# D&C or cytotec??? please help



## hugs3409

I just went to the docs yesterday and found out the my baby stopped growing at about 8 wks. I was given the choice of wait it out, d&c or medication (cytotec?) I chose the medication. Now I am wondering if I made the right decision. I am not going to use the pills until Monday anyway, so I am hoping to get some insight as to whether or not I made the right decision. I thought this would be best for me, however not sure anymore, I am reading alot that it is very painful etc... but I don't want to increase my chance of m/c later if I go with d&c. And how long do you have to wait to TTC again after d&c and cytotec?

I am looking for people who have either done both or one or the other and I would like to hear your story about it if that is ok. 

Thanks all :hugs:


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## Elhaym

Hiya, and firstly, sorry for your loss. :hugs:

I had the ERPC (basically the same as a D&C) but I apparently miscarried most of everything naturally only a few hours before the ERPC. My baby also stopped growing at 8 weeks.

I decided to go for the ERPC as I wanted it to be over and like you I was scared of it happening naturally and being very painful and traumatic. But I started bleeding more and cramping a couple of days before the ERPC, started passing clots and having moderate cramps (not terrible, I've had worse period cramps). Early hours of the morning before I was going to hospital I think I passed most of it, cramps werea bit stronger, I felt 3 large clots pass and then pain eased a little. I thought 'that can't be it' as I expected a natural mc to feel much more painful but it really wasn't too bad. After my ERPC they said most of it had already gone so I must have passed most of it.

The ERPC itself was fine, you are only knocked out for about 30 minutes and afterwards I just had mild cramping for the day and light bleeding. I bled on and off for over a week and am still spotting slightly now.

The problem is that natural/medically managed mcs vary so much. I expected mine to be horrible at 8 weeks after reading stories online however it wasn't so bad. Some seem to be much more unpleasant with women saying they had pints of blood pouring out and having to actually 'push' clots and the sac out (I apologise, not trying to scare you but it could happen). But then some women just have heavy bleeding and some pain.

I don't know if all that rambling helped you but hopefully it did a bit :D Good luck xx


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## Elhaym

As for TTC again, the doctor who did my ERPC said they advise to wait a month but there's no reason to wait any longer, this was confirmed by my GP.

We are NTNP this month, my feeling is if my body isn't ready I won't get pregnant. I'm not trying but I am not going to prevent either.


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## hugs3409

I see. Thanks for that. no not scaring me. I need to know, this is the first time this has happened to me and I am not sure whats going to happen. If it happens naturally, thats fine, I just read someone else who found out at 16 wks that they lost the baby at 8 wks, so her body didn't naturally dispose of it, ya know. I can't sit around and wait up to 6wks or more for this to happen, ya know. I just keep reading that the medicine is what makes it pretty painful. I have not read yet about anyone doing the medicine and having a mild m/c, that is what is scaring me, I am not a pain type of person lol. I don't even normally get period cramps and when I do, I am miserable lol. yet I am afraid of the operation thing at the same time. ugh what to do :(

anyway, thanks for the info, I will keep that in mind. I even keep saying and kinda praying now that I start the m/c before I take the pills on Monday. thanks again and sorry for your loss as well :hugs:


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## Elhaym

Yeah the waiting is terrible, either way you want it to be over so you can grieve and move on, it's understandable. :hugs: My scan I was meant to be 11+5 and I was only 8 so baby had died over 3 weeks previous and I didn't have any bleeding till the day before my scan, so like you I didn't want to be waiting weeks for something to start happening.

Good luck and I hope you get this horrible part over soon and you can heal. Lots of love xx


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## Mrs_X

ive had two lossess, one at 11 weeks 1 day and another at 5 weeks 3 days. 
the 11 week one i had a tablet then some 'up there' when i went to the hospital. for me, it was horrible and truamatic. i went into a mini labour and i had to 'push' out clots. morphine didnt help, and the pain was undescribable.
due to this, when i had my blightum ovum i opted straight away for ERPC. there was no way i was going to do that again and i couldnt stand waiting for a natural mc. the ERPC was easy, had very light bleed and no pain afterwards.
everyone experiences mc differently, what happened to me may not happen to you. but if i had to choose again, i would go for ERPC.
sarah xxx


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## Mrs.Soto10

I had a loss at 10 weeks back in feb. and opted for the Cycotec. My honest opinion I really didnt have pain and didn't need any pain killers and no side effects. I didnt even think i had passed anything but a week later at my check up turns out everything did pass. Well, I got pregnant again in March and that happened to be a chemical pregnancy. Got pregnant again in April and miscarried again at 7 weeks and opted yet again for the cycotec and the pain for that was unbearable! The cramping was really bad, not even pain killers helped. The pain automatically went away after i fealt the baby/sac pass and had a huge sigh of relief, I did vomit a couple of times and honestly I dont think I'd like to go thru that again. 
This is just what I went thru - as you can tell both times I took cycotec I had different reactions to it. It just goes to show that not everyone is going to have the same effect.


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## FreeSpirit

I actually just took cytotec Saturday night for a blighted ovum. I bled from 3 a.m. Sunday til approx 3:30 p.m.. Since I have had very very light bleeding at the moment and I have an appointment for later this afternoon to see where things are at. I took a few pain pills that were prescribed and I could certainly manage. So far, for that brief time it was heavy... I did pass alot of clots,etc. I can't say for sure ... because I am not sure it is over. But so far, I am happy that I can do this at home and be with my husband. I'm not much for being in hospitals. So staying home for this part has been a bit less stressful. 

I'm so sorry for your loss, and I hope you have a speedy recovery.


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## Nat0619

Hugs3409, so sorry for your loss :hugs:

I have no experience of ERPC as I chose the medical management route for my mmc in April. I got to my 12 week dating scan with no signs of problems, to discover :baby: had stopped developing around 6 weeks :cry: I gave my body a week to start things naturally but there was no sign so I had an oral tablet and then went into hospital a day later for internal pessaries.

I personally chose to try the tablets option as I was wary of possible complications affecting future pregnancies with surgery.

Luckily for me the tablets/pessaries option worked well for me. I too had heard horror stories and was very, very scared before it. But my body had held onto a dead embryo for around 7 weeks already and it had to come out somehow. I only bled like a period (and I have light, easy periods). I did have some strongish period-like pains for the first few hours and did take one lot of painkillers but they then eased off a lot. I ended up having to take 3 further doses of the medication before I passed the gestational sac intact that night. I therefore did end up staying in hospital overnight but this was because they weren't sure I'd passed all of the placenta, not because I was bleeding heavy or in a lot of pain. I wasn't at all and just wanted to go home! I was allowed home the next morning, bled like a period for a few more days and then just spotted for about another week. A follow-up scan 12 days after the treatment showed all had gone.

So for me the experience wasn't half as bad physically as I thought.

Good luck hun x


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## hugs3409

Wow you had pills to take orally? These are not oral lol, I have to insert them as far up as I can. Through research and reading others story, I thought I would wait a few days and see what happens, though I am still unsure, each day is different. Yesterday I wanted to wait this week out and see what happens. Today I woke up with the feeling of using the medication and just getting it over with. It really is a tough decision. I will pray that I will be like others and not have that bad of cramping lol. Thanks for the insights, it really does help, not only to hear others going through the same thing and know I am not alone. But it also helps decision making either. I think I have totally though against the d&c. At least for now :)


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## KateC

I went through this same process. I kept those pills in my cupboard for a couple days, chickened out, and went with the D&C, so I can't tell you what the pills are like!

I've also miscarried naturally, though, and that was really not as bad as I thought it was going to be (pain-wise). I had a little contracting and heavy cramping, but it was nowhere near what I used to get as a teen (really bad cramps that made me throw up) nor was it as bad as labor (again with the vomiting). Maybe the cytotec would be like the natural miscarriage -- uncomfortable, but not unbearable. 

Whatever you choose, good luck

Strength and love.


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## hugs3409

I have decided to get a second opinion. Since I have read tons of stories about my situation coming out good. I have read that most of the time you get the scan done, then you get another a week or 2 later and bloods. Well my doc did a quick scan and told me the results and never said anything about checking again. I called my old doctor, he could not believe this and I have an appt for next week which will be 2 wks after 1st scan and will do another and get bloodwork done. I am not getting my hopes up, but I am keeping a positive head right now. wish me luck I will need it :) thanks again for all the stories


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