Missed miscarriage how long until bleed

Although excessive bleeding and blood transfusion are very rare, they are slightly more common with expectant management than with surgery. A few women still need to have surgery — sometimes urgently — if they develop infection, bleed heavily or if the tissue does not pass naturally. The waiting time can be emotionally draining for some women.

Treatment with medicine Medicine is available that can speed up the process of passing the pregnancy tissue. Medication is not suitable if there is very heavy bleeding or signs of infection. It is usually not recommended for pregnancies that are older than about nine weeks. Things to know The pregnancy tissue will pass between four to six hours after taking the medicine, during which time you may be in hospital.

This will depend on where you are and which hospital you are in. The medicine has side effects which usually pass in a few hours but can be unpleasant, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and chills. The tablets can be swallowed or dissolved under the tongue, or inserted in the vagina. After receiving the medication there may be some spotting or bleeding like a period.

When the pregnancy tissue passes, you are likely to notice heavier bleeding and clots with strong cramping, period-like pains. You can use sanitary pads and take pain relieving tablets such as paracetamol. Some women may need stronger pain killers or a pain relieving injection. A few women still need to have surgery, sometimes urgently, if they develop infection, bleed heavily or if the tissue does not pass.

The medical staff advise that this is a better option for you; this may be because of the amount of tissue present, especially with a missed miscarriage. This is an option you prefer. This can cause prolonged or heavy bleeding and the operation may need to be repeated infection needing antibiotics damage to the cervix or uterus.

This is very rare around 1 in and, when it does happen, it is usually a small hole or tear which will heal itself excessive bleeding very rare anaesthetic risks. These are very low for healthy women, but no anaesthetic or operation is without risk. Waiting for treatment If you have heavy bleeding with clots and crampy pain, it is likely that you are passing the pregnancy tissue.

What to do while you are waiting You can try to rest and relax at home. However you choose to process your grief, know that you are not alone , and that is does get better. Get diet and wellness tips delivered to your inbox. Condous G. Ultrasound diagnosis of miscarriage: new guidelines to prevent harm. Australas J Ultrasound Med.

The impact of introducing medical management on conservative and surgical management for early pregnancy miscarriage. Cytogenetic analysis of the retained products of conception after missed abortion following blastocyst transfer: A retrospective, large-scale, single-centre study.

Reprod Biomed Online. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice Bulletin No. Early pregnancy loss. Obstet Gynecol.

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If it is not, or if you have an infection, you may be advised to have surgical management to complete the miscarriage. The main benefit is avoiding an operation and the anaesthetic general or local that goes with it. Some women see medical management as more natural than having an operation, but more controllable than waiting for nature to take its course.

As with natural management, you may prefer to be fully aware of what is happening. You may find it easier to say goodbye to the pregnancy if you see the tissue and maybe the fetus or baby as it passes. You may still want advice, though, on what to do with the remains of your baby see After the miscarriage on page I was told it would be like a heavy period with cramps and may go on longer than usual. Because I had never had a miscarriage before, I did not know what to expect.

I was unable to cope with the pain and needed strong pain-killers. This is an operation to remove the pregnancy tissue.

It is usually done under general anaesthetic which puts you to sleep. But in some hospitals it can also be done under local anaesthetic, when you stay awake. Both of these terms are sometimes still used. The cervix neck of the uterus is dilated stretched gradually. This is usually done under anaesthetic but you might be given pills or vaginal pessaries before the operation to soften the cervix. A narrow suction tube is then inserted into the uterus to remove the remaining pregnancy tissue. This takes about minutes.

A sample of the tissue removed is usually sent to the pathology department to check that it is normal pregnancy tissue.

It is not usually tested further unless you are having investigations after recurrentmiscarriage. If you are given tablets or vaginal pessaries before the operation, you may have cramping pain and perhaps some bleeding as the cervix opens. Having a general anaesthetic means you will not feel anything during the operation itself; and there are no cuts or stitches. You may have some abdominal cramps like strong period pain when you wake up and for a few days afterwards.

You may bleed for up to weeks after the operation. Bleeding may stop and start but should gradually tail off. If it stays heavy, gets heavier than a period or makes you worried, it is best to contact your GP or the hospital. I only bled for a short time after the operation about days like a period. I only had mild aching and soreness the next morning. With surgical management you know when the miscarriage will happen and can plan around that.

Some women are frightened of anaesthetics, surgery and staying in hospital. Some prefer to let nature take its course and to remain aware of the miscarriage process. The anaesthetic might make you feel groggy or unwell for a few days. Some women refuse surgery because they worry that the diagnosis might be wrong and their baby is still alive.

When I was told I had lost the baby I just wanted it to be all over as soon as possible. I was booked in immediately and had the op the following day.

I was treated with great kindness and informed all the way along of what would be happening. I recovered physically within a couple of weeks. It may be carried out in a hospital ward, a day surgery unit or an out-patient clinic. You may be given tablets or vaginal pessaries before the operation to soften the cervix, along with pain relief. A local anaesthetic is injected into your cervix, or the cervix may be numbed with a gel and the cervix is then dilated stretched gradually.

You will be offered further pain relief during the procedure and may have a scan afterwards. This all takes about 10 minutes. Afterwards you will probably be advised to wait for an hour or two to make sure you are well enough to go home. As with SMM under general anaesthetic, a sample of the tissue removed may be tested afterwards to check that it is normal pregnancy tissue.

If you are given tablets or vaginal pessaries before the operation, you might feel pain as the cervix opens. Most women have cramps like strong period pains as the pregnancy remains are removed.

You may have some light vaginal bleeding afterwards. If it becomes heavy, it is best to contact the team that treated you. These are mostly the same as for SMM under general anaesthetic.