Expert: Lawrence Jay Rappaport <B>M.D.</B> - 4/17/2004

Question
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Dr. Rappaport,

First of all I would like to thank you for your prompt reply yesterday regarding my miscarriage question and spotting.  You mentioned that i should probably be getting my period about 6 weeks (after the D&C I assume).  What will my period be like?  Unfortunately a friend of mine miscarried and had a D&C about 5 months ago and said she almost hemorrhaged during her first period after the D&C.  Is this very likely? Or was it just extremely heavy and she mistook it as hemorrhaging.  Is it possible to hemorrhage during your period?  She just has me worried now.  Thanks.

Chantal


Answer -
If everything (all the products of conception) were removed during the D&C, you probably will have a normal period when you get it. Some women have slightly heavier periods due to a thickening of the endometrium that was not totally removed during the D&C, however it is not considered hemorrhage. If you believe the bleeding is more than a normal period, call your doctor and have it checked. However, it is quite rare to hemorrhage during the first period after a D&C.

How can you be sure all the products of conception have been removed?  My HCG level is 3 and my uterus is back to it's pre-pregnancy size.  Do these two things mean that everything is gone?

Thanks

Answer
If your uterus is normal size, and your cervix is closed, and the Beta HCG is less than 5, it is not likely that you have any more products of conception in your uterus. The purpose of the D&C was to clean out the uterus entirely. There is a sound that we hear when we are doing the currettage that lets us know if there is anything left in the uterus. Don't worry.