did I lose enough blood to be done?

[em&namama]

I was diagnosed with a missed m/c. Baby measured 6w3d. I waited 4 weeks and was going to take the cytotec and the day before I had painless cramps, if that makes sense. Had a little increased bleeding and what I assume was the baby just dropped out. It was about the size of an egg and had a membrane with white stuff. One end was open...thinking that is where is was attached. After filled about half a pad and since then only spotting.

It's now been 4 days with no increased bleeding and no cramps. Am I done? The doctor wants me to have a D&C to be sure there is no tissue. I waited to avoid the D&C so why the heck would I want one now if everything has passed. How do I know if this is it? Should I have bled more? I did pass some tissue and clots for a few weeks prior to the actual passing of that egg sized mass but it was here and there.

They will check my levels in a few weeks but seriously I don't want to go in there in 2 weeks and find out I'm still not done. I'll be that much further from trying again. Does it sound like I'm done? Has anyone else had a similar experience and been done? Is this ever going to end? Thanks!!

[aileen]

i'm so sorry for your loss and your waiting...
i don't know if you are done and your experience is different form mine but i just wanted to say, you could have an ultrasound to be sure you are done. i did this, mostly to assuage any pressure from my family - they'd been so good about supporting my decision to stay home and avoid a d&c. although, i will say the u/s itself was a very difficult emotionally and when i later found out i could have just had weekly blood tests to make sure i was done i was super sad. (i was actually encouraged by one midwife to have a d&c after the u/s. later that day i passed about two teaspoons of brown clots. when another midwife checked me later and saw my bloodwork she said it was totally unnecessary. that was the last i even spotted.)
i hope you are done.
it's so hard.
:heartbeat

[BethanyB]

em- I finally went to my doc yesterday to make sure my m/c was all over. I thought she would do an u/s, but she just asked me if my bleeding/spotting had totally stopped (which it has), and said "I can do an u/s if you want, or we can just test your urine" so of course I opted for the pee test. I am pretty sure all they did was a pg test, and when that came back neg, she said I was all done. I don't see why you need a d&c, unless you are 1) in pain, 2) still spotting or bleeding or 3) running a fever. It seems totally unescessary to me! So maybe you could get a hpt and see if there are any hormones still remaining. That would tell you if you are really done.
P.S. the only thing is that I have been done spotting for over a week now, so you might still have a very faint line on the hpt. I'm not sure, but you might as well try it.

[surf mama]

I would not have a d&c. My midwife said if it's not done I would get a fever, feel pain, or have really heavy bleeding again. I was supposed to call if any of those things happened. They tested my hormone levels a week after I m/c-ed and then again at 2wks past and at that last visit my midwife also looked at my cervix and felt the size of my uterus and everything was normal. I'm so sorry for your loss!

[lilsishomemade]

I had to have a d&c with my first m/c because I was 15 weeks along and retaining products of conception. I was also bleeding *very* badly. With my second m/c, I was so early, they told me just to let them know if I had any signs of infection, fever, pain, excessive bleeding (If you've stopped, and it comes back bright red, gushy, you know...), otherwise you should be fine. I'm so sorry, this is one of the hardest things to have to go through.

[em&namama]

Thanks to all!! I called back today and was more successful. They are going to do an HCG test on Thursday which will be a week after it happened. My concern of leftover tissue comes from no pain and hardly any blood. I was actually going to pick up the cytotec to induce after work on the day it happened because I had finally lost patience with the waiting game. This is why if it hasn't all passed I want to know ASAP instead of discovering in a few weeks it hasn't.

The m/c was so incredibly uneventful compared to everything I have read, in fact, it was almost a letdown. I imagined at the very least lots of blood. Hopefully everything is gone and I just got extremely lucky. It's been 5 days now and just light pink streaks on toilet paper and still no pain. I guess in a few days I will have a clearer idea if I am finally done...thank goodness.

[em&namama]

Just wanted to update mainly so that if anyone else has something similar happens they know what my outcome was. My HCG was 19 exactly one week after I passed the sac. They will check me again in a few weeks but it is safe to say that I passed everything. I haven't had a drop of blood for over a week.

It goes to show that every m/c is different. Absence of pain and just a really light flow of blood was all mine comprised of. If I had listened to them then I would have had a d&c when absolutely nothing was left. :eyesroll Don't be afraid to use your head because clearly doctors don't always use theirs.

[ELKMama]

Em&nama, Sorry I didn't see this earlier and so sorry about your loss...

Just wanted to say that my m/c was *a lot* like yours. I was going to take the cytotec the next day and then started heavy flow, with no pain at all. The embryonic sac slipped out of me easily and quickly, and looked like a 1/2 inflated balloon. The post-m/c experiences were pretty different (long period of spotting, an u/s about 5 days showed some tissue right at the open cervix, and the midwife was able to pull it out -- again with no pain -- in an office visit).

Isn't it weird that a physically "easy" miscarriage is still so stressful AND that the docs can make you more worried than you already are, just because your experience isn't exactly what they expect? Anyway, glad you can feel you are officially done and get on with the healing.

[newcastlemama]

I had to have a d&c with my first m/c because I was 15 weeks along and retaining products of conception. I was also bleeding *very* badly. With my second m/c, I was so early, they told me just to let them know if I had any signs of infection, fever, pain, excessive bleeding (If you've stopped, and it comes back bright red, gushy, you know...), otherwise you should be fine. I'm so sorry, this is one of the hardest things to have to go through.

This was me too..had DnC from hemmorage and complications. Ask your dr/midwife but I think as long as you are not having any infection sympotoms you should be done.
I am so sorry for your loss also..:hug Jennifer :heartbeat