Re: Miscarriage

Posted By hfhs.md.rcs on May 26, 1998 at 07:55:32:

In Reply to: Miscarriage posted by Mary Presser on May 24, 1998 at 12:55:45:






Sirs
At 10wks I was diagnosed via u/s with fetal death.  The fetal death occured at9.4wks.  This was my first pregnancy and I was give the option of natural m/c or d&c.
Because of my age (40), I decided to miscarry naturally.  From the time of diagnosis until the m/c began, was exactly 3wks.  Once the bleeding began, it was
accompanied by extremely strong cramps and this is where I have a problem.  I miscarried this past Monday after 10 days of heavy bleeding and pain which lasted
8-12 hours a day.  On day 7 of my m/c I was rushed to the E.R as the bleeding was so heavy, the attending o.b. physician, after examining me and extracting clots
with the aid of forceps, told me to go home - the m/c/ was imminent.  Well, it didnt happen for a further 3 days and when it did, I was not prepared for the size
of the fetus or the mess and since then, I have been totally angry with what I feel was a lack of information and compassion from the medical profession as
represented in my o.b.  In fact, I went for a check up the day it happened and she told me she had never known anybody to go through a m.c. for 10 days and I was
just unfortunate.  I guess I would really like to know what is and is not normal and if in your opinion, things could have been handled differently.
Thank you for listening.
MP
Dear Mary:
The length of time between the diagnosis of a "non-viable pregnancy" and spontaneous emptying of the womb is variable. Some women will never pass the tissue: it is just gradually removed by the scavanger system of the body.
When miscarriage occurs, the amount of bleeding and the duration of bleeding also have a wide variation.
The general rules that I recommend to women are: if the uterus does not empty in 2 weeks, re-think the decision to do this "naturally". If the bleeding continues more than 5 days, a D&C may become necessary. If the bleeding or pain are excessive for the individual patient, a D&C may be necessary.
Keywords: Miscarriage
This material is provided for general information pruposes only and should not be cosnidered a formal medical evaluation. If you have specific questions, please contact your primary physician.