Experience of an MVA?

[Jolio123]

I had a missed miscarriage diagnosed last Friday. I was 11 weeks but baby stopped growing at 8 weeks. I thought I had passed it naturally as I passed a lot of blood and clots but scanned again today and all pregnancy tissue including the sac is still in place. I have opted for MVA (manual vacuum aspiration) as I can’t bare to wait for medication to work and then potentially tissue still be in place. I initially wanted a D&C as had read a lot of ladies here having that but due to the bed shortage in the NHS, my midwife suggested against this as it was not going to be a quick option.

I have not read many people having MVA’s? And just wondered if anyone has had one? And successful conceived again afterwards? Any support would be appreciated. I’m just a wreck at the moment. I had emotionally dealt with last week being told about the MMC and now a week later to be dragged on again. I just want it over with and to go back to “normal”. I know it may not be healthy? But I feel like being pregnant again is the only thing that is going to stop my emptiness.

Sorry to hear about your loss - I have also had a missed miscarriage with similar timings to you, it is devastating.

I had an MVA in May for my second miscarriage (the first passed out naturally) and found it overall as "good" an experience as it could be. I only had local anesthetic, and found the setting up part a bit painful and uncomfortable but so so much calmer and much less painful than the home miscarriage I had in December.
I felt safe and taken care of. I hope you do too.

Btw I haven't tried to conceive again yet as I needed to take some time out but a scan of my uterus 6 weeks after the MVA found no scarring at all (scan was part of recurrent miscarriage testing).

I haven't had an MVA but had a missed miscarriage last Friday too supposed to be nearly 11 weeks but was 8+4. Everything passed on Monday night and I was supposed to have MVA wed but scan showed all tissue has passed. My friend is going through the same thing but she opted for medical management and had that 2 weeks ago but just had a scan fri which showed tissue still in place. She had a horrible experience with the miso and now has to go through the MVA too and wishes so much that she had just had that in the first place.

I found the miscarriage association fb group really helpful and all the research I did seems that you need the tablets 2 hours prior then the MVA itself takes around 10 minutes. Local is administered to the cervix. You can have gas and air but also can put headphones on to block out the noise. During the procedure the womb with cramp heavily as it suddenly recognises its empty and some people can go a bit faint at this point bit that's normal and they know how to deal with it. You then can get home about an hour later. Bleeding seems to be much shorter with the MVA and you can make the decision about what happens with the remains. My trust does a cremation and you can go to the service where they scatter the ashes, I feel quite sad that I didn't get to go through with that.

I know how difficult this must be for you, mine came away naturally but I still feel like I did after I gave birth and dealing with a lot of pain and blood clots. I feel emotionally like I can join in with family and have a laugh but my default emotion is sadness and I want to be alone so I don't have to fake being happy but when I'm alone I just think about everything and feel even more sad.

Thanks @Beseen22 for sharing this information. It really helps to know what’s going to go on, although the nurse explained it I wasn’t really listening and couldn’t focus. I was really hoping mine had passed naturally last week, I bled so heavily I dread to think what it would have been like if I had actually passed it all naturally. I just want it to be over as quickly as possible and get back to life.

Totally get what you mean about default emotion. I self certificated for this week off work just to process and deal with what I thought was the real miscarriage. If I’m busy doing nice things outside the home I feel somewhat normal and that none of this is going on, but as soon as I’m alone or am sitting at home doing nothing I feel instantly sad and want to cry. Also not sure if you feel this way but if I’m doing “normal” things like working or even weekly food shop I start to feel so emotional and constantly think “the last time I done this I was pregnant” or “I want to be doing this with my baby”. It’s just a dreadful feeling I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Will now need to be off next week too for the MVA and recovery. I just feel guilty though as if I’m faking it or don’t deserve to be unwell/off work. I feel if I had a broken leg it would be justified but as it’s more a mental thing I just feel guilt. Did you have time off work?

The thought was a lot worse than the actual process to be honest, I felt things ramping up then I knew it had passed and I instantly felt a lot better. Prior to the actual miscarriage I kept having awful intrusive thoughts that they had it wrong or that there was a twin hiding and that actually everything was OK. I also felt like I genuinely would never be happy again, even if I got pregnant next month (which would never happen!) it would be 9 long very anxious months before I could breathe again. If I'm honest the best thing I did was take 2 cocodamol, an ibuprofen and a sleeping tablet the night I found out there was no heartbeat and the night everything passed, I knew I wouldn't sleep without it and I felt so much so much more able to cope after a good night sleep.

Yep I came up to visit family this weekend and I feel like I'm constantly going to cry because last time I was here I was pregnant and the happiest person in the world and even stupid things like driving down specific streets makes me tear up.

If you look at miscarriage specific boards or support groups most people have at least 3/4 weeks off. The process can take weeks physically before you actually pass the baby. I am having 2 weeks off from the day I found out there was no heartbeat. I'm a nurse on a very heavy ward and physically it's a no no but also my head is not in the game and I won't put people at risk. I asked the midwife if I could go in and do a shift and she said absolutely not, you could suddenly pass the baby at any time, you are incredibly vulnerable and grieving. She said that people who desperately want to get back to work and get back to normal often end up with complex grief months down the line and struggling to cope. My boss was actually excellent, she said to get home and don't even think about the place for 2 weeks and if after that I need more get in touch and she can also refer me for counselling.

@Beseen22 yes this is what I experienced last week, it was a relief when I thought everything had passed. Which is why I was so shocked to find out nothing had actually passed!

I too have started having them thoughts today, maybe because I haven’t passed anything there is another in there that was missed. Have been googling “misdiagnosed miscarriages” even though I know deep down I’m just being ridiculous. It’s so crazy how our minds work and just overtake everything.

Im so pleased your employer has been understanding. Healthcare is even harder as you say you have to be in the best mind set to give the best care. My boss and supervisor are on holiday at the moment so i just signed myself off last week and will make the dreaded call to them on Tuesday after bank holiday.

Hoping all goes well for you x

Sorry to hear about your loss @Jolio123 and I hope you are feeling a bit better now.

like you I am due to have the MVA this week after I retained tissue following the medical method and have found information online very limited. I also didn’t really take anything in that the nurse said. Would you mind if I asked how your experience was? The only posts I’ve read online suggest that it’s incredibly painful and if I’m honest I’m terrified. Any advice or experience you could share would be very much appreciated.

@Desg I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Yes happy to share my experience as i was petrified like you are. I had a junior doctor shadowing so I was talked through the whole thing whilst they were doing it! Not sure if that made it better or not.

So I had the MVA 3 weeks ago. I had to insert misoprostol 1hr before the procedure, that was fine a little crampy but nothing major. Took co-codamol an hour before as well and I think ibuprofen but the nurse will tell you what to take. I then was taken into the room to have the procedure. The nurse I had was so lovely and kept me calm as I was panicking. You sit in a reclined chair with your legs raised. The nurse stayed by me and kept talking to me the whole time which helped a lot. Doctor inserted the plastic specculum? thing (sorry not sure what it’s called but same as a smear test). The pain was similar to smear test at this point. They injected my cervix which I didn’t feel at all. The procedure then started, you feel a bit of discomfort when they clean the cervix with a swab but again only the same feeling as a smear test. They then use the manual vacuum which you don’t hear at all, but you do feel the clots coming out which was exactly the same as what it feels passing them naturally. It made me feel squeamish a bit as it feels so unnatural. The pain comes when the cervix is empty, as it obviously contracts back down. I would say this was certainly similar to period cramps and more intense but over a much shorter time frame. Like a burst of cramps for about 1 minute. Not enough to cry or scream, but enough to grit my teeth a bit. not sure how else to word it but definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it’s so short, the procedure took 7mins but the pain was only really intense for a minute if that. They stick pessaries up your bum at the end so don’t be alarmed when that happens as they didn’t tell me so I was a bit surprised lol! Again, no pain though.

At the end they done an ultrasound and showed me everything was clear and looked good. Doctor then rushed off and nurse gave me cup of tea. The bleeding was a bit heavy to begin with. They use really thick uncomfortable sanitary towels so bring your own if you have any long night ones. I sat for about 10 mins and then my husband was allowed to come and sit with me. They take your obs, give you antibiotics and then I was home after half hour.

I didn’t have any cramping for the first 2 weeks, the bleeding was heavy for about 3 days and then it turned into spotting. I must admit I thought the spotting would never end. It went to brown and then red and then brown again up until exactly the 3 week mark. I then had a bit of cramping yesterday but I think it may have been ovulation cramps. No bleeding or spotting from yesterday. I had intercourse the other day as I felt ready and was fine, no pain or bleeding. I had a negative home pregnancy test from about 2.5 weeks but I know everyone is different with this.

So overall from my experience I would say the MVA is best option out of a bad bunch. Totally not excruciating and more discomfort I would say. My husband wasn’t allowed in the room with me during surgery but thinking back that was probably for the best.

Any other questions just let me know and I hope it goes as well as it can for you.

Thank you so much! I genuinely can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to write all that, it has already made me feel SO much better. Today is probably the first day I’ve felt more relaxed and haven’t cried!
I had the medical method originally and I didn’t find that as bad as expected so hopefully this will be the same. I’m just ready for it all to be over now.

The nurse didn’t tell me to bring anything, so thanks for the tips above, I have been out and bought a few bits today in preparation.

Also thanks for the warning about the pessary as I had absolutely no idea about that and would be been in for a shock 😂.

glad to hear you’re already feeling back to normal too ☺️

@Desg no problem at all! when I was looking into it before I had mine I just wanted some full detailed stories that weren’t all negative! So I’m glad it has made you feel less anxious. That’s the exact reason why I chose to have it as I wanted everything to be over as quickly as possible to get back to normal.

Even when you’re recovering if you have any questions or just want to chat then I can try to help ☺️ I’ve been trailing through forums at every change of post surgery symptom I have lol! I’m now just trying to figure out ovulation again and going into the TTC world again..

Thank you! In a strange turn of events I literally got as far as getting into the treatment room and last minute the nurse offered me another course of the medical method but at home. Its not currently working and I’m in hospital again for another course, so fingers crossed I can just get this last bit shifted this time and get back to normal! 😖.

Not sure if you’ve tried already but I found natural cycles really good for tracking ovulation. There’s a small subscription fee, but you can often get a discount code. You just take your temp every morning and they log it on a graph for you. It’ll even predict when your period is due each month.

@Desg oh wow! Bet your nerves were so up and down lol! I’m really hoping everything passes for you without issues. Do let me know how you get on 🤞🏻

Yes! I love natural cycles. I successfully used it for 8 months to avoid and then fell pregnant the first time trying. My body seems to be doing its thing as I ovulated 5 days ago, I’ve had unprotected sex so guess we will see!

Hi there, so sorry for your loss, it's a cruel world at times.
I sadly had my MVA today so thought I'd tell you my experience.
Most of what I read beforehand was very much- some pain, some discomfort, similar to period pain. Even some other women on forums seemed to have an OK experience. I found it to be very, very painful. Now, I have a high pain threshold. High enough that after having my 2 children, the midwives had to note 'high pain threshold' as I wasn't presenting as someone ready to push a baby out! I deal with pain well. I have PCOS and have suffered from painful periods since day 1.
But the MVA was for me, a horribly painful experience. The moment I got the first the local anaesthetic jag it hurt and only got worse. I was painfully cramping immediately, even when the dr said 'the cramping will start now', I had to say I was cramping from about 30 seconds. I felt like I was going to pass out, then felt sick, all the while still in a lot of pain.
It's been a few hours now and after self medicating and a hot water bottle the cramps have settled to a mild pain.
I don't want to scare anyone, obviously everyone is different but it's just to tell folks my experience. The staff were lovely, I got offered food etc but I couldn't stomach anything. But no, the Dr, the nurses, everyone, were lovely. Its the the procedure itself that was horrible. I'd never go through that again, put it that way.
If you're reading this, I am so sorry you're here and so sorry for your loss. Is a heartbreaking situation 💔

Hi. After having a mmc I looked at mumsnet for information. I was so grateful for it as I left the EPU expecting to return for a second scan and then had no information when the miscarriage started.

i also had an mva today so wanted to share What happened.

@Helen1518 I’ve just read your post above and I’m so sorry it was so painful for you. It’s horrible to go through a miscarriage at all. So having such a physical pain on top must be so difficult. I hope you recover well

For me, I had geared myself up for the worst and overall it was ok. They scanned me first and much of it had passed (quite painfully) earlier in the week naturally, so there was less tissue to remove. Perhaps 3.5 cm . I have no medical knowledge but I wonder if that’s one of the key differences with pain

i took the mioprospil (sp) 3 hrs before and two painkillers an hour before.

They scanned me, did the speculum and injected the anaesthetic . This made me squirm but it was akin to dental surgery pain. After that it felt like pressure and it was sore but bearable. My legs shook with the anaesthetic but I distracted myself by chatting. After 10 mins it was over. I sat in recovery with a cup of tea and kind words from the nurses . I feel nauseous and sad the pregnancy ended this way but as a procedure it wasn’t frightening. Everyone will be different, but I hope this helps someone to read

@Helen1518 @Jetlaggedgirl so sorry your both in this position and I think it is good to share both sides of the story as everyone is going to experience it differently. I wonder if the doctor doing it makes a difference?!

Just to update and maybe give you both some hope, now 4 months out from the MMC time has been the best healer. I’m also 10 weeks pregnant, although I feel I’ve been robbed from the excitement of pregnancy. I wish you both a speedy recovery

Congratulations @Jolio123 thats so wonderful.

@Jolio123 aww congratulations. That's lovely news but I know how you feel. It's hard to get excited after loss.
Unfortunately this is my 3rd in a row. We'll keep trying though I think and hopefully one day our luck will change.

Massive congratulations, I'm sure everything will be fine this time round and you'll meet your wee rainbow baby in a few months time. Wishing you all the best xx

I had a missed miscarriage at 8wks measuring 7+2 in my second pregnancy. This pregnancy was totally different i felt unwell from the very start . I had medical management were i thought i had passed everything but 10 days later i started to bleed again and at 3wks still have a postive test . Another scan showed the tablets hadn’t worked at all and i need a d&c my hospital doesn’t do MVA but i think avoiding a general anaesthetic would have been my preference .

Hey, adding my MVA experience to this..I had mine in 2022 and I chose it after a panicked trawl through some Mumsnet threads looking for experiences of MVAs, most of which I found to be positive. For me, it was excruciating. I yelled and sobbed through it, I don't remember what it felt like now I just know I was in real pain and felt totally shocked and unprepared for that. It's wild how much it differs for people isn't it, the majority seem to say it's fine so I don't know if I have a low pain threshold? One theory the nurse gave me at the time was that she couldn't get the injection very high up the cervix, so maybe my local anesthetic wasn't so great? Who knows. I don't know if this will ever be helpful to anyone but I read forums like this when I was scared and alone in a hospital bed trying to make a quick decision about a treatment plan - girl, get the D&C...

@Jolio123 I'm having the MVA on Thursday and am so scared about not ovulating after. Was it easy for you? X

Firstly I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through this. Like you, I was petrified of complications around ovulating after. I tracked my ovulation using temping, symptom tracking and LH tests both before and after the MVA. I definitely ovulated a few weeks after the MVA. Some women say they ovulated as soon as 2 weeks after but depends on your cycle. I had the MVA 20th September and conceived again on 13th December. Definitely let yourself heal both physically and mentally. I found it physically manageable but mentally it was difficult. I’d say I felt back to “normal” after a couple of weeks. My rainbow baby is now due in 2 weeks and (touch wood) haven’t had any complications this whole pregnancy. Wishing you strength at such a hard time

@Jolio123 oh lovely, that made me so emotional. Congratulations, I'm so happy for you. You said some women say they ovulating 2 weeks after, I've read that after a natural or medical miscarriage but can't find anything on after a MVA? Do you have any links? X

Thankyou, and sorry as I know reading about pregnancy announcements is the last thing you probably want to hear at the moment but I sometimes found it gave me a little hope at the time as I didn’t see many posts about MVA’s in particular, more so about D&C’s! Just know that right now it feels like the worst possible time and that it is never going to get better but I promise it really does get better.

I mostly read it on mumsnet threads and also on the “what to expect” forum site. I remember trailing through every single MVA thread I could find! My nurse from EPU also said that MVA’s can help prepare your uterus for future pregnancies and if anything you can be more fertile afterwards. She didn’t give me any written evidence as such though. And I remember feeling disheartened that I didn’t fall pregnant the month after the MVA x

@Rolo08

@Jolio123 no it definitely gives me hope about getting pregnant again. All I ever see is about d&c, it feels like MVA doesn't even exist which makes it even more scary x

@Rolo08 i totally agree. Are you in the UK? As with the NHS the difficulty with D&C’s is they don’t consider them urgent so they can delay or postpone them continuously if they don’t have any beds available for you. I just couldn’t deal with it going on any longer than it already had done let alone it being cancelled multiple times. D&C’s in my local hospital also aren’t ultrasound led either so at times not everything is removed as it should be. They also involve a lot more physical touching of the uterus compared to an MVA so the risk of complications is a bit higher with D&C x