# why are D&Cs discouraged?



## KelliHope (Oct 29, 2007)

I'm scheduled for one on Wednesday. . .just wondering why they seem to be discouraged on this board? I feel like I want to have it done so that my system will start to get back to normal sooner so we can start ttc again. If I wait to miscarry on my own it could be weeks. Just wondered if I'm missing something. . .thanks


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## joshs_girl (Dec 8, 2006)

Because they carry a risk of infection and scarring. It is a medical procedure, so it does have risks.

However, there are also risks associated with natural m/c, things like hemorrhaging and you may not m/c everything, which may mean you'll end up with a D&C anyway.

Just do your research and chose what is best for you. For me, while I hated every aspect of my d&c and I wish I could have m/c my babies naturally, it was just too big of a bleeding risk since I had twins. I can say this though, if you do decide to have a d&c, fight as hard as you can to have the baby returned to you. That's my biggest regret ... my babies were thrown out as medical waste.


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## A Mothers Love (Nov 1, 2006)

I did not want one because it is a "procedure" & there are risks. I had one before. It is more mental for me than anything. The idea of having someone "remove" my baby & throw him/her away upsets me to no end. My baby is NOT trash!! (this is just my feelings on it)

Like I said...I have had a D&C...& it was needed to save my life. This last time I let it happen naturaly & almost needed a D&C anyway....but got by w/ out...."barely!!"
If you have decided that a D&C is what YOU want...that is what you should do. Please do have your HCP explain all the risks to you. I know after my D&C it took my nearly 4 years to get pregnant again. I do not know if that is common or not. (& I get pregnant easy!!!)


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## christinespurlock (Oct 10, 2006)

I have to agree with what the ladies above said. I've had both. (but with the 'natural' I took cytoteck)
My body healed slower with the D&C. I had more craming and bleed for 3 weeks.
But with the natural m/c I got to see my baby. Only 8 weeks very small, but perfect.

Don't beat yourself up whatever you decide to do. I do know that many of us who had a d & c were caught offguard (like anyone plans a m/c) and it least wish they had the info to make an educated choice.


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## joshs_girl (Dec 8, 2006)

I will say this...although my doc encouraged a d&c, he would have also let me have a natural if I had wanted. But I had really bad m/s, and the three days between when we confirmed the babies were lost and the d&c were hellish on me. It was the worst emotional time of my life, throwing up five or six times a day and knowing I wasn't going to get anything out of it in the end. For me, the risks were worth salvaging at least some of my emotional health.


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## matey (Sep 15, 2006)

I did not want a d & c and, although devastated by the m/c, was glad I ended up not needing one. However, I bled for 6 weeks after the m/c (I still have not talked to anyone who bled that long after a m/c) and I often wondered if it would have been different had I had a D & C. It was hard to have the daily reminder for 6 weeks, but at the same time, I guess it gave my body the time it needed to work things out for itself.

The periods following my m/c were very heavy, and painful, along with cramping most of the cycle. It took yoga and a FAB chiropractor to get me bnack in line totally, and that is when I regulated enough and got pregnant again.

I guess my thoughts tend to lean toward the body will try and do what is best in most circumstances. If I were you I would wait a bit and see what happened. I beld a little two days before the actual miscarriage happened, which was about one week after development stopped. But all in all, it is up to you.

I am really sorry for your loss. I know it is very difficult, and heart breaking. Many hugs to you.


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## i0lanthe (Aug 1, 2005)

I opted for D&C for my missed m/c, so that I could "schedule" it and make DH take a sick day for it... I had very little bleeding afterwards and (not that I cared about that in my state of mind) no pain. Otherwise I would have been a nervous wreck thinking it would happen sometime completely inconvenient (have two kids already, one special needs, busy therapy schedule, otherwise might have had the guts to wait for natural. or not!







) I was given a choice of basically "the next day" or "in a few days" and picked the latter to do some reading about the procedure, the reading didn't put me off it at all but I felt better to have looked at the risks etc (I was really in no state to ask about anything at the appointment where I had found out, yk?) YMMV!


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## Chic_Mama (Jun 26, 2007)

For me it was more emotional than physical. Although I knew I would have to wait for it to happen, and that part was VERY hard, especially because we didn't know if the baby had survived or not, I wanted to go through the actually m/c at home. The thought of experiencing the loss of my child in a sterile hospital room seemed unbearable to me. Having it at home allowed me to be comfortable and grieve in the way that I needed to. I also was able to bury my child and take the time that I needed with him, however small he was.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *joshs_girl* 
Because they carry a risk of infection and scarring. It is a medical procedure, so it does have risks.









:










-Angela


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## punkrawkmama27 (Aug 31, 2007)

I just found out last week that our baby stopped developing at 9w5d, and had no hb. I opted to go home and wait it out and have a natural m/c. But now, everyone (my husband, parents, even my husbands boss) is saying I need to go in and have a d&c done so I dont risk my health due to infection. I am starting to cramp now and am still waiting for nature to do what it knows to do. Like a pp said, I dont want my baby just thrown away. Big hugs to you for what youa re going through now


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## beanerm (Dec 11, 2007)

"expectant management" or letting nature take its course is a reasonable option for 2 weeks... if you do not want to wait... a D&C is also an option, but it is a surgical intervention. Plan on taking some ibuprofen and bleeding a lot... you may want/need narcotic pain meds at 9.5 weeks gestation. If you have a fever/chills these would be signs of infection and you may want to seek help. So sorry this happened... nature has her own way, without answers for us always.
beanerm

Quote:


Originally Posted by *punkrawkmama27* 
I just found out last week that our baby stopped developing at 9w5d, and had no hb. I opted to go home and wait it out and have a natural m/c. But now, everyone (my husband, parents, even my husbands boss) is saying I need to go in and have a d&c done so I dont risk my health due to infection. I am starting to cramp now and am still waiting for nature to do what it knows to do. Like a pp said, I dont want my baby just thrown away. Big hugs to you for what youa re going through now


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## Fujiko (Nov 11, 2006)

Oh punkrawkmama, don't let them bully you into something you don't want to do! ((hugs)). Just take good care of yourself and watch for signs of infection.


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## bluegrassgirl (May 8, 2007)

I read in an article a long time ago that D&C's can sometimes cause infertility. I don't know if that has been updated, since the magazine was from the early 90's. I've also read of ladies getting infections, PID, and in rare cases perforation of the uterus. I guess it all depends on why you are having it done and the doctor you see. Most of the time, though, everything goes okay. My friend Merry told me that she had to have D&C's several times due to very heavy periods that wouldn't stop after 7 days.

Jessie
(single mommy to Emma, 4 years and Angela, 2 1/2 years)


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## ~Mamaterra~ (Jul 5, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jessie.gray* 
I read in an article a long time ago that D&C's can sometimes cause infertility. I don't know if that has been updated, since the magazine was from the early 90's. I've also read of ladies getting infections, PID, and in rare cases perforation of the uterus.

Case in point....after the second twin was born still in July, I had an ultrasound that showed that one of the implantation sites was still bleeding, so an evacuation was performed (didn't need to be dilated as I had birthed the day before).

It *seemed* like a painless procedure and *seemed* to go well until.....

My next pregnancy ended in a ruptured ectopic at 8.5 weeks because of scarring from the scraping of my uterus from the evacuation done two months previous!!!!

NICE....


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## geogeek (Apr 16, 2007)

I had a missed miscarriage about a month ago. I was 12 weeks and the baby measured 9 weeks with no heartbeat. I scheduled a D&C for the following week. I have a very attached 2.5 yo DD and a husband with a wacky work schedule. I could not bear to wait for nature to take its course. My midwife said that it would probably be fairly painful and I didn't want to be alone with my DD when I went through it. The D&C was not bad. I was given a large dose of ibuprofen and a drug (can't remember the name) to relax me. Basically, I felt a little tipsy. I had light bleeding (for about 10 days) with no pain after the procedure and had my AF 4 weeks after the procedure. We will be TTC right away.
I think dealing with a m/c is a very personal issue and the decision to have a D&C or not depends on a lot of factors. You have to do what is best for you and your family.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

D & C can cause infections, scaring of the uterus & the person doing them can mess up and actually punch a hole through the uterus leading to all kinds of nasty things. That is why I would personally never have one unless my life was in danger otherwise.


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## NicaG (Jun 16, 2006)

I had a d&c in November after waiting for nearly 3 weeks with a missed miscarriage. I have a history of depression, and I could feel my mental health deteriorating with every day I waited. I just couldn't bear to wait any longer. I knew the risks, but for me the risk was small compared with dealing with a major depressive episode. The procedure itself was much easier than I expected, and I had almost no pain or cramping, though I did bleed for almost 3 weeks. I am glad I made the decision to get the d&c. I'm not saying everyone should do it, but for me it was the right decision.


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## Sunshine4004 (Nov 17, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NicaG* 
The procedure itself was much easier than I expected, and I had almost no pain or cramping,

Same here. I had a D&E so mine was a tiny bit different than a D&C but same basic procedure. I hardly even bled at all afterwards. Emotionally I needed that physical closure sooner rather than later. Only you can make the decision that is right for you because everyone is different.


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## ZanZansMommy (Nov 8, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *joshs_girl* 
I will say this...although my doc encouraged a d&c, he would have also let me have a natural if I had wanted. But I had really bad m/s, and the three days between when we confirmed the babies were lost and the d&c were hellish on me. It was the worst emotional time of my life, throwing up five or six times a day and knowing I wasn't going to get anything out of it in the end. For me, the risks were worth salvaging at least some of my emotional health.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *geogeek* 
I had a missed miscarriage about a month ago. I was 12 weeks and the baby measured 9 weeks with no heartbeat. I scheduled a D&C for the following week. I have a very attached 2.5 yo DD and a husband with a wacky work schedule. I could not bear to wait for nature to take its course. My midwife said that it would probably be fairly painful and I didn't want to be alone with my DD when I went through it. The D&C was not bad. I was given a large dose of ibuprofen and a drug (can't remember the name) to relax me. Basically, I felt a little tipsy. I had light bleeding (for about 10 days) with no pain after the procedure and had my AF 4 weeks after the procedure. We will be TTC right away.
I think dealing with a m/c is a very personal issue and the decision to have a D&C or not depends on a lot of factors. You have to do what is best for you and your family.









: I had mine knowing that there was a risk, but my mental health was suffering badly as the m/c was taking weeks (an u/s showed twins & one's hb had stopped. the others was going down very slowly) By week 13 I couldn't take it & had the D & C. For me it ended up being a blessing b/c I could mentally move on. And Luckily I got pg on my next cycle with my DD


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