Miscarrage Question...???

Hi T.,
I would say she needs to call her ob/gyn. Her ob will do a sonagram/ultrasound to check and make sure and then go from there.
She might need a D&C thats where they go and remove the tissue and scrap the inside of the uterus. A friend of mine had a miscarriage and she said she did no have this procedure done because there are pros and cons to it. She let her body do it on its own I know it took awhile but not sure how long. She needs to have her ob/gyn confirm she has miscarried before she goes any farther. Goodluck and hope you get some answers, W.

Firt off, I'm sorry to hear about your sister. That is a painful thing to go through. If this is indeed a miscarriage, it can take longer than 7 days sometimes it could be a couple weeks or so. This is a way to let the body do it naturally. If she doesn't want to continue on she can opt to have a D&C or use a medication to help. If she hasn't already, I would definitely have her go into her OB office for a followup ultrasound just to be sure. ER rooms don't do such a great job with pregnant women and can sometimes be completely wrong.

I don't believe that carrying around a "dead" baby is harmful unless it's been over a period of time. So boarding an airplane shouldn't be an issue. The only thing is you never know when a natural miscarriage will occur.

You can give a funeral anytime you want. But if a D&C is necessary, there may just be tissue left. (Sorry to be so graphic).

I am not speaking as a Dr., but I've been through the miscarriage thing. If you would like more information on this or even to hear from others who have been in this situation and advice on how you and family can deal, you can try the website www.fertilethoughts.com It is a GREAT resource and wonderful support place.

I'm so sorry for your sister and her family, including you. I had a miscarriage in early January, at 10 weeks. In my case, it was what used to be called a "blighted ovum" and is now usually just called a "chemical pregnancy." Basically, I had a bum egg--it was fertilized and implanted, so my body created the placenta, which created the hormones to make me test positive and feel pregnant. However, when I started spotting badly and went for an ultrasound, there was no fetus, not even a yolk sac. In that case, there was only the placenta to lose, and I elected to go naturally. I also elected to go out of town less than a week after the diagnosis, with my doctor's approval. However, as I said, I didn't have a body to try to pass, just the placenta. It was still gross! However, we made it through, and now we're trying again. Your sister needs to talk carefully to her physician, but my guess is that if she waits for her body to miscarry naturally, she shouldn't leave town until the biggest part of it is done. She'll have some bleeding for a long time, and that's okay for travel, but she'll want to make sure the basic miscarriage is over.

If she can't leave right away, I encourage her to get away as soon as possible, and go to her "happy place." I was lucky enough to spend a week on the beach, and I just had to deal with a heavy period while I was there. The worst of it was over. Being on vacation really helped us through the grieving process, I believe. I wish her good luck, and all the best.

The actual medical term for this is missed abortion. It's the way they classify a miscarriage that has not yet happened. I've been through it and I carried the baby for 2 weeks before it happened. I was trying to avoid having to do a d&c. But it happened anyway.

Miscarriage can be very traumatic and a person can hemmorage. She absolutely can NOT fly during this time. She could be bleeding badly with no way to get to the hospital without the entire flight having to be re-directed. It would be crazy to go out of town right now.

Suzi

Doctors usually do want the patient to pass with out the aid of surgery. However, if she doesn't pass in a certain amonut of time they will do a D&C. My friend had a miscarriage a few months ago and was also disturbed by the fact she had to carry the baby around in her until her body passed it. I will tell you it can be very painful when it does happen. It is just like labor, she will have contractions and all. I wouldn't think going on an airplane while having a miscarriage is a good idea, but she may want to check with her doctor.

Sorry about your sisters loss, I know from experience that a miscarriage takes a lot out of you mentally, physically and emotionally. I had a miscarriage my first pregnancy and was 16 weeks along. They sent me home as well with the option to let it pass or schedule a D&C. It was two weeks later that I had my appt. for the D&C and the doctor had an emergency to take care of before my procedure. I ended up delivering while waiting for the doctor. I was asked if I would give the baby for scientific studies, I said yes therefore a funeral was not given. Miscarriages happen for a reason, there could be a problem with the baby, or some birth defect. Hopefully she will get through this and on to the planning of the next pregnancy. I now have three, so tell her after she has one to be careful because they keep coming easily after that. Take care.

First of all, im very sorry for your sisters loss. Actually the dr prefers for the body to take care of it itself. Then a check up later to make sure there is no infection or complications. She could opt for a D&C, but there is a risk of infection and scarring that could put her at risk. I've gone through this and did opt for the D&C, but it sounds like your sister is opting to let nature take its course. She needs lots of love and support.

I am so sorry for her loss. I had the same type of miscarriage in October. I went to the ER with spotting at 12 weeks and the ultrasound showed a 7-8 week old fetus with no heartbeat. So, it can take awhile for it to pass on its own. I scheduled a d&c for the next Monday but on Sunday I started hemorrhaging horribly. I had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance and by the time I got there I had lost so much blood I passed out. I had to have a blood transfusion and an emergency d&c. This isn't the case for every woman, obviously, but after going through that I would NEVER EVER recommend flying or going far from home when you're miscarrying a baby. I had gone to the fair the day before I lost the baby, and I keep thinking of what would have happened had i been there and started that bleeding. They wouldn't have been able to get help to me on time. As for a funeral, it's just a personal choice. I didn't do anything like that since it was so early, but my sister miscarried at the same week in her pregnancy and she and her husband had the remains cremated and took them home. It was their way of dealing with their loss and getting closure.

I'm so sorry for your family's loss.

I too was given the same options of returning home to try to deliver the baby who was 13-14 weeks gestational size but I was only given one week to do so before the doctor's would intervene. My OBGYN says that this is a matter of personal preference of the doctor, hospital policy, and how well the mother can handle it.

Flying shouldn't even be considered but with grief possibly being so deep the couple isn't thinking rationally someone should say something NOW.

As far as having long term affects, each body is different. Some can reabsorb their babies before the bleeding so that only the placenta and other stuff is lost, Others encapsulate the baby in calcium and carry it with them for the rest of their lives. Yes there's chances that things could affect her ability to survive this but the chances are far more likely that a dnc would cause an infection and be much more damaging.

I would avoid suggesting the surgery. All the paper work says abortion on it and having that negative word looming in the mind while dealing with this loss can be much more damaging. Methotrexate could be an option to consider. Only the doctor can decide.

Please assure her she should take all the time she needs to grieve. Pushing her to get past it when her mind, body and spirit aren't ready can leave lasting scars and rifts in the family. It's not reassuring to say there was probably something wrong with the baby since 1/3 of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most of the time it's not something wrong with the baby it's a malfunction of the placenta.

Hello T.. I am really sorry to hear about your sister. The same thing happened to me on my first pregnancy. It was time to go hear the heartbeat and I was 41/2 mo. pregnant. They could not find the heartbeat so my doctor set up a sonogram and they saw that it was dead. I think it was a week later that my doctor set the appointment up to do a DNC. So I would definetly have her call her OBGYN and get it taken care of. As for a funeral I did not have one. I know how sad she has to be, I sure was. It was my first pregnancy.

So sorry for your loss! I had a friend that underwent this and the only thing I will suggest is that you have an ultrasound done as well. By law the doctors only have to check for a heart beat before doing a D&C and getting an ultrasound makes sure that the baby is actually no alive instead of hiding from the doppler.

I would say that you should have a furneral for the baby. You and your family were attached to the baby and need to say goodbye, and that is what a furneral is for.