just found out missed m/c and have a few questions...please help.

[cutiemama]

Hi everyone. I posted a couple of times over the past month as my pg has been shaky from the start. This is my 2nd pg and 1st m/c (#1 resulted in my 2 year old dd). Despite the fact that my docs kept assuring me that all was fine, my instincts told me right from the day I found out I was pg that it was doomed. I have never spotted a day in my life but I've been spotting ever since I got my bfp.  I would have been 10 weeks today and last sunday we saw a live gestation (h/b and all) and yesterday there was no h/b on two different u/s at two different u/s clinics. So sometime btwn oct 23 and yesterday I miscarried. I had a subchorionic bleed which I told was totally normal and does not realy affect the pg. Is that true? Also, my hcg continued to double until the last couple weeks when it was only rising about 20,000 each week.  My docs said hcg levels don't need to double when you're nearing 10 weeks as long as they're going up. They were 109,000 as of monday. Why did they keep rising if the pregnancy was failing? Shouldn't they have been falling as my first clue this pg was doomed? Lastly, since this is a missed m/c, I have decided to wait until tuesday to have the d&c and hoping to pass it naturally until then. My doc says that this late into 1st trimester my body won't likely expel everything and I'll end up with a d&c anyways. True or false? Lastly, what should I expect from the d&c? Will I bleed a lot afterward? Have pain? Will I be really groggy from the anesthesia?

[IWantToBeAMom]

If you are absolutely certain that there is no heartbeat then I think the rising hcg numbers can be described something like a train already in motion...once the power to the train is removed it doesn't suddenly stop, it takes a while to stop the momentum.

I don't know about the d&c procedure.  I'm sorry you are going through this.

[royal76]

Fisrtly - I'm so sorry to hear that your going through all of this.  It was personally the worst time in my life so many questions unanswered, guilt even though I know I could not have prevented it from happening....these are of course normal feelings, and it's sad that a lot of women know what your going through.  I can only answer the question about the D&C - I'm not sure about why the HCG levels keep rising??  I had 2 D&C's b/c they missed some of the product of conception from the first one.  My first D&C was ok, anaesthetic was fine, that really depends on the person though, you also aren't out for very long so the doesage isn't that high.  I had very painful cramping that night but that was really it.  I bleed heavily that night and spotted for only 3 days afterward.  However, the 2nd D&C was different.  Firstly I was much more aware of what was going on....the first one was the same day I found out I'd miscarried so I was obviously completely out of it.  Coming home I had the same cramping all night - much more bleeding with the second one though.  Like almost 3 weeks.  More of the brown than red though.  To be honest - that's just my experience.  I'm not sure what Dr.'s would consider "normal".  I was also told at 13w5d that if I was going to miscarry naturally it would have happened at that point.  If you just had an u/s with the heartbeat seen you may still miscarry naturally....we apparently lost the baby up to 3 weeks prior to finding out.  Your choice to wait until Tuesday is probably a good one, if you body will miscarry naturally, I'm sure it will happen by then.  Again, I am so sorry that you have to go through this.  I hope this helped and I'll be thinking of you.

[Still Trying]

Hi there.  I've been through d/c once, it really is a quick procedure, but I didn't react well to the drugs, was very sick for a day.  The bleeding was not bad at all.  I've heard that at the very end of a pregnancy that the hcg can rise due to the placenta tearing away from the wall.  I've also had a subcut. bleed with my daughter and all was well.  Sorry that you're going through this.

[cutiemama]

Thanks to all of you who have answered my post. The info and support are invaluable during a tough time like this.  Even though I felt that this pg wasn't going well, when I saw the heartbeat last week I thought maybe the docs were right and I was just being paranoid and when we didn't see the h/b yesterday it made it harder. Also, I felt so close to getting over that 1st trimester hump and was so looking forward to announcing this pg- plus I even started showing a bit! However, I am so incredibly blessed with a supportive dh and my precious dd and that is what makes this loss so much easier. Thanks again for the kind words and advice.  This forum is a wonderful tool and I'm so glad that I found it and all these nice people.

[pmom]

i am sorry you are going through this and i agree with the first post as far as the hcg numbers. i had a d&c done and i was blleding so badly during the procedure i had to have a blood transfusion and i was extremely weak for about 3 day. i did experience tremendous pain afterwards but all together i only bled for a week or so and the physical pain was gone in a couple of days. sorry to be so full of bad news but that is only me experience. i wish you all the best and i want to say again how sorry i am.
tiffany

[chysmom]

I am so sorry your going through this.  The HCG levels a friend of mine m/c and was like you her levels went up than down and she was told that it was because even through the baby wasnt growing or alive anymore since the baby was still inside her it would keep going up.  Once you pass or have the D&C your levels will start going down.  And I know what you mean by doomed at the start.  I was 6 wks along and m/c but before that I never once got a HPT to say BFP at all and I was having sharp pains in my right side so bad they thought it may have been a tubular pregnancy.  I am so sorry that your going through this its a tough time.  Make sure you love on you dd a lot that is what helped me.

[mslkpage]

My hcg continued to rise when I had my blighted ovum, and that was Dx'd at 12 weeks. It just takes awhile before your body fully recognizes that something is wrong. I'm sorry that you're dealing with this- I know it's very hard. My dr. recommended the D&C because I was so far along- I think there is a higher risk of hemorrhaging the further along you are. I had no problems or complications with my D&C (actually, I've had two...the other one was after an ectopic was suspected), and not alot of bleeding- a little heavier that AF, but that's it. The physical part of the procedure isn't bad, but the emotional healing will take longer. Again- I'm sorry for your loss. I have found that talking about it on here helped me get through.

[swtmeg07]

Hey! I just wanted to mention this. I have a friend who was in the SAME position as you. Her levels were going up yet no heart beat. They wanted to give her a D&C right away becuase she was at the end of her first trimester. She didn't believe the baby was dead. She went back three times to hear the heartbeat on three different days. The dr on the third time said to her that he was only to look for the heart beat if she promised after the third time she would accept her loss. That third time she went in, they heard a heart beat. Now she has an 11 year old daughter that would have resulted in a D&C. Not for nothing, but trust your motherly instincts. If something tells you that your baby is still alive, don't ignore that, because Dr's have been wrong before! One of the ultrasounds was even an internal one and showed no heart beat! My heart goes out to you and your family, I too know what it feels like to lose a baby. I was only 3-4 weeks along, but its all emotionally hard to handle.
Love!!!
Megan

[snoopytroll]

Sorry to hear about the missed m/c. It's a difficult thing to deal with - I've had two of them.  

I wanted to comment on letting it pass naturally. I opted for that the first time, and bled for more than 45 days. That was before I'd ever had a succesful pregnancy, and the doctor said it was normal because the cervix wouldn't dilate very much.

The second one was much worse. I opted to go natural due to the high cost of the d &c (i had a 1000 copay).  It was a bad choice for me. When I started bleeding, it was out of control. I passed out from blood loss. Fortunately, my family was there to get me to the ER. I was hospitalized for 2 days with irregular heart beat, low blood volume, frequent vomiting, and frequent LOC.  If it ever happened again, I'd definitely get the D&C - at least that's a controlled environment, and its over quickly.

[cutiemama]

Thanks again for all the kind words and advice. It is so incredibly sad that so many of you have gone through the same thing and my heart goes out to all of you who have had to deal with one or several m/c.

I am going to have the d&c on tuesday as planned whether or not I begin to bleed over the weekend as my doctor insists that I will need it regardless and I am just delaying the inevitable because he doesn't feel I will pass all of it this far along.  I think that psychologically, I'd like to just start my cycle again as soon as possible so we can begin ttc again.

As for the h/b, we sid see it oct 23 but have had two u/s since and both u/s were void of the h/b and the fetus measured only 1 day bigger than on october 23. I can request another u/s before the d&c if they will give it to me, but somehow I believe the findings as they were done in two different clinics with two different radiologists.

Take care. To all those that are PG I wish you a healthy 9 months and best of luck to all of those TTC!

[DANIELLEVP02]

Frist off IM sorry.
I just m/c due no heart beat and I opt for D&C cause i didnt want to deal with passing my dead baby no matter how far i was.
heres my story:
I was 3 months
Aug 10th 2st D&C they said it went okay.
they said to return for check up in 6 wks.
On Sept 8th I went into emergency due to have CONTRACTIONS I know what they were because I had a son now 5yrs.
In emergency they said it could be a bad period. They took a preg test I WAS STILL PREG! Then they did an ultrasound! THE BABY WAS STILL IN ME!!! So they did a 2nd D&C!
And i think it is malpractice and the 2nd D&C doc says the frist doc didnt do anything wrong.
Did they tell you the risks?? they told me that they can puncture your uterus and damage other parts inside you therefore not be able to have a baby again. I took that risk the 1st time now because of the Doc missup I risked it again. And i wont know till we try and we've been and still preg test are neg. and ive already had a normal period.
The only good thing about a D&C is when you deliver you may bleed too much and docs will be able to help. Its all up to you but i wouldnt do it again.
Im sorry hope it all goes well god bless

[lilfiery]

I had a wonderful doctor for my D & C.  They didn't use a general anesthetic, but the sedation knocked me out completely for the procedure, with no bad after effects like you would get with a general.

The risks are very low.  0.3%  chance or something of puncturing through the uterus.  Scarring risks aren't that high either.  

It is now 3 days after my D & C, and I am cramping and bleeding like a regular period.  I am glad I didn't opt to do this naturally. It would have been an awful waiting game, and I hear much more traumatic on your body to go through.

Just my 2 cents

[cat4628]

I'm so sorry for your loss.  I, too, went through the same thing as you in September.  I also had a feeling, from the day I found out I was pregnant, that this pregnancy (my 2nd one) was doomed.  It was different from my first pregnancy and I never spotted in my life and rarely have cramps.  At my first 8 wk checkup, there was a heart beat, but it was smaller than expected.  I was then advised to come back in 2 weeks, and no heart beat.  The size showed that it only lived 2 days after my previous appt.  

I think a D&C is a good route, if you want to get over with the horrible ordeal.  I had only light bleeding & spotting until my D&C and regular period bleeding for a week after that.  I think without the D&C, I would have bled for several weeks.

Sending a prayer for lots of baby dust your way!

[amylynn10]

I lost my baby at 10 weeks as well. At 6.5 weeks we saw strong heart beat but I had spotting. I had never had spotting before in my life. It lasted 2 weeks. Doctors told me I had a 97% chance that everything would be fine. But, I didn't feel good about it. I had a bad feeling the whole time. I have wanted to be pregnant my whole life and when I got pregnant I kept thinking this is too good to be true. I told my doctors that I had a bad feeling, they said I was just nervous. Well, I was right. At 10 weeks I m/c. The baby had stopped developing at week 9. I, too, made them give me 2 u/s to be sure. I had the D&E which is a little different than D&C. With D&C they dilate and CUT, with D&E they dilate and EVACUATE, they like vacuum everything out. I bled for about a week, physically I felt fine, emotionally was a different story. I think I ov'd 2 weeks to the day after the D&E which would be good, I will know for sure when/if AF comes next week. So I am with all of you ladies. It is sad, hard and scary and not fair that so many women who don't want to get pregnant and aren't rady to have children get pregnant and some women who are ready and want it more than anything in life have problems like this. I don't know that I will ever understand it.

baby dust to all!

Amy Lynn