because of all the judgment against women who support the right to have an elective abortion, and against those who have had an elective abortion (regardless of reason), and the hurt and indignation of those who would 'never have an abortion' (even though that is exactly what happened to them when they lost their baby), it's become a big talking point in the medical establishment to work the alter the terminology. Some doctors seek to prevent that extra slap in the face when someone sees their records or medical bills that state the patient had an abortion, partial abortion, threatened abortion, or missed abortion. You want to feel the sting of those kinds of labels, imagine being referred to regularly as a 'habitual aborter'. Yet, other physicians seek to prevent the linguistic differentiation between those who didn't want to lose their baby and those that did, not only because the medical term is accurate as it stands, but because such differentiation could then be used in inappropriate ways by people who have access to a patient's medical files. So, it might change in the future, and some doctors will not use the term in patient's files, but it may also remain the status quo for a very long time. Either way, I am very sorry for your loss, and for the shock that came when the bill arrived.

    All advice given based on lengthy personal experience.

    I am not a doctor, I just have a working medical vocabulary.

    Always available to answer questions about loss, infertility, and TRP.

    imageimage

  • You put that so eloquently @MrsGargoyle , thank you.

    @huskerfan246 , I understand you. Unfortunately this situation makes us all a little raw and exposed feeling. I took it a little too personally after I saw the cross-post. I'm sorry for that. I'm also sorry for your loss and that you experienced an unfortunate trigger. Sometimes we don't even realize what will trigger us until it's in our face and we're already fighting tears. It sucks.
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