MVA experience? Mine was traumatic

[Catherine0201]

I had a miscarrage after seeing a healthy heartbeat at 6 weeks. Was kept in hospital for 3 days due to severe nausea and bleeding. On the final day in hospital they gave me MVA with only one dose of diazepam to relieve the pain which didn’t do much as I felt everything. Honestly I’ve never felt pain like it before, I was screaming and crying like never before. It sounded as though I was going through labour, my heart rate was sky high and my whole body was shaking. In the end I got through it but spent an hour afterwards crying in my hospital bed as I was traumatised. Am I alone in thinking it was awful, I’ve read elsewhere that other people had received other pain relief such as gas and air etc.

Hi Catherine.
I just wanted to stop and say that I’m actually going through a complaint with PALS about the experience I had similar to yours.
It left me traumatised and I went into quite a deep depression and am still struggling now.

I had a miscarriage which went on from when I found out I was pregnant at just over 4 weeks till I was 13 and a half weeks.
I was told the pregnancy wasn’t viable from the beginning because of low HCG and it took them that long to sort me out.

At 9 week I had medical management which didn’t work but then 5 days later they scanned me again to say I had lost the sac naturally.
I then waited 4 weeks and after still getting positive pregnancy tests, I had another scan and was told I still had pregnancy tissue there.
The doctor decided there and then to get it out and without any pain relief at all or even someone with me, he inserted a speculum, forced open my cervix and scraped around the inside of my womb until the tissue was out.
I have never felt pain like it. They then made me get dressed, and sat me in a waiting room full of people and opposite a woman breastfeeding her 1 day old baby.

It was one of the worst experiences of my life and funnily enough I was going to post my experience on here to find out if anyone has had the same thing happen without having any pain relief as i thought they shouldn’t do it without. Everything I’ve found online states that any form of surgical management involves either a general or local anaesthetic.

I’m so sorry you had to go through that too.
How are you feeling x x x

I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience.

I've had two MVAs, and both were very painful and upsetting (three years between them so I think I'd forgotten how uncomfortable the first was).

However, the consultants who carried out the procedures were extremely kind, and stopped whenever I asked, and another HCP was on hand to talk to me throughout and hold my hand. I did have to use the oxygen mask a bit towards the end of the first one, but that was because I was feeling a bit odd (bit like going into shock), but during the second I just had the internal local anaesthetic injection at the beginning.

Although both experiences were pretty grim, they were over pretty fast and I was able to get up and get on with stuff again straight away. The memories do fade.

I've since lost another baby and opted for an ERPC as it was later in the pregnancy, and the second MVA was still very fresh in my mind. Far more time consuming, but ultimately much less traumatic.

Be kind to yourself, the whole experience of miscarriage is bloody tough.

I was 6 week and found out that unfortunately it had stopped growing, but I just wanted to share my experience as Iv just had MVA and apart from cramping i did not find the procedure painful.

I was given 3 lots of tables an hour before this included 2 lots of pain killes and one lot to relax my muscles, they then did internal injection but the nurses were great and Because of the painkiller i was very lucky and found the whole thing no worse than smear test and it only took 10 min, and I went home 10 min after that.

I know everyone different but I wanted to share my story as I was very scared before going in as I only found bad stories

I've hear so many different experiences of this procedure and it does seem that the majority of women do not suffer too much. However I really have never experienced pain quite like it. That was following a mmc at 8-9 weeks.
I had previously suffered a miscarriage at 11 weeks and dealt with it at home - painful, very very painful, but doable. The MVA aftermath, however, was awful. Pain indescribable. And sadly, noone in EPU knew what to do with me. The Dr kept coming in and asking what all the fuss was about. Ugh it was so dreadful. 5 hours of hell. No gas and air, just a codeine which did nothing at all...

It really is personal preference, and I know many women do not suffer quite this reaction! But. I just wish I had known of the risks of your body reacting in the way mine did, before choosing the procedure.

I also want to say, you poor thing. I'm so sorry you had to go through it. It's just dreadful. Wishing you all the best xx

Hi everyone, I'm very sorry for your losses. I don't usually do stuff like this ( not very tech savvy) but i've just had the most terrible time over the last few weeks and these threads seem to help me a little. Myself and my husband planned to try for a baby for the first time after 10 years together, 3 years married, and we were suprised but happy that we became pregnant quickly. I have now been told i had a missed miscarriage. I had absolutely no bleeding or anything and all the symptoms of pregnancy up until my 12 week scan. It was a horrible shock when the screen showed what appeared to be an empty but growing womb. I had an internal scan and they found a small fetus in the lining with no heartbeat approx 6 weeks and 1 day. They asked us to wait 1 week to re-scan to check the dates which we did but already new they were correct. As my body was still showing no signs of miscarrying naturally i went for medical management with vaginal pessaries and tablets. Part of me wanted to see it and prove to myself that i was pregnant!!! It was like my body had tricked me and i had fully expected to see my baby at that scan. I ended up in A&E after 5 hours of heavy gushing blood and clots. They removed the pregnancy tissue there to stem the bleeding. I was admitted to the ward and re-scanned later. The scan showed there was still pregnancy tissue and the doc suggested we try more medical management oral pills which i took and went home. Lots of horrible bowel movements but nothing happened. I was told to wait 48 hours, still nothing. I had another scan where they found further 'vascularity' missed previously. I am told this means blood supply suggesting my body is still feeding pregnancy tissue. They agreed MVA was the next step. I had further vaginal pessaries to open the cervix back up and a cup of pain killers. I was told i would be given antibiotics up the back passage but never had that. The procedure was maybe 10 mins altogether as not much left to be removed from what i gather. They opened up my cervix with one of those plastic contraptions they use for smear tests. Uncomfortable but the doc was good at pre-warning what to expect. He gave me local anaesthetic injections in to my vagina which sting but it was ok. The tissue removal causes intense painful cramps but that part maybe took 2 minutes. I broke down afterwards. I was sent home. The bleeding is light and on and off. Its been 3 days. I went in again on Saturday as i have had some pain/cramps/soreness since. The worst was Saturday morning. It was a painful pressure and cramping when peeing. They took a urine sample, confirmed pregnancy test is still positive but to be expected for a few weeks, they ruled out a urine infection but said the pain is most likely infection from the procedure. Doc gave me a weeks antibiotics and sent me home. Im really worried about infection causing further issues as we want to try again as soon as possible. I just want this whole thing to be over so we can move on. Its frustrating having to wait another 3 weeks to see if it is all gone. I still had some pain on one side this morning again but only seems to be in waking before i have been to the loo. I hope this goes soon. The nurses have been so good with me all the way through but i just dont understand why wait 3 weeks and do a test when the sonographers room is on the same ward? I don't know if there is a reason why not. I am told by a nurse there should be no cramping or pain after MVA. Has anyone else experienced this afterwards?

Apologies for the long message. I just figured out how to do my own thread so dont worry if you cant answer my question. The whole process is extremely traumatic but the actual MVA i personally would have had from the outset based on my experience had i known but everyone is different x x x

Hi,

I am really sorry to hear about you experience, two of my friends tried the tables and then had to go back for mva so that why I opted for it to start. As I said earlier I was luck and had little pain through the treatment, I am now 10 days later and I had spotting for 6 days and after 7 I still tested pregant, I had no pain but my emotions have been all over the place and I have yo-yo from ok to very depressed, but I am now 10 days later and I feel back normal but I was told to take another test at 14 days

I'm glad you're recovering physically. I guess the emotional side will take some time. It's a long time to wait to test. I hope you get the result you want- it sounds like things are moving forward. I can only hope at the moment for the same. Thanks for replying x

Hi, sorry to jump on thread. I posted one two weeks ago regarding my missed miscarriage but can’t find it. At 10 weeks pregnant, baby only measured 6 with no heartbeat. Waited two weeks for another scan.. same news. I requested mva as my body wasn’t doing it naturally and wanted general anaesthetic but was told it was going to be a 2 week wait. Absolutely devastated as I didn’t want to be awake. Had the mva at 12:30, home at 2pm, back in hospital by 2:45. Bled so much it went through pad, towel and onto car seat. Back to hospital for observation and apart from heavy bleeding and clots and two more speculum examinations (just what I wanted after an mva) all looked fine. Was told it’s just trauma to womb and it should settle down. I’m not in ant pain or discomfort, just emotionally tired.

If this happens again, I will just wait for body to do it naturally. Nurses were very supportive but the whole experience of miscarrying is traumatic enough with out this procedure happening too. I have one son via c section and I don’t remember bleeding this much.

After reading posts regarding treatments etc, I don’t think there is any quick or pain free ways of dealing with a miscarriage. But we are tough, strong women and we will cope with it however we can. I wish it was something we never have to go though but sometimes nature’s a b*tch

@Rosieanne86 I'm so sorry for your loss. Missed miscarriage is just crap. I hope that you recover soon. I didn't have much blood after the MVA procedure however it was only to remove the tissue at the top of the womb that the 2 rounds of medical management and the gynae in A&E didnt manage to expel. I have since had a small amount of blood over 2 days 21 days after followed by a heavy bleed a week later. I can only presume this is my period. I am waiting for it to stop now. I dont know why it happened twice but i've never had a heavy period like it. From what i've read though the first one after can be very heavy and different. It started at work and i guess it's just the emotional trauma of last month but i cried a lot. I guess the hormones are all over the place at the moment-terrible PMT this month and cramps. I dont usually get much of that. Hopefully a sign that things are returning to some kind of normality. I've been so worried about the infection so hoping this is definitely a period. The symptoms all seem to point to that. Just worried its so heavy.
Anyway, I really hope you will be ok and wish you a speedy recovery. I only really managed to grieve properly in the last few weeks. I got through the working week and just sobbed for a good hour on the Friday night. I think emotionally it gets harder for a while before it gets a little easier. Take care x x x