D & C - Why Do I Need It?Dear Anai, I was in my 12th week of pregnancy, and was told to come back to the hospital tonight for a D&C. They said my baby stopped growing, and thus passed away. I need some info on what to expect. What is it exactly? Answer: Dilation and Curettage (D & C) is a surgical procedure used to remove tissue from the endometrium. An instrument that looks like a "spoon" (called a currette or curet) is inserted into the neck of the uterus after your cervix is dilated. This currette scrapes the tissue from the lining of the uterus for biopsy, abortion, missed miscarriage (when the miscarriage happened, but the fetus did not expell from the cervical opening), to remove growths or polyps, to clean out the uterus, and for other medical reasons. The entire process takes roughly 35-45 minutes. Before the surgery, you will be given general or local anesthetic to help your through the pain. You may bleed from a 1 to 3 weeks depending how far along you were at the time of the D & C. You may resume sexual activities once the bleeding has subsided. Make sure to contact your doctor if you begin feeling feverish, have painful cramps, bleed heavily with clots or have dizziness. D & C has been known to weaken the cervix for future pregnancies. If at all possible, it is advised to avoid it. Sometimes nature can take care of the fetus by expelling it on it's own, or by re-absorbing the egg back into the body. Copyright ©1997 Anai Rhoads.
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