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.

@Jolio123 yeah I'm in the midlands! So my hospital actually don't do d&c anymore, they've replaced it with MVA (under local or general). I've chosen local so can just go home after it. I actually had a missed miscarriage nearly a month ago and baby's heart stopped 3 weeks before that so I really just want this all over with now x

@Rolo08 oh bless you that’s so prolonged. It’s horrible to know it’s been going on so long, sounds drastic but I remember feeling like a walking grave for a month. Time really is the best healer though, will think of you this week I hope it goes as smooth as possible x

Sorry to jump in but this is so relevant to me - @Rolo08 I had an MVA under local a few weeks ago and honestly with hindsight it was the best of (a bad bunch of) options. Like you, I just wanted it over, and it was the swiftest way for me to feel like I was able to start to move on. It was painful but it was bearable. Hope this is helpful, and I’m so sorry for your loss x

@Wise0wl ahh thank you so much for messaging lovely. And I'm sorry for your loss too. Please tell me everything about the MVA that you remember! Also are you ttc again? X

I've had 2 ERPCs under general (basically the same as MVA... so much bloomin' terminology!). I don't think my hospital does D&Cs anymore as it's a slightly different process and the 'vacuum' process (for want of a better word) is better overall. MVAs have a quicker surgery time and are associated with less issues & better outcomes (http://old.jsp.org.pk/Issues/JSP%2025%20(1)%20Jan%20-%20Mar%202020/Khanda%20Gul%20OA.pdf)

I didn't ovulate before I got my next period on my most recent loss, which was 4 1/2 weeks after the surgery. I am now back into my first normal cycle, today is CD8. Aside from a little bit of lingering blood in mucus 2 days later than usual from my period, everything else seems to feel normal, so I'm keeping fingers crossed that I ovulate as normal this cycle!x

@moosey89 sorry for your losses lovely. I hope you're doing ok and thank you for messaging. Is that procedure the same as a MVA? I wonder if that's why I can't find much online x

@Rolo08 yep really similar. A lot of people talk about D&C but it's not used as frequently now, think it used to be the main procedure.
I'm doing ok thanks - I had a scan which showed things likely wouldn't end well 3 weeks before it was confirmed, so I had quite a long time to process things before surgery, which has meant I'm feeling more like myself again so much sooner than the first time. Hope you're doing ok x

@moosey89 yes that's what my hospital said too. That they don't even do it anymore. If you don't mind me asking, how long after the first did you ovulate/get pregnant? X

@Rolo08 honestly I don't know - I stopped tracking completely and didn't try again for years as I split with my husband. If it helps, this time round took about 6 months of casually trying to get pregnant (I'd say 3 were properly trying out of those). We're trying again now, I've had one period since the second loss and I didn't ovulate before my period turned up so I'm hoping this cycle is back to normal x

@Rolo08 here’s everything I can remember…

So first I was given drugs - two tablets under my tongue to make my cervix open, and pain relief suppository - then told to wait a couple of hours and I might get some cramping. I went for a bit of a walk, had some mild cramps but nothing too bad.

When it was time, they led me into a room and asked me to get undressed from the waist down and lie down, legs in stirrups. They used the speculum (like for a smear) and gave me injections of anaesthetic into my cervix. It was a short sharp pain, no worse than having an injection in your arm so whilst it hurt it was over really soon. Initially the tube was quite uncomfortable when they put it in, so they waited a few mins for my cervix to dialate a bit more, and then did the procedure. For the most part, it just felt a bit weird and crampy, with some bigger cramps towards the end. It was over so quickly, I just kept my eyes shut and kept thinking of nice things.

After, they gave me pain relief and antibiotics, and I had some cramping but only like bad period pain. I had spotting for a couple of days, and then some slightly heavier bleeding days 3-5 but no more than my period.

Today I got my period back, so this month we will be TTC. We found out a close relative is having a baby due on what would have been our due date, which is really tough. I feel like I’ve now got no time to lose, and know that I will be able to cope with this other baby much more if I’m pregnant myself (I know this is risky to think or say or hope for…)

How are you feeling? X

@Wise0wl ahh I'm glad you can ttc now! Please let me know how you get on next month! So that was really helpful. On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate the pain as? I'm definitely going to close my eyes and think of nice things too! Also, did you only bleed for 3-5 days after and that was it? I keep seeing weeks everywhere!

I don't know how I'm feeling tbh. In a way I want this all to be over because I know my baby's heart stopped beating nearly 2 months ago, but at the same time I'm worried about how I'll feel once it is all over x

Hi @Rolo08 i would just like to share my experience with you and will hopefully reassure you a little. I had an MVA 9 days ago after my 12 week scan showed I’d lost my baby at 8+3. The procedure was carried out by a Senior Nurse and was assisted by a Nurse. They were both lovely and so supportive. Approx 1hr 15 mins before the procedure I had a pessary to dilate my cervix and one up my bum which I think was a painkiller. The procedure only took around 7 minutes once they began, and there were some more painful moments than others. I personally used the gas and air but this acted more as a distraction rather than helping with the pain. I found that the noise of the gas and air helped to drown out the noise of the vacuum. I also kept my eyes closed and tried to think of a happy place but did shed a few tears. I had to wait a bit longer afterwards than normal as I was waiting for an Anti-D injection to be ready at the hospital pharmacy that I needed afterwards as I have a negative blood type, otherwise I could have been on my way after an hour.

I had cramping and quite a heavy bleed on that day but no cramping from waking up the next morning and the bleeding tailored off, getting lighter and lighter and ended for me completely by day 5.

I hope I never end up in this position again but I would choose an MVA again if so. I also felt reassured by them doing a scan at the end and the nurses telling me that they’re confident that they got as much out as possible, as like you I just want this experience to be over and done with x

Also hi @moosey89 we were on the other thread together, I hope you are doing as well as can be xx

@Bali200 thank you so much for messaging! I'm so glad a few people have said their bleeding only lasted days and not weeks. I really hope they offer me gas and air too. Did they mention when you can try again if you wanted to? I keep getting told different things, either when the bleeding stops or to do a pregnancy test after 3 weeks x

@Rolo08 you only want to try again when all the HCG has left your system (hence taking a pregnancy test to get a negative) - 2 reasons, firstly because it's really unlikely you'll ovulate with HCG still there, and secondly because you want to be sure that you know any positive pregnancy test moving forward is from a new pregnancy, and not leftover HCG. For some women their HCG levels can remain raised for 6 weeks+ after miscarriage. Personally my bleeding lasted a week after surgery, negative pregnancy test was 2 weeks after surgery, but I didn't ovulate before I next got my period x

@Rolo08 they said to test in 3 weeks and then to wait for my period to come before trying again next time so that they would have a better idea on dates if I was to get pregnant again. I think I’m going to wait a few months before trying again though and try and get my headspace a bit clearer as I don’t think that I could handle it mentally for a while. I’m going to still track my ovulation on natural cycles to see if my cycle returns to normal x

@Rolo08 so being honest I would say the pain was momentarily a 7? But the painful bit was very short if that makes sense. So it was mostly uncomfortable and then just painful a few times. Less painful than when I had to have a tooth out.

I only had bleeding for 5 days, then maybe another 3/4 days of spotting/bleeding when I wiped after going to the loo. It was really manageable as I was very worried about that. How are you feeling? X

@Wise0wl @moosey89 ohhhh 7 sounds so high, are the injections painful? I feel like I'm more scared about that than anything else. Just 2 days more me to go now x

It does hurt but honestly it’s just like having an injection in your arm, it’s over so quickly! The doctor and nurse were so kind, calm and kept me informed and told me when it was nearly over which really helped.

You can do it, just keep thinking that it’s not going to be a nice experience but it will let you start processing and moving on. For me that was really important, I could get through it because I knew it was just 20 mins and then it would be over and at least I wouldn’t be waiting for it to pass naturally x

Hi all I’m now on day 12 following my MVA and after initially having quite a positive recovery, (I have posted details above), I have noticed an uncomfortable feeling in my cervix the past couple of days. It doesn’t feel like cramping as such, and I can feel it more so when I go for a wee and sometimes it crosses the line from uncomfortable to painful.

I’ve also been having brown discharge again, after completely stopping bleeding at day 5. Feeling a little disheartened as I was hoping this experience was over although I know recovery time is 2-3 weeks.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I wish I could describe the uncomfortable cervix feeling a bit more but I honestly can’t describe it x

@Bali200 i’m nearly a year out of the MVA now, can’t remember having too much pain after, but I did have prolonged bleeding. Every time I thought it was stopping it would come back. I’d go from standard period flow to spotting, back to period flow, to nothing then back to spotting. I didn’t stop completely until 3 weeks after. It’s so disheartening. I remember watching a football match, went to the loo and had started bleeding again on day 14 after 2 days of nothing. I just burst into tears and went home as everything just floods back again when you’re trying so hard to mentally heal.

I would contact your EPU (if you had it done there) about the pain just to be on the safe side and rule out infection x

Hi everyone. My miscarriage started 5 weeks ago but it was incomplete. I then had an MVA last week. By the next day, the bleeding had stopped. I did a pregnancy test a few days after the MVA and it was negative (before the MVA it was only slightly positive). That same morning however, I started bleeding again but it feels more like a period. It's been a few days now. Could this be a period seeing as I did start miscarrying so long ago? X

@Jolio123 hi! Hope you're doing ok. I don't think I asked you this before because I was more worried about the procedure, but after the MVA did you wait until your period to start ttc? I keep getting conflicted advice so am confused! I've got my negative test but bleeding is stop/start so obviously I'd wait for that to stop first but could I start ttc after it finally stops? X

@Rolo08 I was told I could try again once the bleeding had stopped. Tbh I think I tried a bit too early, I tried again after 2 weeks but I was still spotting on and off. It really helped me heal though feeling intimate again. Like you I got conflicting info from nurses, the consultant and others on when I could actually TTC again. I just went with what felt right. I was reading on other boards at the time that a few women conceived before their next period. The nurses say to wait till you finish bleeding so there is no risk of infection. Hope your doing ok x