Please help me understand natural miscarriage vs dc?

aries21

If you had natural miscarriage do you still have dc? Are there cases where you dont? Hows the recovery for both? I am having cramps, bleeding, back pain and pretty much feel like its happening. 6 weeks. But i dont know if it happened and will i know? I am so scared. Doctor said we can wait till it happens naturally but i would prefer not to wait as i dont know how long it would be and where would i be just wondering why he didnt suggest dc if it is in fact a miscarriage? Confused, sad and terrified.

dragonfly711

I had a DnC last Friday under general anesthesia. I had no issues no pain nothing after the procedure no cramping either. I know you can. I had mild back pain a day or two later.

I have had not much bleeding at all either.

My emotions are much worse than the procedure was.

I am glad I had a DnC it is done no waiting for me can move on quicker.

aries21

Did the doctor give you a choice to wait it out to happen naturally or just did dc?

sandysheets1

Sorry for your loss.

I can only comment on the D&C as I had a miscarriage at 7w7d on 2/14- no heart beat on US. personally I think for me emotionally it would have been traumatic  to possibly bleed for several days and pass tissue at home that is why I chose the D&C. I had my D&C last Wednesday under anesthesia. That afternoon I felt fine and I have continued to feel fine. I have had only small amounts of spotting like a tiny drop once a day.

Honestly you have to do what you feel comfortable with. For me I did not want to have to bleed out at home and emotionally I feel this has helped me to accept the loss and plan to move forward and start trying ab=gain after our next cycle.

 

KMW08

natural is what you're describing, bleeding, heavy bleeding, i had a lot of big clots and cramping. a natural mc is usually with early pg, such as yours. ideally a d&c is not needed with an early natural mc, unless there's residual tissue that doesn't expel on its own or it doesn't happen on its own.

it does suck waiting, knowing it will happen anytime.  I'm not really sure why a d&c wasnt offered, that's a question for your doctor. 

my second loss, i had a d&c, but it was offered. i had to choose to wait to see if i would mc, or do the d&c and get it over with. 

neither option is better than the other IMO. d&c is less messy, but it's way more expensive, as it is a surgery.  neither are any easier emotionally. 

blue_elle

Sorry for your loss. It's a very personal decision. Some women find the process of miscarrying naturally to be a closure process, others want to get it done with without having to potentially see any tissue. For some money is a deciding factor. It's really whatever you are comfortable with.  

D&C is a surgical procedure involving general anesthesia. The doctor enters the cervix and removes the pregnancy tissue by scraping, suction, or a combination of the two. There are normal risks of anesthesia and a small risk of scarring or adhesions in the uterus which could cause potential fertility issues. Generally there is some cramping and bleeding to follow. The surgery can be expensive, depending on your insurance plan and whether it's done in office or at a hospital. 

Natural miscarriage means allowing your body to expel the tissue. It can take some time for the body to recognize the pregnancy isn't developing and for hormone production to slow enough to begin the process. Once the hormone production drops sufficiently spotting and/or bleeding begin the process. How long it will take is highly variable. Some women miscarrying very suddenly, for others it's a slower process. Bleeding/spotting continues afterward for up to a couple weeks. There is a small risk for excessive bleeding (more than a large pad an hour for 2-3 hours) or retained tissue. If there is retained tissue you would then require either medicinal intervention or D&C. Retained tissue is often diagnosed by ultrasound or by HCG levels that do not drop to a negative value (less than 5). 

As far as knowing when everything is passed, it really depends on a number of factors -  how far along you were, whether the body has begun breaking down the tissue or reabsorbing some of it. Often once the sac and embryo (if present) are passed the cramping lessens somewhat. The best bet is to follow up with your doc to ensure the process is complete. 

There is a medicinal option available (Cytotec) which can speed the process. It's effective for about 85% of women. Some women are sensitive to Cytotec and have very painful contractions with it. If you discuss this option with your doc, make sure they give you a prescription pain med. 

 

Mom1917

I can't add more to blueelle's great answer. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss and hope you feel closure soon.

chilla0712

I am so sorry for your loss and I understand the pain and fear. I just had my first miscarriage and the doctors didn't tell me much at all. I just bled a lot and felt like my insides were falling out. Finally, I passed the embryo in the form of a large fleshy clump and the cramps subsided. There was still a lot of blood afterwards but the scary part was over. The doctors never did see me, but said my blood test confirmed the miscarriage, which was obvious to me. The said my body was taking care of it naturally as long as there was no smell or fever for infection. I know this is hard to hear , but I wished someone would have told me how traumatic a miscarriage could be. I am so sorry you are going through this and pray you have loved ones to help you rest and to let you cry. You are not alone. We're here for you.

aries21

Thank you all so much. Your explanations are very good and clear. Sorry for your losses as well. : i m scared of anesthesia and surgery but i am equally terrified of seeing the tissue or more. I am trying to go in today to talk to doctor but dont know what will happen. I have to work today but im so scared pain will get worse before it gets better :

aries21

Im going to the doc today. Can they check if it already happened?

emfitz

I just had a natural miscarriage this weekend. We found out we were expecting early at 3 weeks 5 days. I had blood work taken on 4 weeks 1 day. On 4 weeks 4 days I started to spot, had blood work taken on 4 weeks 5 days (which unfortunately was a Friday- so was going to have to wait till Monday for the results... and was told I could miscarry before then). I never had any heavy bleeding, just light spotting in varying colors (pink, brown, bright red). On Saturday I had lots of tiny little clots. On Sunday the spotting stopped. But I no longer felt pregnant. I had nausea very early (before we even could test) and breast tenderness and all that was gone. Everyone told me I was crazy for having symptoms so early, but I know my body and I was right. Everyone told me that I could still be pregnant, but I knew. On Monday which would have been 6 weeks, 1 day I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. My doctor called to stay my hcg hormone levels had fallen from 41 on Monday, to 6 on Friday. Because it was so early a d & c is not usually necessary because there is very little tissue to pass. My doctor had told me on the Friday I would only need to go to the hospital if the pain was awful and if there was hemorrhaging. I had neither, just some lower abdominal "pressure" and back pain. I was on bedrest from Friday to Monday. I hope this helps others who may be going through something similar. 

jhs121

Praying for you. Your situation sounds very similar to mine. I was at 7 wks and had been bleeding already for a week. Then one day had small clots and one larger clot that night now realizing that may have been the embryo. That night I couldn't sleep b/c of cramping. Went to the Dr. next day and found out there was no longer a sac. I believe my body was already going thru the MC. Since then I've had back aches and medium bleeding. Really no cramps. I can say the pain is not unbearable. It's been good for me to go thru the process naturally. I believe God has created us perfectly and our body knows how to handle these things. I was given the options natural, medical pills, or d/c but I wanted to experience it myself. For me, I always go natural as long as I can take it. I am not a fan of surgery. I hope your doctor can explain some things for you. You're in my prayers.
Heather