Cytotec Vs. D&C- Please Help.

[Lilyb]

What do you all think? If it happens that i dont miscarry naturally, do you think it is safer to choose Cytotec(it is a pill) over D&C considering that I have had D&C before?
Is it safe to take the pill while I am all by myself at home?  fo rthose of you who has used cytotec, how much bleeding is involved?
Thanks

[pixijal]

I used Cyotec, and it was a horrible experience.  The bleeding lasted almost 9 weeks, and I had to do two rounds of it.  I wanted to avoid the surgery at all costs.  I would never use Cyotec again, and I have seen several women say the same on this site.  With the surgery, it will be done and over with....guaranteed.  Do the surgery.  

If you do choose the Cyotec, it would be fine to be home alone.  You must understand how much bleeding is okay prior to use, and if you were to need medical intervention, you could call 911.  

I was home alone.  I had my two young children sent to grandma's house.  My husband was at work.  I took pain pills and laid in bed all day....but, that was just the beginning of the long, and drawn out process.  Sorry to hear of your loss, and good luck with whatever your decision is.

[metalstar83]

Do the surgery, a lot of people who use Cytotec don't have a complete m/c and need a D&C anyway.

[2ndBaby]

I used cytotec.  My dr wanted me to do that first because she said there is always a risk of scarring with D&C.  

I experienced a good deal of painful back 'labor,' a couple days of heavy bleeding, but not much heavier than a normal period for me.  I was alone at home when I inserted the pills and was OK.  I could've used the emotional support more than anything.

My m/c was complete; I did not need D&C after cytotec.

I would never wish this decision upon anyone, but if I had to make it again I would do it the same I think.

[mlb1234]

I have had both a D&C and used cytotec.  I preferred the cytotec because I could take it in the privacy of my own home when I was ready.  My D&C went fine and I had no problems from it but it was such a big deal since it had to be in the hospital and they treat it like a surgery since it is invasive.  I cramped and spotted for a day or so and that was it.  Basically it felt like I had a pelvic exam.  

For my 2nd m/c I chose to use cytotec and it was also fine for me. (I also did not like the thought of having too many D&C's)  I took one dose in the morning - I tried to slightly wet the pills before inserting them and I inserted them as far as I could.  Then I laid down for 1.5h to make sure they dissolved.  After a total of like 4 hours I started having some nausea and diarrhea.  Then I had some cramps and started bleeding lightly.  This lasted for about 1 hour until I took some ibuprofen.  I pretty much rested all day and then that evening I passed the big clot (it didn't hurt or anything since the ibuprofen made the cramps very light).  The next day I think I passed another smaller clot and had some very light spotting for a few days.  I really didn't have any cramping the 2nd day.  My OB checked my lining after and said everything was out - I never needed to do anything else although my OB did say that some women require two doses.  
If it happened to me again I would choose the cytotec again although both methods worked fine and I had no problems with either.  It was much more comforting being in my own home, lying in my own bed with my dh around if I needed anything.  Everyone is different though and has different experiences.  So sorry you have to go through this.

[Crritter]

I'm so sorry for you.  I took the Cytotec for a blighted ovum at 11 weeks.  I wanted to try again soon and my Dr. suggested trying the pill instead and to hold off on the D&C if possible so I could try again soon.  I agreed, but I had a blighted ovum, so I only passed an empty sac.  I took the pills at 10 pm and around 4 hours later I began to cramp heavily.  Not as bad as labor, but it got pretty heavy and intense.  I barely made it to the bathroom and passed several clots and was bleeding pretty heavy.  Then I had a couple really big clots, about the size of the palm of my hand and then the sac.  Felt pretty weird, but it was mostly done in about 15 minutes.  I cramped a lot for the next few days and even passed a couple more clots and some tissue- it was gray.  Once I passed that though the cramping really slowed down.  I bled for about 10 days pretty heavy most of the time and then got my period not long after and it was really heavy and crampy, but I'm like that off the pill.  I was fine with my decidion, but it was nice to have my husband there to hug after it was all done.  Good luck with whatever you decide, take care.

[houseofgirls]

I chose the d&c.  Emotionally, I could not handle the idea of seeing anything and I wanted it to be over as quickly as possible.  

[nonickname22]

After finding out at 11 weeks that I had a blighted ovum, I too decided to try the Cytotec.  It was a very difficult decision to make, especially after reading all of the horror stories about this drug on the internet.  For me however, I had a good experience with this drug.  After about 2 hours of inserting the tablets I began to have light menstral type cramps.  I did experience 2 episodes of diarhea (diarrhea), but no nausea or vomitting.  This happened about 2-3 hours after inserting the tablets.  Within the next hour the cramps did become harder, but no more than the worst period cramps I have ever had.  Then about 5 hours after inserting the tablets the pain became pretty intense.  In comparison to labor pains, they were a lot lighter.  Maybe I could compare them to the labor pains I experienced about 3 hours into my labor.  This intense pain, however only lasted about 20-30 minutes, then lightened back up to period cramp type pain.  The pain was constant, unlike labor pains that let up after about 30 seconds, however definatley bearable.  This is the time the bleeding started for me.  A lot of clotting, but never enough to soak a pad.  Throughout the next 6 hours I continued to have period like cramps.  I was able to sleep throughout the night and woke up with minimal to no cramps.  Still bleeding, but a lot less intense.  My method of pain control was Tylenol extra strength.  Two pills every four hours starting 45 minutes before I took the Cytotec.  I did have a lot of low back pain, but a heating pad helped me tremendously.  I haven't gone back to see my doctor to see if my miscarriage was complete, but if it was I am definatley happy with my decision to try Cytotec first.  I would not have done anything different.

I hope this story helps ease some people's minds about trying Cytotec.  I know before making this decision I read a lot of people's blogs about their experiences, and they scared me to death.  I know everyone will have a different experience with this drug depending on their body and how far along they are when having to go through this, but for me it was a good decision.

[t_green]

i inserted 4 cytotec tablets because i opted out f a d& c because i didn't want to go through the surgical procedure but now after reading about cytotec i am wondering if that wa sthe right choice. i lost my baby at around 12 weeks but i am now technically around 15 weeks. I read that it shoudln't be taken after 8 weeks. i had alot of bleeding and some clots. how many tablets were you given to take?

[nonickname22]

I just wanted to post a follow-up to my last post back in February.  My experience with Cytotec did end successfully. I passed the "tissue" about 2 days after inserting the pills.  This was confirmed my taking in my "products of conception" to be analyzed.  Thankfully I am now pregnant again (almost 9 weeks) and am praying this pregnancy is successful.  I did choose to wait a few months before trying to conceive again, but after about 5 months of trying I was able to successfully conceive.  I hope these posts help anyone who is in the position I was in earlier this year.  It's a difficult decision to make, and I hope hearing someone else's experience can help make the decision a little easier.