question on bleeding following a D&C

[bernie40]

I had my D&C yesterday and this morning the bleeding has already stopped.  I was 12 weeks pregnant but the baby stopped at 7wks 3 days.  The bleeding yesterday was only light and then it petered out to nothing this morning.  I've got very slight cramps and back-ache.  Is this normal?  I would have thought I'd bleed heavily for a few days and continue to bleed for at least a week or more so I'm a bit surprised (though not complaining!).  Emotionally I'm obviously all over the place, the meds I'm on are dulling things somewhat but I know it's going to hit me like a sledge hammer at some point.

Also (sorry for all the questions) I read that the bleeding after a D&C is classed as a period and that should I get pregnant again quickly they would class yesterdays bleed as the first day of a period.  This has confused me a bit and I wonder if because my bleeding was only slight and gone so quickly whether in fact this wouldn't be classed as a period.

Again sorry for all the questions, just trying to keep my mind occupied :-/

[babiesRus2]

Hey, I also had a missed m/c at 15w, baby had died at 8w. Well after the D&C I had heavy bleeding for about 3 hours. My procudure was done on a Friday(1-15-10) and by Sunday, I had completetly stopped spotting but then on thurs night, I begun heavy bleeding on and off. Also, I was told the bleeding following a D&C is NOT a period at all. Before getting a period, hcg must zero out in order for your normal hormones to regulate and acheive a cycle.
I was told to wait 3 cycles before trying again. I would also suggest you wait at least 1 full cycle to allow your body to recover and be able to sustain a pregnany. Good Luck to you.

[cocacolapanda]

Well we used protection, but it took me talking to two dr's then a midwife to finally figure out why they say to wait.  I went looking for a new dr/midwife and that was one of the things I asked, everyone gave a different amount of time, but only one could actually tell me why to wait.

I've found hanging out on here and in another group on medhelp (Baby Dust Buddies - TTC and Pregnancy after a Loss) has helped me pass the time, and in that group it's more focused on TTC rather than greaving (which is what I need).

[bernie40]

Hi Coca, thanks so much for replying.  I'm so sorry you've gone through this to :(  I must admit I hadn't thought about the fact that by having a scrape there is more of my lining gone than if it had been a natural miscarriage.  I'm glad you brought this to my attention and we'll be sure to use contraception until I've had a proper cycle.  I need time to be sure my body is as in optimum shape as it can be.  It's so tempting to get back on the horse straight away but I want to take every precaution I can to be sure that things are as good as they can be for the next baby and try and reduce the risks of this happening again.

I had some pain relief this morning but to be honest it was more to zonk me out than for pain relief.  I've had a good 4 hours sleep today which I needed as I didn't sleep well at all last night.

I shall keep my fingers crossed for you that you get that BFP as soon as possible :) xx

[cocacolapanda]

I'm so sorry for your loss!  Everyone's body deals with it differently, mine sounds similar to yours.  at 11 1/2 weeks I had a D&C, the baby was only 6 1/2 weeks.  I didn't bleed more than a few drops before the D&C.  After the D&C I bleed medium for 3 hours, then after 12-24 hours it had stopped completely.  after about 10 days of no bleeding I bleed for 5 days as if it was a normal cycle (the dr couldn't say if it was or not, just said it was possible, but that if it was I didn't ovulate).  Then from the first day of that bleeding was a 100% normal cycle for me.  Ovulated exactly when I figured I would, and bleed after that exactly when I figured I would.

The dr gave me meds, but I only took one the night I got home, didn't feel that I needed to take them because I didn't have any cramping.  I did, however, have HORRIBLE back pain, even before I knew I was miscarrying, talking to my sister in law who just graduated from Chiropractic school said that sever back pain is common when there is something wrong with the uterus.

Also, wait a FULL cycle before trying again, when you have a D&C you NEED a normal period to flush out and replace the lining in your uterus.  I had the D&C on Nov 30th, then on Dec 30th I had just ended my first normal/real cycle, and have since started to try (I expect AF tomorrow if I'm not pregnant, ovulated late this cycle I think due to stress).  PLEASE, wait to try until you've gone through the full cycle, your body needs to rest.  The chances of another miscarriage is huge if you don't wait (from several dr's I've talked to, you need a plush lining of the uterus for the baby to attach to, from the D&C since they scrape it all out it's not natural and the baby would have a very hard time attaching).

I know the emotions are all over at that point, and it's hard, but time will help.  Focus on you recovering physically and emotionally and before you know it you'll be TTC again.  I wanted so bad to TTC before the first cycle, but in the end I'm so glad I waited, and my husband feels much better because he know's it's not the hormones talking when I say I want to be pregnant again ASAP, lol.  Overall I'm so sad about what happened, but most of me is glad it did because it just wasn't meant to be.  

For what you read about when to TTC afterwards, if you had a natural miscarriage there is no medical reasion to wait, but by having the D&C, the dr's take a lot more out of you than if you had it naturally.

To keep your mind occupied, try to find some other stuff to read up on, I found that to be very helpful!