# Natural m/c vs. misoprostrol?



## plaidpineapple (Jan 26, 2008)

Hello everyone,

On Monday, at ~6w4d, an ultrasound confirmed I had a blighted ovum. The sac must have been very small, because my OBGYN asked if it could be the beginning of a new pregnancy.

This was my first pregnancy and my first miscarriage, so I don't know what's to happen from here. It's been 5 days and I've only had minimal cramping and brown spotting. On Wednesday, my hCG levels were 2100, down from 2500 48 hours before.

A nurse just called me today and asked if I'd rather:

a) Miscarry naturally, monitoring hCG levels to make sure they're dropping steadily
b) Take something called "misoprostrol" to speed up uterine contractions and hopefully get things going a little faster

Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with misoprostrol? I asked whether or not my doctor recommended a D&C, to which the nurse said the doctor didn't think it was necessary at this stage. I'm very new to this, rather scared about what's to come and don't want to do anything to hurt our chances when we try again soon.

Someone, please help! Thank you for any advice.


----------



## Amydoula (Jun 20, 2004)

I am so sorry for your loss. I don't have any experience with that drug but wanted to offer a


----------



## veganmama719 (Sep 15, 2007)

Hi *Emily*, I'm sorry for your loss. Mine last month was a BO too. I started bleeding a bit at 5w5d and then m/c at 7w1d wihtout any intervention. My HCG levels were over 8000 2 days before the m/c. 3w3d later, they are below 5. I don't know if my experience is typical though.

I don't have any experience with that drug either. It sounds like your body is doing what it is supposed to though since your hcg levels are going down.

Did your healthcare provider give you an info?

FWIW, yesterday a coworker of mine found out she had a BO at her 13 week u/s. They gave her something and she passed everything last night. So it was quick whatever it was.

Hugs


----------



## ~Mamaterra~ (Jul 5, 2006)

Emily,

First off, soo sorry for your loss. It isn't fair that you have to go through the loss of your first baby. Unfortunately, life will never be the same...

Secondly, I took misoprostrol when Aubree died at 9 weeks back in December because with Christmas coming and the fact that it was my 4th m/c in 10 months, I didn't want to wait to m/c naturally.

I was already starting to spot when I got the confirmatory u/s that showed her heart stopped beating. The OB inserted two of the pills right up into my cervix to kick start the process. I orally took two pills immediately as well.

The contractions and bleeding started within a half an hour. They were pretty intense and I had the runs every 20mins or so. About 4 hours in, I had to go to the ER to get something for the pain because the cramping had become so intense. I got a shot of Demerol and that really helped things.

Within an hour, I had passed the amnion and the pain was gone. I still had to take the last two misoprostrol that night before bed to ensure all of the placenta had passed. I bled for another 4-5 days like a heavy period but it didn't have the cramping that occured with the other m/c that I had.

Please feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.


----------



## donnamr3211 (Aug 12, 2006)

I am so sorry for your loss. With my first BO I let it happen naturally now I find myself with another one. I am sick morning, noon and night and I am soooo tired. I have three boys, two dogs, watch a 2 year old 5 days a week and my husband works 7 days a week so I have choosen not to wait and get a D&C on Tuesday, after confirming Monday with another sono that there still is nothing in there. If I weren't so sick I would try to wait but I can not for my sanity continue on with this "pregnancy" and wait when I feel so bad. I also did not want to go through the labor like I did last time. Sorry I can't help with your question but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone.
((((hugs))))


----------



## mountainborn (Sep 27, 2006)

Hi Emily, I'm so sorry this is happening.







to you. I've been there.

I don't have any personal experience with misoprostol but know a little bit about it from researching it's use in labor induction. The brand name is more recognizable - Cytotec - and it is actually a drug used to treat stomach ulcers that doctors found was capable of inducing labor or miscarriage. There is a lot of controversy over it's use for during pregnancy as it has never been approved by the FDA for this purpose and in fact the label specifically states that it should not be given to pregnant women. In 2000 the makers of Cytotec (Searle Pharmaceutical) sent a letter to all health care providers warning them of adverse effects recorded after off-label use of the drug:

"Serious adverse events that have been reported after off label use of Cytotec in pregnant women include maternal or fetal death, uterine hyperstimulation or rupture or perforation requiring uterine surgical repair, hysterectomy...amniotic fluid embolism, severe vaginal bleeding, retained placenta, shock, fetal bradycardia and severe pelvic pain."

Obviously some of these possible side effects are not applicable to an early miscarriage, but I would question whether your body really needs the super strong contractions brought on by the drug to miscarry at such an early gestation.

I had my first miscarriage one year ago at about 7 weeks and chose to stay home and allow things to happen on their own - it was an easy decision that time because the miscarriage was happening very quickly. I was so grateful I wasn't going through it in an ER bathroom. It was painful and heavy but not more than a very heavy period (granted, I have intense periods anyway.).

My second miscarriage this February was different, I began spotting at 11 weeks and went in for an ultrasound that showed 6 weeks gestation and no heart tones. I spotted for a few days before the miscarriage completed, and had the option in that time of a D&C or medication to hurry things along. I chose to stay home again and was again very grateful. My midwife was monitoring my levels to be sure they were decreasing as well. I understood that if I began to bleed too heavily, feel faint or run a fever I needed further intervention but I didn't want to endanger my chances of conceiving again or put my body through a medical induction. When this 2nd m/c was complete it was painful but without the additional pain of being in an unfamiliar environment and having to complete the process with strangers attending. I took a few regular ibuprofen and that was enough.

I understand from reading posts here that for some people it is preferable to have a D&C and be done, I think every woman has to weigh her options and decide what is best for her emotionally and physically.

It sounds like since your levels are going down your body is working this out on its own. Whatever your decision I hope you are able to grieve and be loved on during this time. Be kind to yourself and take time to rest and heal.


----------



## plaidpineapple (Jan 26, 2008)

Thank you all for your support and advice!

As it stands, I've decided to let things happen naturally. I've let my boss at work know that *it* could happen any time, but I'm also wondering if I'm one of the lucky (if you could call me that







) whose body just absorbs the pregnancy rather than losing it as a period. Does anyone know how often this happens?

Again, thank you all for your help.


----------



## chel (Jul 24, 2004)

I used cytotec for a BO, with a sac measuring 8w.
overall it wasn't bad, but then I don't think I passed everything and bleed for several weeks (very light and I was doing some serious hiking during that time) and then passed a chunk of something months later.

if you can mentally handle waiting I would. Maybe use the meds if you feel like you need to speed things up as from what I've read BO can hang on "forever", especially if you just absorb things. Which isn't bad per say, but if you "need" to be pg ASAP this is something to prepare for.


----------



## plaidpineapple (Jan 26, 2008)

Thank you for sharing your experience, chel!

Well, at almost a week after receiving the news, I believe the process has started. Hopefully it doesn't get a lot worse than it is now (which is moderate), but I'm glad I waited either way.

Thanks to everyone for the support.


----------



## Lindsey608 (May 19, 2007)

I know you already made your choice but I thought I'd share my experience with taking Cytotec in case anybody else comes looking for information.









I found out I was m/c just a week before we were scheduled to make our move overseas back to the US from Germany which is why I decided to go ahead and "help" things along. I was prescribed a lot of tiny pills (like 8 or 9?) that I took all at once. I'd already been bleeding for a few days but no cramping or anything.

Well within 10 minutes of taking the Cytotec I started getting menstrual-like cramps. With 30 minutes they had progressed to what felt like early labor contractions. I was pacing around the house just focused on breathing through them. My bleeding picked up a lot and I started passing clots. After that the pain stopped pretty quickly. For the next few hours I would start getting strong menstrual cramps again and pass a few more clots but the pain always went away.

I didn't end up passing the baby until about 26 hours later & then had heavy bleeding for about 4-5 days, then tapered off to spotting.

I was glad that the worst of it was over fairly quickly. I remember saying to DH "Really... was that all? Is it over?"


----------

