Talk to me about a D&C vs. Natural Miscarriage

makingroom43 · January 2012

So my Dr. believes I'm going through what is called a Missed Miscarriage.

We found out we were pregnant 4 weeks ago tomorrow & it has been nothing but an emotional roller coaster ever since.

We've had three different u/s, beta levels taken & multiple Dr appts. Trying to determine if this was a viable pregnancy or not.

I've shown NO symptoms of a miscarriage, & still "feel pregnant".

I spoke with my Dr this morning because @ this point, I'm not sure my body will have start the process of miscarrying & I'm getting a bit worried.

After my u/s last week Friday we think the baby stopped growing almost 2 weeks ago.

Here is the interesting part, I'm self-employed {Photographer} I've invested in a expensive Bridal Show next weekend & I can not take the chance that I'd wind up in the hospital etc next week Thursday - Sunday. It's an all weekend Bridal Show & I have a lot riding on it. {The joys of being self employed}

So I asked him what my options were.

He said to come in & get my Beta levels tested again today & we can go ahead & schedule a D&C for this week Thursday if I'd like.

My question is what are the PROS & CONS of a D&C?

I have had two previous C-sections, is this something they do vaginally?

Typically how long of recovery after a D&C?

Thanks

Mee83shell · January 2012

makingroom43:
My question is what are the PROS & CONS of a D&C?
I have had two previous C-sections, is this something they do vaginally?
Typically how long of recovery after a D&C?
Thanks

Yep its done vaginally. The whole procedure takes

Mee83shell · January 2012

its posting funny....the whole thing only takes a couple minutes. I had to check in at 7:30 & left at 11:30. procedure was at 9:30. Recovery isn't bad. Cramps & spotting. I had my d&c on Friday & have felt pretty good since. Dr has me taking Motrin 800mg every 8hrs.

nmuwildcat · January 2012

I was in the same boat. I waited to m/c naturally for 3 weeks after I found out baby had died & nothing had happened. The embryo they suspect had died a few weeks previously. So, total time was almost 5 weeks without a single symptom to me--no bleeding, cramping, etc. Felt pregnant the whole time. After that amount of time, they wanted me to have a d&c, which I did yesterday. I did post about it yesterday after my surgery if you are interested--it should be a few posts down from yours. I feel absolutely fine today; very mild cramping/bleeding last night.

KJohnson826 · January 2012

Yes, a D&C is done vaginally and the surgery doesn't take very long. I think I was in the operating room 20 minutes. I spent more time in recovery than the OR. Once you are able to keep some food down and go the bathroom you are released. I was having trouble going to the bathroom so I was in the hospital most of the day. I didn't feel back to 100% until about a week and a half later. We are all different though, and my doctor said a lot of the cramping and bleeding I was experiencing was because I was so far along when the baby passed away. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. (((hugs)))

panacea05 · January 2012

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've never had a D&C, but I can tell you that natural miscarriages are not pretty: intense cramping, tons of blood, giant clots, gestational sac... Only you can decide what's best for you, but I can tell you with certainty that if your uterus were to start expelling things next weekend, you would definitely miss your bridal show. {hugs}

tcuhoneyb · January 2012

I chose to have a D&C because I went in at 8w2d and found out the baby had stopped growing at 6w. The doctor had us come in a week later and the fetal pole measured 6w3d and the yolk sac was bigger...still no hb and no baby. I elected to have a D&C at that time because my doctor said it could take my body 4-8 weeks to start the miscarriage because my body was still supporting it and then another 6-8 weeks to have another cycle. I wanted it over with. The thought of walking around for another 4-8 weeks just waiting would be miserable. So I had my D&C on 11/17, had light spotting and cramping until 11/24 and then finally had my cycle on 12/27. The night after my D&C I went to a football party with friends. The only thing I noticed was fatigue. I do know because of charting that I never ovulated so we are waiting until March to TTC to make sure everything is fine. The whole procedure took about 20 minutes. My procedure started at 1pm and I left the hospital at 4:30pm. HTH!

Jimbos76 · January 2012

I had a D&C last Wed. because I had gone 6 weeks since the fetus stopped growing and nothing was happening naturally. I' was fine the first 2 days after the procedure and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.....bad bleeding and bad cramping....like a REALLY bad period. The bleeding had lightend up but I'm still cramping at times. Tomorrow makes one week since the procedure so I'm hoping it will go away soon!

On a side note, no one usually mentions this when deciding but I thought I would throw it out there since it can be a factor - cost. For me, my hospital bill was over $11,000! My insurance only covers 80% so my portion owed is around $2000. I know this will vary for everyone but nobody told me going into it how expensive it would be. I figured it wouldn't be cheap but I had no idea it would be that much either. But, I had to have it done so I guess it didn't matter. I just wanted to make you aware so you aren't shocked like I was!

lau1021 · January 2012

everyone has their opinions about d&c & natural. i personally had a d&c 32 days ago & i am happy i choose that route. the problem with natural is that sometimes it doesnt happen. you can be waiting a long time for a natural m/c & sometimes when it does happen naturally, your not competely "cleared out" & you end up needing a d&c anyway. d&c is done vaginally, mine was done in a hospital & i was put under. the procedure was done within 20 mins & i was in recovery for about 2 hrs and went home. recovery wasnt too bad, i had some cramps, some bleeding & was very emotional. since mine was around christmas i took 2 weeks off from work, but i was back on my feet within 3 days. i needed to go back for weekly blood work to monitor my hcg levels to make sure they were dropping, which they were & that took about 3 weeks. i wanted to move along with the process, i knew i had a missed m/c & i just wanted it to be over - so d&c was the best move for me. i am 32 days post d&c, still waiting for AF & can TTC after 2 cycles. its really your call .. i hope this has helped ((hugs))