ERPC at 12 weeks

[MammaBee123]

Ok, so just looking if anyone is any experience with an ERPC and how it was for you

Went for the 12 week scan at 12+5 where I was found to have a missed miscarriage where the heartbeat had stopped at 6 weeks, had no signs at all no pain/bleeding etc. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Whether they had miscarried naturally still? It just feels so long to have something there that isn't even alive (almost 7 weeks) and that it will never happen naturally at this point!

Having to wait 10 days (!!!) from the scan until I have the ERPC

TIA

[sparechange]

I'm so sorry for your loss

I had a MMC at 11+5, and an ERPC at 12+2

I could have had it done sooner but wasn't able to get cover at work. My main worry was that I started to miscarry naturally, but thankfully that didn't happen.

I was given the option of morning or afternoon clinic, and had to be nil by mouth from the night before so picked morning.
When I got to the hospital, they took bloods for typing, and then there was a lot of waiting around.

About an hour before I went into theatre, a doctor inserted a pessary to soften the cervix, and went through my medical notes, then the anaesthetist came in to go through his questions. Everyone was unfailingly lovely and kind.

When I went into theatre, the nurses were asking me about my favourite holiday, which I thought was to relax me but when I came round, they told me that while out, you 'dream' about the last thing you are thinking about, so it was to also make sure I was relaxed during the procedure.

When I came round, they gave me a saline drip, and then moved me to another bit of the recovery unit where DH was allowed to come, and gave me a cup of tea and sandwich, before giving me painkillers, antibiotics and some paperwork for my GP. I was home after that

I had light bleeding for about 3 days, and no more pain than paracetamol couldn't handle.

The system at my hospital seemed to be for all the women to turn up at the same time and then be seen in some random order, so if you are early in the list, you could be out within a couple of hours. If you are towards the end of the list, it is half a day in hospital

Good luck, and I hope it is as manageable as possible

[Lou1791]

Hi,
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I was about 9 weeks when I started having bleeding and was told at a scan I was having a miscarriage (mine turned out to be a molar pregnancy but ERPC is the same.)
I had the ERPC a week after the first scan. I hate hospitals and was absolutely terrified but it was fine.
My op was to be in afternoon so I wasn't allowed to eat from 7am and no water after midday. When I arrived at the hospital I spoke to the nurse and the ward sister and then waited ( with DH). Ward sister kept talking to me to reassure me and keep me calm (was in a bit of a state) and was absolutely lovely. Also spoke to anaesthetist and surgeon to go over what would happen.
They let DH stay with me until I was asleep.
When I came round on the recovery ward there were 2 different nurses and I was really confused for a few minutes. I'd felt like I'd been asleep and dreaming at home so it was a bit of a shock! They had put in a saline drip.
After about 10 mins, when they were happy with my blood pressure I was taken back to ward where DH was waiting.
The ward sister had tea and biscuits waiting for me. I took some painkillers (didn't really need them but I was worried I would in a few hours and didn't want to feel anything at that point.) Once I had been to the toilet and listened to aftercare advice (get someone to listen for you, I forgot it all by the time I was home) I was let home. So waking up after op to leaving was probably about an hour and a half.
I had very light bleeding for a few days and virtually no pain. I did feel odd for a few days though (GA and general stress/anxiety I guess.) I felt really low, tearful, struggled to sleep etc.
I agree with pp, that was the same system as at my hospital. I was seen quicker because I was so anxious (GP had prescribed diazepam.)

I hope it goes okay.

[bananafish81]

I’m so very sorry for your loss

We found out last Monday at our 10w scan that I’d had a MMC. Saw a beautiful heartbeat at 7+1 and 8+5 but at 10w scan baby only measured 9+3 so it died a few days prior. Utterly heartbroken.

Dr got me booked in as an emergency day case, so we found out at 10am, I was in theatre for an ERPC by 6pm and home by 10pm.

I felt so tricked by my body, as I didn’t feel ANY different at all from when I was pregnant last week with a live baby, to when I was pregnant with a dead baby. And actually as I didn’t bleed until 5 days post ERPC, I actually didn’t feel physically any different to when I was no longer pregnant

Because we had an ERPC privately (BUPA cover miscarriages), we are able to have the tissue testing done to hopefully shed some light on why this happened (It was my first miscarriage, but NHS won’t do any investigations until you’ve had 3 consecutive first trimester losses, or one second trimester loss)

In my heart of hearts I believe that the reason for the loss is the most likely explanation - that our beautiful 4AA blast just wasn’t chromosomally normal. It died at 9.5 weeks which is when the placenta is supposed to take over - so I think it is a bit of a make or break time

I’d already had all the thrombophilia tests that are usually run as the recurrent miscarriage blood tests for clotting disorders, so I know it wasn’t something that could have potentially have been prevented by a 15p aspirin

My consultant said the ERPC was definitely the right decision, not just because of the tissue testing, but because to pass a sac of 9.5 weeks would have been very unpleasant. For me personally there was no question of wanting surgical management - as soon as I found out I’d miscarried, I just wanted my dead baby out of me. Physically I’ve had no pain, only a small amount of bleeding, and recovered well. Emotionally is obviously a completely different story

[bananafish81]

From a very practical POV, it was done under a full general anaesthetic, and my consultant sent me the operation report he'd written up, so I knew what he'd done

Obv the specifics will vary between hospitals (and mine wasn't NHS, hence why I was able to have it done so quickly)

I had to be nil by mouth for 6h before the procedure, and when I was admitted I had to change into a gown, paper pants and compression stockings

Nurse did bloods, blood pressure, questionnaire for the anaesthetist

They will check your blood type, as if you are rhesus negative, you will need to have Anti-D injections before you are discharged

I found the general anaesthetic SO much easier than the last time I had a GA, which was about 15 years ago. I felt absolutely rotten after my previous surgeries, but tbh this felt no different to procedures I'd had under sedation in terms of quick recover, apart from a very slightly sore throat from being intubated

My operation report said the Dr performed an ultrasound before the procedure to confirm there was no fetal heartbeat

I was swabbed and placed in the lithotomy position (obv this is the report - I have no idea as I was out!)

A suction curette was used which minimised trauma to the uterus

IV antibiotics were given

I woke up in recovery and came to very quickly

A friend had told me to bring my own pads in for when I went home, as the ones they give you are like mattresses

When I woke up I had a pad between my legs, but I had very minimal bleeding - I actually didn't bleed until 5 days later, but that may have been related to having been on progesterone pessaries for IVF until the day of the ERPC, so perhaps some lining only started to break down when my progesterone levels fell

Blood pressure etc was checked and I wasn't allowed to go until I'd had a pee, had something to eat and drink and all my observations were clear. They also wouldn't let me leave until they'd had confirmation of my blood type (I knew I was rhesus positive but they obviously have to confirm it themselves)

My Dr said to expect bleeding and not to worry about clots, as this was normal

By all accounts the recovery from an ERPC is much quicker than expectant or medical management. I certainly felt physically fine very quickly