For those who have had a D&C...

Hotzie

I went to the Dr today to discuss the options after finding out I am miscarrying.  My levels have dropped from 400s Monday to 100s today so it looks as though the numbers are falling quickly.   

I was thinking about waiting another week to see if the miscarriage happens naturally. The Dr. suggested a d&c for some "closure" which freaks me out a bit.  I really was just hoping I could hear from people who have had one. 

I am sorry if this is rude to ask, I'm just looking for some guidance.

Muffinhb

for me a D&C was the best option. i could not emotional wait for a natural m/c since they can be done in days or weeks it just depends on your body. where as the d&C we found out monday there was no heartbeat and wed i had the surgery. and when i woke up i had all the closure i needed to be able to bounce back. for me the worst part was the day in-between finding out and having it done. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask me. But you need to do which ever is best for you. 

busterbeagle

My doctor thought I would start naturally very soon due to how fast my numbers were dropping, so you might not have to wait too much longer for nature to take its course.  Time really does drag on when you are waiting for something like this though.  I'm going in for a D&C on Friday because I just desperately want my body back.  I wish I could have gotten in sooner.  For me it is the right option not only because of closure, but because I'm just scared to have to feel and see what will happen if I wait for nature to take its course. 

I think it really is a personal decision, and while some are totally freaked out by the idea of the D&C, others are just as freaked out by natural.  My response is somewhat influenced by how far along I should be/was when the baby died and the fact that my body seems to be slow to catch on to what is going on.

I'm sorry for your loss and hope you figure out what is right for you.

Laurakat81

I agree with the previous poster about doing what is best for you. For me, I really wish i could have gone naturally with both of my losses...that always seemed like it would have provided more closure to me. However, I never got that choice. I waited a full month to miscarry naturally with my first loss and finally for health reasons my doctor really wanted me to go with the D&C...actually we tried Cytotec two days before the D&C and that didn't even work.

With my second loss, I still didn't want the D&C but I did want testing done on our baby to see if we could figure out why I'm miscarrying, so for testing purposes a D&C is more likely to yield results since you can collect more tissue.

 That being said  a D&C isn't too bad at all physically. Both of my D&C's left me groggy and I slept all day. I never needed so any pain medication not even a tylenol. I bled for about 10 days but it was light. 

 I'm sorry you are having to even make this decision. I'm sorry for your loss.

Mejin215

We found out on the 7th that we lost the baby.  I took 2 doses of Cytotec and nothing happened so now I am scheduled for a D&C next Thursday the 27th.  That means I have been going through this for 20 days when i have it done.  I should have just done the D&C in the first place b.c it is so frustrating.  I have been spotting for 2 weeks now and have mild cramps and it is not fun.  It is def up to you but I know that if I could do it again I would have the D&C and get it over with.

swentzel

I am new here...but I had the D&C and I am going to be honest...you feel...empty after. I personally think it was the best option for me than to wait for the natural M/C, but I have had 2 babies already and to be in that room strapped like you are having a C-Section and then to leave with no baby was very hard. Just prepare yourself for that. I ended up having post partum depression after. If you are sad, that is normal. But what I didn't know was that you can have PPD after a miscarriage too. Best of luck to you. I would just think bleeding for weeks would be the longest reminder of what happened.

Hotzie

Thank you all for sharing with me...it helps to hear that others went/are going through the same thing.

I had a feeling from the beginning that something wasn't right.  I had a week of bleeding soon after the BFP then it stopped.  I thought I was in the clear but still had that "feeling".  I went last Friday for my first u/s and there was just a sac, I was 7 weeks.  From there I knew what happened and it looks like the baby stopped developing at 5 weeks.  Since then I have been bleeding again so I knew it was done.  

Now with my numbers dropping the way they are, I think I will wait until Wed for the next blood test and see what the numbers are doing.  I am hoping since they are in the 100s right now I will m/c naturally.  

I didn't mean for this to turn into my story but I have to admit it feels better to type it out.

Thank you all again.

LDW80

I had a d&c.  When they told me there was no heartbeat I was 13weeks.  Baby stopped growing at 11 weeks.  THe dr. said I could go home and try to miscarry naturally but I thought "well, if this baby was in me dead for 2 weeks and nothing was happening, how long would it take" and I didn't want to wait.  I wanted closure.  The proceedure was fine and I felt ok physically.  I am still however spotting and it has been 23 days.  My dr. said I should only bleed 7-10.  I am not worrying yet because it isn't that bad (and I heard it can take up to 8 week before AF to arrive)but hopefully once you have the d&c you won't bleed very long.  I must also have HCG in me still because pregnancy tests are still positive.  So it has been a long road but I am hoping it is nearing to the end.  GL to you! 

kaitlyn65

I had a D&C and was very glad I chose that route. I didn't want to wait days or weeks for things to happen naturally. I really wanted closure as soon as possible. It was painfree and quick (we were in and out of the hospital in a couple hours). Good luck with your decision.

soveryexcited

I had a d&c and it was by far the best thing for me given the situation. It sounds like one of the pp was awake, which was NOT the case for me. I was so freaked out by the whole being in the hospital thing that the nice nurse lady gave me something that made me totally loopy. I was so out of it that when I got into the OR, they just put something in my IV, told me to count backwards from ten, and I was OUT. When I woke up, I was in recovery and all I remember was sobbing my heart out. The recovery was not bad at all, I could have gone back to work probably the next day but I choose not too just because I was so emotionally devastated. But if it ever happens to me again, I would definitely opt for the d&c.

JThomas221

I found out I had a missed m/c on a Monday and had a D&C that Wednesday. The doctor told me that I could choose to wait if I wanted but DH and I decided that this would be the best way for us to get closure and to be able to move on. We want to TTC again soon and hopefully by getting the D&C, we will be able to get to that point sooner. The biggest reason for me personally, was that I felt like my body had betrayed me by letting me believe that I was pregnant when my baby had died three weeks earlier. I really didn't want to let go of my baby so soon, but it was also very painful at the same time to know that I was still carrying a baby that would not be born. I still had symptoms as well and that added to my misery. I will say though, that one of the PP's was right about suddenly feeling empty after the D&C. I did have the feeling of closure but it was still painful nevertheless.

As for the actual procedure, it was pretty easy. The thing I was most nervous about was getting the IV because I had never had one before, but it wasn't so bad. The anesthesiologist doped me up before they wheeled me into the OR and I don't even remember getting knocked out. The next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery. I was pretty sore so the nurse gave me some strong pain meds through my IV which helped. I recovered quickly from the anesthesia and I was sent home after about an hour. I was pretty sore the rest of the day but the next day I felt fine for the most part. It's definitely a personal decision but for my situation I feel a D&C was the best choice.

cala09

I had my D&C on Monday.  There was no heart beat at my last U/S and growth had stopped.  However, I wanted to wait for a little while to see if I would M/C naturally (even though the growth stopped over 3 weeks prior to my finding out about the missed M/C).  I thought for sure I would M/C naturally before my scheduled D&C (one week after finding out about the miscarriage) due to the amount of spotting I was having, but that didn't happen.  It was hard going through that week emotionally but at the same time, I wouldn't have wanted to do it any sooner.  I feel that it gave me the chance to really deal with the reality and emotion of what was happening so that when the D&C actually took place, I really was in a better place and ready to move on.  I couldn't imagine doing the D&C the very next day for me personally just because I needed time to absorb the shock of the M/C itself and grieve the loss of my LO.  The D&C itself was a very short and easy procedure.  I felt great later that afternoon.  Good luck in your decision.  I'm so sorry for your loss.

PiperS

I'm so sorry for your loss. A natural mc was not an option for me because I was 13 1/2 weeks. Having said that a D & E was the best option for me anyway. It is quick and painless and for me the bleeding was the most traumatic part and that only lasted a couple hours (everyone is different some people spot for 2 weeks). I do not think I would have been able to handle the emotional pain of a natural mc. I didn't have any cramping or bleeding except for a little after the procedure. I just basically woke up after anesthesia empy, which was horrible in itself. It is a decision you have to make on your own neither one is easy really. It is a heartbreaking experience. I am so sorry you are going through it!

Froggy76

I chose to have a D&E the same day I found out about my missed m/c.  I didn't want to sit around waiting to miscarry naturally and deal with that cramping and pain.  It also freaked me out a bit to know that I had a dead baby inside me... I know that sounds awful.  I just wanted everything taken care of and over with.

The procedure was fine.  They knock you out and you wake up feeling like no time has passed and it's over.  I had no complications, and just period-like bleeding afterwards.  No pain and really minimal cramping.

The only regret that I have is that I didn't get a second u/s to make sure the u/s tech was correct before I had the procedure done.  But I knew something wasn't right, so I believed her right away and scheduled the procedure for that afternoon.