Misoprostol Vs. D&C

Hi J.,

I am so sorry. A couple of years ago I had a very similar experience. I began spotting at about 6 weeks and it took until 9 weeks for the doctors to come to the conclusion that I was miscarrying. They gave me the 3 options, wait it out, D&C or misoprostol. They told me that it could still take several weeks for my body to complete my miscarriage and having already spent 3 weeks knowing that my pregnancy wasn't right, I realized that I couldn't live in the limbo any longer. I chose misoprostol. I waited a couple of days until I could take a whole day to myself. My husband helped me insert the tablets and then I camped out on the couch and gave myself permission to mourn and let things go. I had some cramping, not bad, and the bleeding started about 6 hours into it. You may think that this is gross, but when I passed the sac, I was able to save it and planted it under a lilac in my yard. Now every spring my lilac will bloom and I will remember that pregnancy without pain. My son was conceived 6 months after my miscarriage and just turned 6 months old. I am very glad that I chose the route that I did, but I know that it isn't for everyone. I wish you the best and hope that whatever you chose it is right for you. Again I am so sorry for your loss.
L.

First, I'm sorrry for your loss. I had a blighted ovum with my first pregnancy. The embryo stopped developing at 5 weeks, but we discovered it when I was supposed to be 9 weeks. I opted for a D&E rathern than waiting (since obviously nothing had happened in 4 weeks), and, to me, the thought of taking the medication and bleeding out at home was horrifying. I prefered to have a procdure done and not have to visually and physically deal with the loss. My D&E went really well.

Good luck with your decision. It's not an easy one, and I'm sorry that you have to make it.

-C.

Seems you got a lot of good advise, and like the others, I am so sorry for your loss. My experience was that my placenta didn't release after having a natural birth and had to go in for a D&C. I don't remember any of it and was no in any pain afterwards. I would think that having a D&C would be the approach I would take, if in your situation. I think the emotional process of knowing you were going to, in essence, "birth" a baby with no heartbeat would be extremely hard. A D&C is fast and easy, and coming from someone who did natural birth I hope you can tell I'm not a "fast & easy" kind of person, but this would be something I would want to get past physically so that both the physical and emotional healing could begin and so could looking towards the future and the hope for another chance. Don't be hard on yourself and let others love and help you.

I am very sorry to hear about your loss. I was in a similar situation 3 years ago (first pregnancy though) and once we had a follow up ultrasound to make sure the fetus wasn't viable I wanted to be able to move on as quickly as I could. I had a D&C and it went well. I got pregnant the next cycle I could try (I think it was 2.5 months after the D&C. That time I started to miscarry on my own. Had a D&C (didn't have a choice this time) but since there was a lot of clotting I needed a second D&C because they didn't get everything the first time. One of those two times I did have a lot of cramping after the procedure, but a little pain killer and a heating pad worked.

If you do have a D&C you can have tests done to see if a chromosomal abnormality was the cause (most likely). I had another miscarriage (very early, more of a chemical pregnancy) so we ended up going through IVF and have a gorgeous 19 month old daughter and just went through another cycle so we are hoping for number 2.

It is a loss, so mourn it however you feel appropriate. I didn't do much but cry, but I know some people do little memorials.

Good luck,

D.

I am so sorry! I had a miscarrage 4 years ago. I still think about it! I did it naturally! Make sure someone is around the next couple of weeks. You do not want your little one there with you and you will want some emotional support. I was crushed. It is hard! If you want to talk, I will listen. Support is key. Hold on to your little one!

M.

I ended up having some bleeding during my 11th week of my first pregnancy. I also had an ultrasound only to find that there was no heartbeat. I was completely devistated. They sent me home and told me to try to rest but there was nothing that they could really do. Within the next day or two the bleeding and cramping came. I was never offered the Misoprostol but I was told that I had to return to the dr's office for the next few days to test the hormone levels. If they were down then I would not have to have the D&C. I ended up "miscarrying" by myself and never had to do the D&C. I wish I could give you some advice on these proceedures but all I have is a similar story and lots of sympathy! About two months later I found out I was pregnant again and had a great pregnancy. I now have a healthy, beautiful 5 yr old daughter. I wish I could give you more answers. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I'm so sorry for your loss!
I had a similar experience and I had a d&c. Emotionally, once I knew my baby had died, I wanted it over. I also thought my body might recover sooner if I took care of it right away.
I know this isn't easy, good luck to you.

natural is the way to go, however you need to watch for signs that you may need to have a D&C. Excesive bleeding being one. Talk to your doctor about what to watch for.

Be hopeful!!! Ihad 1 miscarriage, then had our 1st. Then 4 miscarriges and then our 2nd. If you can carry a child once you can do it again (as my Dr keep telling me). I did go to center for reproductive care to get checked out and to help when I did get pregnant.

It will all be fine! Things like this happen for a reason
M.

I had a similar experience with a pregnancy before becoming pregnant with my first daughter. Waiting for a natural miscarriage can take weeks. I had no bleeding or cramping for several weeks and choose to have the d&c. It was emotionally tough but otherwise went fine. I conceived with my daughter 3 or 4 months later. Good luck.

Hi J.,

I had a miscarriage at about the same point in the pregnancy a year ago this past April and the doctor strongly recommended the D&C. I am normally an advocate of all things natural, but I listened to her advice. Though it was sad to have a surgical procedure to end something as beautiful as pregnancy, I found this the best route to go. There are actually more risks with waiting for it to happen naturally - you can hemorrhage or the tissue can linger and cause scarring. With the D&C, it was over quickly, there was the emotional time I needed to recover, but we were able to have a "clean start" - meaning I could start trying again as soon as 2 cycles after my miscarriage. I think when you wait for it to happen naturally, it can take longer to become pregnant. I'm happy to say that my miscarriage was in April and I got pregnant again in August and now have a beautiful almost 6-month old boy! Another friend of mine had a D&C in June, and she is also now expecting.

I am so sorry for your loss. It is one of the saddest things that can happen to a woman, and I remember how many tears I shed over that baby. Hold tight to your dear little 2 1/2 year old and know you will experience this joy again.

M.

I went through the same thing with my first pregnancy. I chose to let nature take its course. I believe that your body knows what it is doing and I didn't feel the need to use drugs. My heart is with you!

I am so sorry that you need to go through this. I had a similar experience. I waited 1.5 weeks for things to happen naturally. Nothing did other than continued morning sickness. I opted for the D&C. It was painless and quick....just sad. My next period was extremely heavy-that was the only physical side effect. Please be kind to yourself-it takes months to heal emotionally.

Im very sorry for the loss of your baby.
I read a lot of the posts from other people and it looks like the concensus is D&C, but I was planning to caution on the use of D&C because of the risk of uterine scarring. If you are planning to become pregnant again, the placenta of the new baby is more likely to root itself on something like an old cesarean scar or a D&C scar. Sometimes this is not the ideal place for the placenta to be, and you could encounter problems such as placenta previa or placental abruption.
My younger sister was born 10 weeks early because the placenta was attached to a cesarean scar and this resulted in placental abruption. She is a healthy 2 1/2 year old now, but it was really scary at the beginning.

I'm so sorry for your loss. This happened to me too although it was 20+ yrs ago and my third pregnancy. I was 20 weeks. The drug you talked about was not an option for me. (I've never even heard of it) But I was given the choice of waiting for it to naturally occur or have a D&C. My doctor recommended waiting. Even though I was not thrilled about staying pregnant knowing my baby had died (I was showing), I followed his advice, in part because my husband (who was in the military) wouldn't be available to help me until later. A week went by and nothing happened, so I had the D&C. I don't react well to anesthesia, so that part was not so good. But I have to say... the hardest part was that I kept wondering if I was aborting a healthy baby. I trusted my doctor and the sonogram techs, but I still had that lingering doubt. UNTIL - I got pregnant again and they showed me her heartbeat on the monitor. It was unmistakable. All my doubts were erased. That pregnancy (fourth pregnancy, third child) was probably my most worrisome pregnancy. But it was uneventful and I now have my beautiful 21 yr old daughter.

I think this is a very personal decision, but I think you should consider:
How you react to anesthesia
How you can deal with the pregnant/not pregnant situation
If you schedule a D&C you have more control and can plan for someone to take care of your little one, etc.

On an unrelated note. It may be because I was a little farther along, but something I did not anticipate and was completely unprepared for: My milk came in and I was engorged. You may want to ask your doctor about that possibility.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I remember how devastating that was. Good luck to you and your family.

Hi J.~
I just went through the same thing, and miscarried at 8 weeks. This unfortunately is my 7th miscarriage and I have 3 wonderful children. I went with the meds one time to try to "speed up the process" because my husband was going to be away and I swore I would never do it again. It was horribly intense. Personally I would just let nature take its course and let your body finish what it is naturally doing...I am so sorry for your loss, we will pray for that sibling for your little boy!
~J.

J.,
I too had to make that decision for my 2nd pregnancy. I chose to go the natural route as well. My doctor actually recommended it over everything else. It was so hard waiting for it to happen but in the end I believe that your body knows what it is doing. I am so sorry to hear about your loss and my thoughts are with you.

M.

So sorry for your loss, my heart goes out to you. I too found out that my baby was no longer progressing and was given options. I chose to let nature take its course and it did. I can't give you any information or advice regarding the D&C or the drug. But if you think you can I reccomend letting nature take its course.

Hi J.,
I just want to start by saying how sorry I am. I've miscarried three times, and I know how painful it can be. My first two were very early and happened naturally, but my third I knew at five weeks something was not right, and my body did not naturally miscarry until 11 weeks. Several weeks after that I ended up having to go the surgery route anyway, b/c apparently if your body doesn't pass everything you will keep bleeding intermittently and your cycle will not regulate. I am all for natural processes, but there is certainly nothing morally wrong with the D&C when the baby is no longer alive, and it can certainly give some closure for you sooner, rather than later. But I think is is really just a personal preference choice, as I didn't experience much difference physically or emotionally with my natural miscarriages vs. the surgical. I did not have any problems with the procedure. It was very straightforward, and I was in and out. It's recommended that you let your body go through at least two cycles before getting pregnant again, to cut down on the chances of more complications with a future pregnancy. I just want to say, please don't give up hope for more babies. I named all the babies I lost, and believe they are waiting for me in heaven, and they each hold a special place in my heart, but I have also been blessed with 7 healthy babies and am expecting another in April. All of those pregnancies were without complications. So keep hoping. Your body has done it once already, so the chances are great that it will happen again! Blessings to you. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I am so sorry for you loss...I lost our first baby at 10 weeks - hadn't progressed past 7 weeks growth, and there was no heartbeat. I was so devastated! I wanted to let my body do its thing, and have everything be all natural, but nothing happened, and so I had to have the procedure - I don't think it was a D&C, it was something else - the first initial was different - E&C? It is so astonishing to me that I can't even remember the exact name, because in that moment it was the most intense thing that I had ever experienced. The actual procedure wasn't so bad, done in the Dr's office, sent home to rest and mourn.

I actually needed another procedure 5 days later due to heavy cramping and bleeding - it seems they missed something...by that time I was over the fear of the procedure, and felt emotionally drained from all the crying and grieving.

I was able to become pregnant after that, and we now have two beautiful children; my DD is 3 1/2 years old, and my baby boy is 5 months old (and I am 42 years old!)

So - keep holding hope for your future baby, give yourself time to mourn this little one and know that when you are ready, it will happen again for you.

I am so sorry for your loss - it is so hard to lose a pregnancy. Good luck with whatever you choose, you will be fine.

Hi J.,

So sorry for your loss. I lost my first and third pregnancies in the same timespan as you. For both, my body expelled the fetus, which was tiny, no more than a heavy period although when the sac came out I definitely knew I'd passed a bigger tissue than with any period.

I'm one to trust my body, and it took care of everything in time so I was lucky that I didn't need any follow-up procedure. Just some blood work to be sure my hgc counts returned to zero. There is definitely a grieving period, I thought I had it under control until I fell apart in my doctor's office during one of the follow-up exams. I had no idea where it came from, but he lovingly told me not to worry, emotions aren't logical and this is part of the body's way of healing.

The good news is, my second and fourth pregnancies gave me the gift of my two beautiful daughters. So, keep trying, we concieved again within a couple of cycles following the miscarriages and went full term. Good luck with your decision, you can only make the one that's right for you.

The same thing happened to me at 12 weeks with my 1st pregnancy with the baby dead at about 10 weeks. I was not given an option but was told immediately to have a D&C the next morning. I did and 3 months later I was pregnant again (at 36 and 39) and now we have 2 healthy daughters. The D&C was done under sedation and it was day-surgery at Emerson Hospital, no hospital stay, and taking it easy for about 2 weeks afterward with a check-up at the end. Whatever you choose to do, look to the future because this does not mean you cannot have another baby.

Hi J. - I just went through a similar experience. Went in at 7.4 weeks and the baby had stopped growing at 7.1 - I let nature take its' course. I found out the news on September 30th and my miscarriage didn't start until October 22nd. Convo me if you'd like more details.

S.

Hi J.! I'm so sorry for your loss!! My suggestion is to ask your doctor what he/she recommends. I have a little experience with miscarriages. I had one very early/ 6 weeks. It did happen naturally because it was so early (plus there were a few days of not knowing the situation). I will tell you it was very painful - mostly because I couldn't take advil since there was a chance that it wasn't a miscarriage. It was tough too since I had a 2 year old to care for, but after a couple of days all was resolved naturally. I would think the pain etc. would be intensified the further along you are. I have a friend who had a D&C at 10 weeks (or more) and it went "well" for her. She also got pregnant her next possible cycle. I have heard of many people getting pregnant soon after a D&C. Good luck!!!

Hi there, I am so sorry for your loss, it's devastating! I was 11 weeks when I started spotting and had an ultrasound which showed no heartbeat and the baby hadn't progressed past 8 weeks. My Ob recommended a D&C and things went smoothly and I had no problems getting pregnant a year later and gave birth to a gorgeous little girl and then again gave birth 19 months later to a handsome little man. I had no cramping or excessive bleeding after the D&C.
Take care and I hope to hear soon about your next pregnancy!!

J.,

Sorry for your loss. Many years ago I had two miscarriages. The first I was 8 weeks and the second I was 13 weeks. Both times my body started the miscarriage process on it's own however in both of my cases I suffered great blood loss with other problems and had to have emergency D&Cs.

The D&C process was easy and I had no issues after them. You are put under for the D&C so there is no pain and I had no pain afterwards. I must say I was thankful that the miscarriages were completed via D&C for the pain I went through was worse than the labor I had with my daughter.

Now let me add my situation wasn't of the norm... but if I were faced with it again I would aim for the D&C.

Again sorry for your loss and do hope that it all works out for you.

J.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine. There is a study out there from a company called care net, it's based on abortions but I have heard of people doing it with miscarriages and finding a lot of peace over it.
I haven't experienced it myself but had a very close friend who had a D&C. She didn't have anything nice to say of the experiences. When she had it, I believe it was her only choice. She turned a much harder person after the experience. That's why I suggest the study.
I will keep you and your family in my prayers!

I had a similar situation with a 6-wk sac that hasn't passed at 11-12 weeks. I did have a D&C and I actually think it was less tramatic than having to pass it naturally. The procedure was very quick and I only had mild cramping afterward. Good luck with your decision and I am really sorry for your loss. It's tough.

Take care,

L.

several years ago I miscarried my last chance baby at 5 months. I had the same experience, heard the heartbeat one visit, not the next. I had just announced the pregnancy too as it was "safe". sigh. I was told it is emotionally damaging for a woman to carry a fetus she knows to be dead much more than 3 days. I had the D&C (just before Thanksgiving, not a happy holiday for me anymore). It wasn't bad - they put you out, you wake up and go home, no real residuals for me. I did not have the drug option as my pregnancy was too advanced, not sure I would have taken it if I did. I am sorry for your loss, best wishes!

So, so sorry for your loss. You've received some great advice so far, so I'll keep mine brief. I found out the pregnancy ended and waited two weeks to miscarry on my own. It didn't happen, so I had a D&C. I'm glad I had the D&C because I had the peace of mind that the doctors got it all, and more importantly, the doctor had the tissue tested and found an issue. If I had miscarried on my own, we wouldn't have known about the issue. So another vote for D&C. I was awake for mine. It wasn't pleasant but the nurses and doctor were fantastic, caring, and warned me about the more "uncomfortable" parts. Urban myth I've heard too is that you get pregnant very quickly and easily after a D&C. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and successful pregnancy in the future.