# Any Natural Ways to Encourage a Missed Miscarriage to Finally Happen?



## Xerxella

I went in for an ultrasound yesterday and I should've been 11 weeks, instead there was nothing there, just a large empty sac. The pregnancy tests are still turning positive. The doc said it's a blighted ovum and development probably stopped 5 or 6 weeks ago. He started asking what I wanted to do and I told him I'm going away for the weekend and I'm going to wait til next week before making any decisions.

So, my questions:

1. I really don't want a D&C, but if he's right and development stopped 5 or 6 weeks ago, I don't know when my body will let go. (There's been no bleeding so far.) Is there anything natural I can do to encourage my body to let go?

2. The doc said we have to wait 3 months before trying again. I don't want to do that. Is there any science behind telling women to wait before becoming pregnant again?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I'm 100% sure the diagnoses is right. I know exactly when I ovulated and the pg test turned positive right on time and I've just had a bad feeling for a few weeks now that something's not right. Also, I looked at the ultrasound myself, I know what should've been there and there was nothing there.


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## azgirl

I'm so sorry you are going through this  Others may understand this better, but the way I understand it a lot of times you will miscarry around the time the placenta is supposed to take over at the end of the first tri. So, that is the reasoning for breathing one sigh of relief when you get past the first tri, often things go amiss earlier, but the body doesn't recognize the problem until the placenta is supposed to take over and it does not. Hopefully I am not too off base with that, that is how it has been explained to me...


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## arb

I went through this and I am so sorry you are facing it. Mine wouldn't come either so I made an appt. with an acupuncturist who assured me he had good success rates for inducing a "missed abortion" (what my OB called it) to expel (I am groping for better terminology here, apologies). Like you, I did not want a D&C and wanted to do this at home. But then my miscarriage completed before the appointment. I had some bleeding complications that landed me in the ER (not to fear-monger but I wish I'd known more about what to expect).

We did not wait three months. Our doc said when the periods came back, if we felt like trying, go ahead and try. As I recall she explained that the "3 month wait" advice was more for psychological healing than physical necessity. At that point I was nearing "advanced maternal age" and wanted to get on with it. We got lucky after a few cycles (embryo died mid-June, missed abortion diagnosed end of June, conceived again early November) and I hope you do too.

Hang in there.


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## Xerxella

Thank you for your response. The doc said it'd be like a heavy period, since there was nothing in there. Should I expect something different? I'd like to be prepared. How heavy is this going to be? How many days should I expect? There was no yolk sac, no evidence of an embryo and no strong placenta.

The doc did mention something like, "that's why people wait til the end of the first trimester." So, hopefully, everything will happen in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks.


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## KristaDJ

Mine was NOTHING like a period. My blighted ovum was at 12wks and I went into full labor after having some spotting for a few days. I passed blood and clots with each contraction for three and a half hours. As soon as the placenta came out it stopped and I bled like a period for a week after. The first responder is right, with a first tri loss you will often miscarry at 12 wks when the placenta is supposed to have taken over production of progesterone. To encourage your progesterone to drop sooner you can take maca and vitB and vitC but you will probably see things happening very soon anyway. ((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))) I'm so sorry mama. <3

ETA: My placenta was in pieces, there was one bigger piece that had the empty sac (the size of a grape) on it; when I passed that one it was over. I doubt an ultrasound would have shown much inside me if I'd had one. It was really just lots of blood and clots.


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## hildare

so sorry this is happening to you. 

i had the same thing, a blighted ovum, around that time frame. i opted for the d & e, however, just because we wanted to try again as soon as possible (i'm 37) and also, my ob (whom i <3 ) told me that at that point (as you know & mentioned) it could take weeks, usually up to 12 like others said. another reason we chose d & e (i hope this is ok to share) is that my ob said that there was a lot of material that would be pretty uncomfortable to pass. he did NOT make it sound like a period, more like what krista relates. also, i had just had another friend take (cytotech? not sure what exactly) that some people choose to take - a drug- to help the pregnancy pass. she had a TERRIBLE experience with it and it didn't all pass, so she had that and then ended up with a d & e anyway. awful.. plus, i personally don't feel as though i have time to wait to ttc again.

i don't know about the recovery time if you pass naturally, but from lingering on the boards, it seems like most people ttc very soon after, even the next cycle. i have read that others believe that you are indeed more fertile at that point, elevated hormones and an open cervix.

after the d & e, my ob said it wouldn't hurt to try that next cycle (but we did experience a very early loss in doing so /a 'chemical' loss- i don't think that is related to anything except my age, however).

i hope you recover quickly either way. hugs.


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## theboysmama

My first m/c was a missed m/c. I started bleeding at 12 wks 3 days and went in for a u/s. it showed a fetal pole at about 7 wks (so not the exact same as you as there was not a completely empty sac). The next day I started cramping. It was NOT like a heavy period. I was in full labor (totalling about 6 hrs which is what my full term labors are like) including four hrs of pushing. Like Krista the bleeding stopped once I passed the placenta but mine was not in pieces. It was complete with the cord and about the size of a silver dollar. There wasn't anything else though. Some small clots. I bled really really heavy for about 3 days and then passed a huge clot. The bleeding slowed after the big clot was passed and the bleeding stopped after about a wk.

I think you are probably within a wk or 2 of things getting started. evening primrose can soften the cervix.

I am so sorry for your loss and that you are having to go through this.


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## arb

I can echo the others and say mine was nothing like a heavy period. I am sad and frustrated that women don't get better advance warning of the variety of m/c experiences. I can't speak to what your doc said about "nothing in there." To be honest it's been 6 years and I do not remember the exact numbers, but I believe I learned of my missed m/c at 12 wks and the doc estimated embryo died at 9-10 wks. The actual bleeding started within a week of diagnosis.

I am going to tell what I experienced because I think it is GOOD to know how bad it can be. It doesn't mean it will be that bad! Forewarned is forearmed. But don't read if you don't want to, please.

...

...

...

...

When it started I experienced what I could later (after giving birth to my kid) tag as light intensity contractions. And by "light" I don't mean they weren't painful. They were. It's just that in comparison to the pain I experienced in labor that's where I'd place them on the scale. I do remember needing to vocalize (moan) a bit, just as I did in "real" (pardon me) labor.

When the bleeding got going it was far beyond a period. I remember finally giving up on pads and just sitting in the tub as it came out of me in waves. Sad memory. At some point I passed the tiny quarter-sized embryo and saved it (we later buried it under a new ornamental shrub in our yard). I'd like to note that my doc told me it would be raisin- or bean--sized and I likely wouldn't even notice it.

After hours (2? 3? more?) of this I started to feel clammy and lightheaded, and I threw up. My husband took me to the ER where I was found to be very dehydrated (they ran fluids in both arms simultaneously). I had lost too much blood and required two blood transfusions. I later required a shot of methergine to stop the hemorrhage, a painful poking around (looking for leftover placenta, I think), and an ultrasound to confirm nothing was left inside.

If I HAD to do it over I would still chose to stay at home and hope for the best, but I would hope that my doctor would do a better job of educating me about what to expect AND what could go wrong, and what to look out for. We should have gone to the hospital earlier but we just didn't know. I knew miscarriage meant blood so I was just dealing with it the best I could. In retrospect I was toughing it out a bit too much.

Best wishes to you for a much more "normal" m/c, and speedy recovery.


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## mamabutterfly

Xerxella, I am so sorry for your loss. About your specific questions, I think the idea of acupuncture is a good one. Do you have anyone nearby who is familiar with herbs? I have wondered if black & blue cohosh are helpful in this regard, since they can help stimulate full term labor, but my m/c started (thankfully) immediately after my ultrasound so I didn't look into it fully.

I just mentioned this in another thread, but if you go through it at home, many of us have found the stories in this thread really helpful information. It is different for every woman, was part of what I took away. Not everyone would want all that information, but I wanted to have lots upfront - my actual experience was less that what some go through, but I was glad to feel prepared, kind of like when I went through labor.

Also, in all my reading & my talk with my midwife, I didn't end up feeling like there was good physical reason to wait. I have felt from some info that perhaps after a d&c there may be more of an argument to wait a cycle to allow your endometrial lining to build up, but i am not an authority on that by any means, and the 3 month thing I do think is more of an emotional healing thing.

Wishing you the best as you go through this process.


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## leslieinnola

Hi there,

Wow, I am shocked to find your post. I am in exactly the same situation. I went in for my first check-up last week and they couldn't hear a heartbeat - so we followed up with an ultrasound and saw that the embryo had a heart rate of 75 and had only grown to 6 weeks gestational size. Today, we went back and learned that the heart had stopped and really, there is not much there. It just looks like an empty sac with just a tiny little bump in it, where the embryo used to be.

I would also like to avoid a D & C for many reasons and hope to go natural but am also scared that it's going to be very traumatic physically and emotionally. I'm also worried that this could go on for months. I still feel pregnant, I haven't bled or cramped, so I don't see my body kicking into gear anytime soon.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with an accupuncturist to "get things going" and if you'd like, I can tell you how that goes. If you'd like, we can correspond about our experiences so that we don't feel so alone in this. One of the replies to your post mentioned hospitalization due to dehydration, so I'm going to keep that in mind and stay well hydrated. Let me know if you want to chat about all this.

Best wishes to you -- and to our little ones that I have moved on....


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## leslieinnola

Forgot to mention -- I am also 11 weeks with an embryo that stopped at 6 weeks.


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## arb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamabutterfly*
> 
> I just mentioned this in another thread, but if you go through it at home, many of us have found the stories in this thread really helpful information. It is different for every woman, was part of what I took away. Not everyone would want all that information, but I wanted to have lots upfront - my actual experience was less that what some go through, but I was glad to feel prepared, kind of like when I went through labor.


Off topic, sorry: It's poignant for me to see that old thread you link to. It started about a month after my m/c. I don't think I even really knew about MDC back then. At the time I felt very alone and really wanted some good resources, whether books or online. That was, in fact, the beginning of my blog reading (for better or worse!)--in my searches for info, I stumbled into a couple of fertility blogs like Leery Polyp and A Little Pregnant. It would have been so helpful to have read those stories after my m/c diagnosis back then.

It is especially startling to see a few stories early in the thread that are so close to my own (doctor saying the embryo will be too small to see when that was definitely NOT the case, little guidance from doctors on how bad things can get, dehydration, hemorrhage, hospitalization). What I left out of my story was the terrible coldness of the OB and ultrasound tech at my OB practice. When the missed m/c was diagnosed at a routine prenatal visit I was *devastated.* It was my first pregnancy and I knew shockingly little about m/c, despite being a trained doula at the time. I got no kindness, not a scrap (I am not exaggerating) from either the OB or ultrasound tech. Pregnancy loss is definitely a weak spot for some OBs. I was eventually given over to another, much better, doc at that practice but I have never really forgiven those women, to be honest.


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## Xerxella

Thank you all for your responses. My dh and I had a vacation planned for months for last weekend and we were actually very relieved to go. (At least I got to drink!) So, nothing happened over the weekend. As others have said, I still am having some queasiness (actually the worst and longest lasting of all my pregnancies) and lots of tiredness. I'll be 12 weeks on Thursday. I think if I had found out much sooner, I would have gone with the D&C/E, but since I get the feeling things should happen soon, I plan on just letting them happen. (I have started evening primrose oil and Vitamin C and the B's.) I have a regularly scheduled midwife appt. for May 9th that I plan on keeping. That'll be just short of 14 weeks. I figure if nothing's happened by then, we'll start discussing options.

I had a feeling that the doc was glossing over things. He clearly thought I would be getting a D&C, so why talk about the tough stuff. He was actually very nice and said how common it is and that they see 2 a week. He said his wife had a blighted ovum, etc, etc. The U/S tech was clearly incredibly uncomfortable and left as quickly as possible, but I just didn't care because my dh was hugging me and the doc was answering all my questions.

Leslie - I'm certainly sorry to hear you here with me. Please let me know how the accupuncturist comes along. I hesitate because of the cost and because I would need to find someone to watch my 2 smalls, so that would mean I would have to tell them something. The only people that know are my dh and my best friend (and you all of course!) I hesitated for so long to tell anyone, I just knew something was wrong.

Anyways, I've been having slight back aches, so hopefully things will get moving soon. Thank you again for all your responses. Forewarned is forearmed as arb said. I'm glad I thought to ask. Well, I'm off to read the thread mamabutterfly linked to. Thank you very much for that. I'll keep you all posted.


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## leslieinnola

I'm so glad to hear that you guys got away for a nice weekend during this hard time. I know, being able to drink a glass of wine sure does help, doesn't it?

Well, after the doctor last saw me and said that there was no heartbeat (and really, not much of a fetus anymore) -- I have been going over all of the options again and again. I have read about waiting until natural miscarriage so much, and some of the stories in the thread posted above were very helpful but also very daunting. The stories of women having to go to the ER for blood loss and getting the d & c anyways made me reconsider waiting. So then I considered misoprostol, but didn't like the stories I read with that either. I finally called my midwife and talked things over with her...and had my d & c today. i was really nervous yesterday before the procedure, worried about the anesthesia and pain and complications -- as well as the emotional pain associated with it but finally made peace with the fact that because my little baby had already said goodbye and its little body had already disappeared, it was all okay. for me, it was a great decision.

i have felt very pregnant (constipated, groggy, hormonal, congested) up until today, and now after the surgery I feel 100% better. my little baby belly has gone, and emotionally that lifted a lot of sadness off of me. i'm bleeding a little and was a little groggy after the procedure, but all in all i feel very good and am so glad that i went this route. i know that it's a very personal decision and that what is right for one person may not be right for another, so I'm not advocating this choice for everyone. I just wanted to share my experience with you in case you are considering the d & c. for me, it was much scarier "in theory" than in practice. the staff at the hospital was incredibly sensitive and caring, and I just felt very supported and taken care of.

Best wishes to you and God bless.


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## Xerxella

Thanks leslie. I'm certainly considering the d&c. Mostly, I just want to get on with my life. I want to start trying again. I'm tired of feeling and looking pregnant when I'm not. I'm tired of people giving my round belly the eye, especially family, who seem to just be on the edge of their seat waiting for the announcement. I don't feel like there's been a baby there for a long time (I've felt this way for a couple months now).

Also, the miscarriage stories are scary. (Sometimes the truth is scary, but I'm glad I'd read them so I'll be prepared if we go that route.) And, my body has never birthed a baby. For various reasons, my 1st 2 were C sections. I was in long, hard labor for days with my daughter before I finally gave in and had a C section. I never really got past a 7. Would my body even be able to miscarry? My uterus does seem to like to hold onto things. (Of course, I'd rather have that problem than the opposite problem. Good uterus.)

But, at the same time, since my uterus has already been damaged twice before with the C sections, I'd be worried about further damage. Of course, it seems to have healed well, but a scar is a scar. And, I know, most d&c's go fine with no damage, but there can also be complications.

Oh, I don't know. I'm glad you found peace with your decisions and that everything is working out well. I hope you stick around and I see you again soon in the ttc forums.


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## hildare

leslie, i am glad you got some relief and that the surgery went well. hope you heal quickly.

xerxella, i've had one live dd, and that was a c birth as well. i don't think that it's so much your uterus that causes intense sensations for m/c (and i had a 'chemical' m/c last time, in which it was pretty painful and obvious it was a labor though not as far developed as i was when i had the d & e or as you are now) but the cervix which hasn't dialated fully. most of my cramping from the chem. m/c (and i know it's not the same as you guys who waited with the blighted ovum) seemed to come when there was material caught or trying to pass my cervix. that might be better in your situation if you've dialated previously a good bit (i never did, hence the c birth then). i hope you get some closure soon either way.


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## averlee

I'm glad I found this thread. I was supposed to be 10 weeks pregnant, had some spotting over the weekend, and last night my ob/gyn sent me to the hospital. They did an ultrasound and the baby only measured 6 weeks and no heartbeat. After the ultrasound I went to the bathroom and the red blood started. I think today is probably the worst day of my life and I'm really glad to find comfort here.


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## Xerxella

I'm so sorry for your loss Averlee. I hope you find here whatever comfort can be offered.


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## sagewinna

Averlee, I'm sorry. Both of my miscarriages have been missed ones, it's really hard. I hope you have someone to take care of you through this.


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## averlee

Xerxella, how's it gone? I know the thread is getting old but wanted to check in on you.

I've come across some suggestions to get a missed miscarriage happening. Some of them have helped me a lot this week- Wednesday was the day for me, everything finally came out.

The same things to naturally encourage labor to start can help. These include: walking, dancing, sex (semen on the cervix and also arousal/orgasm), vitamin C (up to 500 mg every hour), abdominal massage and abdominal exercise, nipple stimulation, visualization, heat therapy (on the tummy).

I also found that having a drink, taking some advil, and sitting on the toilet helped things progress.

My best wishes for closure and healing to you.


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## Xerxella

Thanks for asking... Basically, nothings happening. My HCG is dropping (I'm being monitored weekly by my doctor. 23,000ish last Monday and 16,000ish last Wednesday. I'll test again this Wednesday) I've been spotting clumpy brown/black for about week now, but nothing I even need a panty liner for. Did you spot before your miscarriage? If so, for how long? I've read some other women who spotted before their miscarriage, but it all seems to be for about a week and I'm still spotting and showing no signs of it picking up.

Oh well. I'm glad things have moved along for you, Averlee. I'm doing all those things you recommended, so hopefully things will move along for me soon. I guess I know that sooner or later they will. Just like no one stay pregnant forever, no one stays ....whatever I am.... forever.

I'll update when I know more.


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## happyhippie

I spotted for a few weeks before my miscarriage. Then for a few weeks after as well. Although I am happy I didn't have the D&C it would have been nice to get it over with since I waited for 3 weeks after we found no heartbeat. Then the bleeding continued and it was just hard.

Good luck mama. Lots of rest, water, & care ok?


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## averlee

From the info they gave me at the hospital and everything I've been reading, I think it often takes about 2 weeks from the finding out (at 10-12 weeks) to begin the medical event of the miscarriage (at 12-14 weeks). It often starts with brown spotting, which can last about 2 weeks. From the first speck of brown spotting until the red blood started was about 10 days or 2 weeks for me. The miscarriage itself may happen in an event- passing the entire sac (grape to apricot size) or noticable gray tissues, membranes, and placenta. I personally recognized all the bits that passed, although it is also common to just have regular period-like red with darker clots over the course of a week or 2. I think you are still well within a normal timeframe for everything to be happening.

Did they offer you the vaginal suppository? I considered that as a good second choice if I couldn't handle the passive management. You can pick it up at the pharmacy and use it at home, which seemed more ok to me/for me than the d&c option, which was my 3rd choice.

My doctor said, after a natural miscarriage, the best way to be sure that everything has passed with nothing retained is to wait for my next (first?) menstrual cycle, so I can self-monitor for signs of hemorage or placenta-like clots. If everything seems ok after that first period it is medically ok to try again. But, sometimes your period might not come back right away, the doctor said it might take up to 3 months for my first period to come. She also recommended, personally and emotionally, that it might be ok to wait out the due date before trying again, or maybe about a year, if I do not feel I am racing the clock or having fertility problems.


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## Xerxella

Thank you all. I finally miscarried yesterday. I started bleeding heavy Wednesday night and by Thursday night had passed the grey mass along with all the red "clots." So, it was exactly 14 weeks. Since it was a blighted ovum, the guess is that the baby never really started developing. (So, if I had had an ultrasound at 6 or 8 weeks or whenever it would've shown no development. So, the 2 week idea wouldn't have been accurate for me.)

Personally and emotionally, everyone should wait whatever amount of time they think (if ever) to start trying to conceive again. That's a personal decision. However, statistically, it's best to conceive within 6 months of the miscarriage. You are most likely to have the best results within that time frame.

http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c3967.full


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## KristaDJ

(((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))) I'm glad that part is over mama <3


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