Misoprostol second dose - is it as painful as the first dose?

[DappledOliveGroves]

So we found out at a private scan on Thursday evening that our baby's heartbeat had stopped. I was 10+2 but it looked like the baby had died around 10 days before.

The missed miscarriage was confirmed at the EPU yesterday and I elected to have medical management, since the hospital isn't offering D&Cs owing to Covid and I just wanted to get on with dealing with stuff and couldn't face the thought of waiting possibly weeks to miscarry naturally.

I inserted the first dose of misoprostol at 7am today. Cramps started around 9.30am and escalated massively in a huge space of time. I then started vomiting and threw up most of the pain medication. I was in absolute excruciating pain for around 90 minutes and then managed to keep down some painkillers and the cramping eased off. I started bleeding around 2pm and have been passing a lot of blood and clots but don't think I've passed the pregnancy sac yet.

I was told to take a second dose of misoprostol 48 hours after the first, regardless of what has happening bleeding-wise. But I just cannot face the thought of going through the same level of pain again. It was horrific and on a par with labour.

Does anyone have any experience of how one's body reacts to the second dose? Is it less painful? I really want to avoid having to go back to hospital for retained products but at the same time I can't deal with that level of agony again.

If anyone could share their experiences of the second dose I'd be really grateful. Thank you 🙏

@DappledOliveGroves
Thanks for your reply.
I think I’ll phone EPU tomorrow again tomorrow and ask about second dose and a scan.
I lost some blood, but not loads and basically no clots. But if preg stopped growing early, then maybe there’s simply not much to lose. Fx it is complete! I don’t want to take more misoprostal if I don’t have to!

Omg! I am quite delayed since I am just now experiencing my first pregnancy. I know EXACTLY where you are coming from. I just cannot work myself up to take the second dose of misoprostol because it is an agonizing pain!! I felt like I was about to die!

However, I did pass a few clots and I am just praying that one of those were the embryo because I cannot bare to take another four pills and go through that again.

@DappledOliveGroves omg omg I felt the exact same way as you. I just took the misoprostol earlier today and let me tell you, I thought I saw the light! The pain was very excruciating and (tmi) I bled so much and had a few clots in which I am hoping that one of them was the embryo. I don’t even want to think about taking the second dose.

Did you take the second dose? Did it affect you the same was as it did the first dose?

Hi @GreenSogs - so sorry you're in this position, it's so unfair.

In the end my second dose of the pills was fine. I got some tramadol from the GP beforehand and took it in advance but actually there was no pain at all - I think everything has passed after the first lot of tablets. Think I then bled (fairly light bleeding) for another couple of weeks before the bleeding stopped altogether.