Pregnancy

D&C or dilatation and curettage – is a surgical intervention, made by the doctor in witch he dilates the cervix with the purpose of emptying the uterus by scraping the uterine lining. D&C is a general term that defines the surgical treatment of a miscarriage. In the first pregnancy trimester this intervention is called D&A or Dilatation and Aspiration and is done by the doctor using a suction curette to empty the uterus. This procedure is sometimes medically necessary, for example if a woman has unusually heavy bleeding as a miscarriage complication this surgical intervention may save the life of the woman, because is a way to stop the bleeding from the source or if the doctor thinks that the miscarriage in unlikely to complete without the D&G intervention or, in some cases women prefer to have this intervention done rather then wait for it to begin naturally.

Benefits and risks of the D&C procedure:
Benefits:
-the rate of unplanned hospital admission for women who don’t have D&C is bigger than for the ones who have miscarriages with medical intervention or no intervention.
-the D&G intervention has the advantage that the physical part of the miscarriage ends more quickly.
-during the intervention it may be collected easier a sample for chromosomal testing on the baby.
Risks:
-puncturing the uterus
-weakening the cervix
-scarring in the uterus
The risks of this intervention are minor and occur occasionally. Some women may prefer the D&C procedure because it finishes more quickly the intervention lasts around 15 minutes, but others prefer the natural miscarriage because they consider the D&C procedure traumatic and stressful. Doctors allow women to decide the procedure that they prefer, only if don’t put in risk their health. The procedure may be done in a hospital or in the doctor’s office. Doctors may ask you not to eat, drink alcohol or smoke for about 24 hours before the procedure. The procedure may be done with local anesthesia and the women may feel moderate or severe cramping or general anesthesia during witch the women will not feel a think and will not have any memory about it when they wake up.

The procedure usually has side effects as moderate bleeding and cramp. Sometimes women may experience heavy bleeding, symptoms of infection or severe cramping, and if so is advisable to contact your doctor. It is recommended to avoid tampons and sexual intercourse for one or two weeks after the procedure. The period will be normal after six or eight weeks depending on the how much the pregnancy advanced when the miscarriage happened. After the D&C surgical operation couples should wait at least two menstrual cycles before trying to have a baby again and the women to experience again the pregnancy. After this D&C procedure the woman should go to doctor for a check up after 2 or three weeks, then if the women wants to get pregnant she should talk with her doctor and he will advise her if is safe to get pregnant again and if her body is prepared for a pregnancy.