If you had to choose...

ball.and.chain · December 2012

between misoprostol and a D&C, which would you choose?

I went for my first ultrasound today and all we saw was an empty gestational sac. I was supposed to be 7w5d today but it looks like the embryo stopped growing a while ago. My RE gave me a choice between misoprostol and D&C, and I'm supposed to let her know this afternoon. From reading others experiences, the D&C sounds a lot less unpleasant...but I thought some of you who have been through one or the other might have better insight than I have right now.

Thank you.

ETA: I'm sorry but I can't seem to make my ticker go away. I removed the HTML code for it from my siggy and saved, but it's still there.

Unknown · December 2012

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Avion22 · December 2012

My doctor was able to get me in for a D&C the same day, so we went for that. We thought it would give us more control over what happened when, and I felt better having everything happen in a hospital setting (we live 45 min away from the nearest ER). Also, the doc gave me some good drugs to help with bleeding and pain. Overall, the D&C was physically almost painless for me (not the same for everyone), and I had very little bleeding after the first day.

I don't have experience with the other options, so I really can't comment on them.

algalphys · December 2012

I chose DnC because we don't have an obgyn in my city. Dr in the ER agreed that my choice was best as she was worried that if there were complications with the misoprostal that is be ambulanced to the city, 2 hours away. I also chose the DnC cause I didn't want to see the baby pass. I didn't think I could handle that.

femmepink · December 2012

I chose misoprostol over the D&C because the gynecologist at the hospital said there are more risks involved with the D&C since it's a surgical procedure and they try to avoid it at all costs.

I'm not going to lie, the misoprostol was horrible for me. It induced the worst pain I've ever felt while I went through contractions and my cervix dilating, but that pain only lasted an hour.

Also, with the misoprostol there is a chance you'll see the embryonic sac/embryo pass. I did, and I'll never forget the only time I got to see my baby. It was traumatic. If you don't want to see that, you might not want to go this route...or you could just not look when you start passing clots.

BUT, with all that said, I'd go this route again over the D&C because it is low risk and there is no chance of scarring or uterine perforation like there is with a D&C.

GL deciding. I'm sorry you went through this.

ETA: I just want to add that the chances of having complications from the misoprostol were explained to me as "slim to none" and that it is "extremely safe and commonly used". You just need to expect pain. Not cramps. Pain.

CaitNMatt · December 2012

I have only had a D&C, and to be honest...the doctor really didn't give me a choice. I was so relieved when she said, 'let's just get it scheduled" because I didn't want the traumatic experience of miscarrying at home while caring for a 2yr old. My DH was so supportive and he was there for me the entire time. I am so glad that I had the D&C for both the physical and emotional reasons.I hope that I don't ever have to go through it again, but if I did I would go the same route. Good luck to you, and I hope that your recovery (either route) is quick and painless. We are all here for you...

Jennifer271012 · December 2012

I'm sorry your going through this. I had a DnC because I had no choice and it really wasn't too bad.

((HUGS))

erocksbean · December 2012

I'm very sorry for your loss

I recently went through a natural miscarriage (Nov 2012) and 2 years ago (June 2010) a D&C. There are certainly pros and cons of each.

My D&C was quick, but I felt very traumatized by being in a hospital setting/anesthized, etc. It was my first time really being submitted to a hospital so I was scared out of my mind. I was just over 10 weeks along and didn't have any children already so I just really didn't realize how sad I would be at loosing a baby (totally naive). But the procedure was indeed quick and I didn't have much pain after the fact, just some heavy bleeding the day or two later which tapered off over the next week. This option was right because of how far along I was and I was working a pretty high stress job, so needed it to be done within a certain timeframe... had it done on a Friday and was back to work on Monday.

I just have gone through a natural miscarriage in late November. My Dr. said taking misoprostol wasn't necessary, so we just let it happen as nature intended. My baby/sac measured out to be just over 6 weeks even though I should have been 9 weeks along. The biggest issue I had with going naturally was the waiting- it took 2 weeks from the time I found out the baby wasn't viable until I actually began bleeding. So the mental part of that waiting was extremely frustrating & confusing. My pain wasn't terrible- like menstrual cramps that are made fine with a healthy dose of Motrin. Seeing the blood clots & fetal sac pass was disgusting & pretty terrifying. Seeing that much blood coming out of you just feels wrong. If you can, don't look; especially at the clots!! I've heard of women seeing the fetus or needing to save the fetus for testing. Ugh, no thank you, I don't need to see that in detail. I was very glad that my husband has a flexible job and could be home with me on the worst day... be prepared to be in the bathroom all day and go through a lot of pads... a lot. The heaviest bleeding lasted about 6 hours and even a few more clots passed the next day (I was taking care of my 17 month old that day and while I needed Motrin and a lot of trips to the bathroom, he is pretty independent and we were ok just being the 2 of us at home). Since then, the bleeding has been tapering off for the last 10 days.

This time I decided to go for the natural m/c because a) we are on a strict budget (i'm a stay at home mom now), unneeded surgery just wasn't something we could justify b) i was really very very traumatized by the hospital experience of my d&c c) my baby was at a very young gestational age this time, which I understand is less painful than if you are further along d) I don't have a "job" i have to go to everyday, so my own schedule was flexible to let it happen in it's own course.

I can't say one way is better than the other because my own circumstances were different each time. Either way, you are going to be sad and wish you weren't going through it. Hope this helps you and I wasn't too graphic, but I wish I had had someone give me the full idea of what to expect before hand. If you have any more questions, i'm happy to help.

Good luck to you and anyone out there going through the same experience. You are not alone!!

Temp246483875007510 · December 2012

My Doctor gave me a choice and I went with the D&C but I had to wait a week to get into the outpatient facility that she recommended as opposed to the hospital bc she thought it would be a less stressful/ scary environment and I had a scheduled time as opposed to waiting for her and possibly being bumped by an emergency etc.

She had me take a low dose of cytotec 3 hours before the surgery to help soften the cervix so she wouldn't have to use too much force -basically reduced the risk of puncturing or tearing anything.

I hate that I had to wait one week bc it was the worst week of my life basically, I just wanted it over with. I don't think I could have handled it happening naturally in that state of mind that I was in.

MPLSdesigner · December 2012

I was also given the choice and for me it was a no-brainer, I choose the D&C without a second thought.

My personal list of Pros and Cons

D&C

Pros : quick, relatively pain free, and low risk if done properly (just FYI - I asked the doctor and the worst thing that can happen with a D&C is that they puncture your uterus which is VERY rare and even if it does happen it doesn't mean you have long term issues - it will heal), often they will test the tissue to see if there are issues you should be aware of...which I didn't know when I made the decision but was very nice for my peace of mind.

Cons: hospital stay

Misoprostol

Pros : for me - nothing

Cons : painful (doctor said it could feel like labor), long wait, emotionally agonizing to have to see it, and since I am a practicing architect I can't even imagine this happening while I was in the office - sounds terrifying.

___

I felt back to 100% about 24 hours after the D&C and had no bleeding, cramping or pain with the procedure. Plus they tested the tissue and let me know it was typical miscarriage tissue and not something that is chronic. That alone helped me let go and just move forward. I just got first AF (3 weeks after D&C) and so I only had to endure 2 difficult months since getting the BFP and now I feel back to myself.

ball.and.chain · December 2012

Thanks everyone. I am definitely leaning toward the D&C. My insurance will cover it, my RE said she'd try to get me in quickly, and I'm not afraid of the surgery part (I did IVF, and she said it is comparable to egg retrieval in terms of the patient experience and discomfort). The increased risk makes me a little nervous, but the idea of going through the pain and gore of misoprostol seems pretty awful right now. I really appreciate hearing your experiences and I wish all of you the best.

The Irish Gal · December 2012

I chose misoprostal over dc because I didn't want to have anaesthetic and natural miscarriage had already started.

However, it didn't work. I've had worse period pain. I now have my dc scheduled for this friday, 4 weeks after my miscarriage started, more since I found out it prob wasn't viable

jleebean83 · December 2012

I have a D&C scheduled for Friday...I would be 9 weeks tomorrow. We were told that it was not a viable pregnancy 2 days ago because the heart rate went down to 52 and they found an abnormality. They are checking via u/s tomorrow again as they believe the heart will have stopped beating. If there is no heart beat, I will go as scheduled for the D&C but I have to admit that I am terrified. I almost want to just let nature do what it needs to but I also want the ability to have the fetus tested to see what the abnormality is.

It's hard to make decisions like this when you're going through so much.

ball.and.chain · December 2012

jleebean83:
It's hard to make decisions like this when you're going through so much.

I could not agree more!

I hope your D&C goes smoothly on Friday. Mine is tomorrow. Obviously I am not exactly looking forward to it, but I'm looking forward to being able to start moving past it.

jleebean83 · December 2012

Good luck tomorrow, hope it goes smoothly for you too and hope you have a speedy recovery!

alkvoelker · December 2012

I chose a D&C. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, my cervix tore during the surgery (but that's one of the risks), but they stitched it up and we anticipate no problems int he future.

KTdid82 · December 2012

I was given the choice, and took the meds. If I had to do it again, I would choose the D&C. I spent 4+ hours in complete agony, horrible cramps, vomiting, sweating through the sheets. I passed the sac and it was a very emotional moment for me. And I had to take a second dose and it *still* didn't pass everything. A D&C would have been quicker, and less painful physically and emotionally.

ball.and.chain · December 2012

Just wanted to report that my D&C went very smoothly. Everyone in the hospital was incredibly kind to us and told us how sorry they were that we had to be there. There were no complications, I was in minimal pain afterward and have had almost no cramping since and not as much bleeding as I expected. I actually felt emotionally better yesterday after the procedure than I have since my ultrasound; I think I was relieved to feel that it was over and I could begin to try to move forward. I'm feeling a little weepy today which is to expected between the hormones dropping and the disappointment and emotional pain of what happened. I definitely feel like I made the right choice and I truly appreciate the feedback you all gave to help me get there.

Samantha8604 · December 2012

I took the meds because i was scared of surgury. Well 3 months went by and my beta levels still were not at 0! So I had the D&C on thursday, it turns out that things had very stronly attached inside of me and didnt pass with the meds. I wish i would have just had the D&C right away so I could have started to heal and move on and not waist 3 months.

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