Going through a miscarriage can bring up feelings of sadness, unclear thoughts and unanswered questions. Most women need extra care and support after a miscarriage. With this pamphlet we try to answer some of the questions you might have after a miscarriage.

If some of your questions are still unanswered after reading this information and after your consultations, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

What causes a miscarriage?

A miscarriage occurs in one of five pregnancies during the first trimester. The most common cause is a fetus having chromosomal defects or a fetus not evolving normally. Other causes can be problems with the placenta.

Bear in mind that having one miscarriage does not mean that your chances of miscarriage are higher next time. In other words this miscarriage will not have any influence on your next pregnancy.

Treatment

In many cases the body will interrupt the pregnancy by starting an excessive bleeding. In other cases it is necessary to evacuate the uterus to get it to contract and normalize again. As the evacuation isn’t planned, waiting time can occur - some times for several hours.

Surgical treatment

If surgical treatment is needed a procedure called dilatation curettage (D&C) is performed. On the operation day, you will be transported to the Operating Room (OR), where the curettage is done. You are sedated while the uterus is evacuated. The curettage is estimated to last for 10-20 minutes but you will be away from the gynaecological ward for abourt an hour.

If you haven’t been pregnant before, you will prior to the curettage be offered medication, which softens the cervix. If you have had pelvic inflammation disease (PID) we will treat you with antibiotics during the curettage to prevent you from having PID again.

Anaesthesia

You are not allowed to drink or eat before your anaesthesia and operation. Do not eat 6 hours before the anaesthesia and do not drink 2 hours prior to the anaesthesia. Before the anaesthesia a plastic tube will be placed on the back of your hand. The plastic tube is used for the anaesthesia.

Please remember to remove nail polish and make-up before the curettage. It is important that the doctors can evaluate your natural skin colour while you are under anaesthesia.

After the evacuation

Shortly after you wake up at the OR you will return to the gynaecological ward. Here you well get something to drink and later something to eat. You will be discharged later the same day if you don’t have heavy bleeding or severe pain. If you need a sick leave, it is possible to get one before leaving.

After curettage you might experience light pain and some bleeding for a period. The pain and bleeding is normal and wll decrease within the next 1-2 weeks. If you feel pain we recommend that you take paracetamol (i.e. Pamol, Pinex, Panodil). You can expect your next period within 3-6 weeks after the curettage. The first period can sometimes be a little bit different than usual, which is normal.

In most cases the curettage is without any complications. In some cases it might occur that some of the pregnancy tissue has not been evacuated.

This you will experience bleeding or pain. Treatment will be evacuation of the uterus once more. Pelvic inflammation disease (PID) can occur and will be treated with antibiotics.

Good advice

We advice you to take it easy the first couple of days. In order to avoid pelvic inflammation disease (PID), while you are bleeding, we advise you to avoid bathing in tubs, swimming pools or the sea. We also advice you to avoid using tampons, and remember using a condom during intercourse.

We recommend you to arrange a gynaecological examination by your domestic doctor one week after the curettage to make sure everything is ok.

It is natural to be mentally unbalanced in a period after curettage. Talking to someone - a friend, a family member or other relevant persons will help you.

Seek medical help if your bleeding gets uneven or heavier than a period or you get severe pain or fever more than 38 degrees. 

The first week after the curettage, please do not hesitate calling our Emergency Ward, Ward 5032, should you experience any of the above problems.

If you experience any problems more than one week after the evacuation, we ask you to contact your domestic doctor.