How long did your period take after RPOC removal

[13lucy]

Hi - thanks for reading this and I'm sorry to anyone who has been affected by miscarriage, it truly is an awful experience.

I had an MVA yesterday to remove 1.2mm of retained tissue following a MMC at 6 weeks (which mostly passed naturally three weeks ago).

Before the MVA I had a very faint pregnancy test so I assume my HCG levels were already well on their way back to negative.

I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and if it takes 4-6 weeks to get a period following removal of RPOC and not from the miscarriage itself?

The consultant advised waiting for a period before TTC again to give my body time to heal and make sure it's functioning well but all of the waiting is incredibly frustrating!

Hi I'm so sorry you are experiencing this.

So I had surgical management exactly 4 weeks ago for RPOC, and this was 4 weeks after having medical management for a MMC. My negative pregnancy test was 2 weeks after surgical management. I was advised that my period should come in 4 to 6 weeks after surgical management for RPOC, and if nothing in 6 weeks then to get back in touch with the hospital.

Thank you for your message and I'm sorry you've also had to go through this! So much waiting isn't there, which for me has been the hardest part. This was my first pregnancy as well so it has hit me hard mentally.

How positive was your pregnancy test before the surgical management? I hope things improve for you soon!

It took 6 weeks for me. My test was just a faint positive x

@13lucy before my surgical management it was a faint positive but positive enough to need action and scan confirmed RPOC at top of uterus. I actually had a second lot of medical management the day before surgical management and it just did nothing.

Thank you - I think I'm going to have to get patient with more waiting!

Hi, sorry to hear this it’s really a terrible thing to go through. I had a mmc 7/8, just had a period, 7 weeks later. We did try a lot while ovulation to conceive again which obviously didn’t happen. After seeing the stuff that came out I think it was best we didn’t conceive as it really needed to expel the rest of the MC. It’s so frustrating as all I wanted then was to be pregnant again but now the feeling has eased off and I feel a bit more normal. X

@Hollycharlie thanks for your message and so sorry for your loss. Did you have a natural miscarriage? I am pretty much testing negative since the RPOC were removed last week and hoping my cycle kicks in soon!

Good to hear that you are feeling more normal now - each day is a struggle at the moment but I know it will get easier.

We were also keen to TTC straight away but after speaking to the consultant we will definitely be waiting, especially as I haventy had a period since April due to amenorrhea. I got pregnant on my first ovulation after this and it has messed with my head whether this could have caused the miscarriage.

Was this your first pregnancy?

@13lucy Hey, sorry to hear how you’ve had such an awful time. It was a natural miscarriage , which I’m quite grateful for. It really was a proper struggle until my period came, but I do think that’s helped starting to get back to normal. I also had 2 months off work and going to the gym which I’ve just felt like going back now so I’ve definitely turned a corner. It really does take time. No I have an 8 year old, which was a perfect pregnancy so this is probably why I was in so much shock with this as it never crossed my mind it would happen. X

@Hollycharlie That's good to hear. I do feel more out of sync now that my cycle was kind of reset by the surgery, but I couldn't bear waiting any longer and having the uncertainty of whether the RPOC would or wouldn't pass naturally.

Given my recent bout of amenorrhoea, the consultant said to stop sport/exercise until I conceive again and then pass the 12 week mark, so that's my usual way of destressing gone too. Did you find anything in particular helped you to get through the waiting, or did it just take time and patience?

This was my first pregnancy so it is really messing my head with the fact that there might be something wrong with me. It all seems so uncertain and I'm struggling with that.

Hiya what is amenorrHea

Where you don't get your period for an amount of time. For me it stopped for 3 months.

Hi all,

I was reading this thread and would really welcome some advice as I am going through a similar situation. I had a surgical termination 6 weeks ago and still haven’t had a period and my store brought pregnancy tests are still positive (although very light)

I was told by my provider to wait until the 8 week mark and if there is no period to get in contact with my GP. I am starting to worry about retained products but I haven’t had any other symptoms. I have had the odd cramp here and there but nothing major to believe my period is close.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Did your period come? Surely the provider should do an ultrasound to check?

welcome any advice here as I am really worried now

@Annoymous3659 So mine was a missed miscarriage which I initially chose medical management for, for medication to bring on me passing things. I was still positive after 3 weeks at which point I needed to have an ultrasound which confirmed retained products of pregnancy. Due to the risk of infection, my hospital acted fast and I repeated the medical management and when that didn’t work, the next day I had surgical management to remove.

if your test is positive 6 weeks later then I’d raise this with your provider as that’s more serious than not having had a period.

@Khanga27 thank you for your response. I spoke with my provider yesterday. I have been told to wait until 8 weeks to see if my period comes and if not to get in touch with my GP. They said the positive test could be down to hormones still in my system. They went through some screening questions and don’t believe it’s RPOC.

Tbh I don’t feel massively reassured. I have got in contact with my GP today to see if they can help.

@Annoymous3659 sorry to hear you’re going through this, it’s all very anxiety inducing isn’t it. I recently had an ERPC surgery for a missed miscarriage and was told that I should be testing negative three weeks afterwards. I didn’t have any pain or bleeding, just faint line on the test. So I called the early pregnancy unit at my local hospital and they advised me to come in for a scan, just based on the positive test. They scanned me and found some RPOC and booked me in for a hysteroscopy procedure the next day. This was in London, btw. It is definitely possible to have RPOC without pain or spotting, so if I think you should contact your local EPU as I did and get them to scan you. It will be quicker than going through your GP and they can arrange treatment right away if they find something. If there is RPOC it’s best to remove it asap rather than wait, as it can become infected and it will delay your period - it usually can’t start again until the RPOC is removed. Even if they don’t find anything on the scan you will get the peace of mind and won’t have to worry while you wait for your period.

If for whatever reason you can’t get to an early pregnancy unit or they won’t scan you, there are lots of places that offer private ultrasounds. Not ideal because they’re usually around £150 but again, could be worth it for the peace of mind.

im sorry you’re dealing with this xx

@NewtoSE thank you for your response. I really appreciate it. I contacted my GP and was referred to EPU for a transvaginal scan. No RPOC was confirmed. The EPU also did a urine test in one of their machines which was negative. I was told based on the scan that it could be the case that I will ovulate soon so I am still waiting to see if my period comes although it’s coming up to 7 weeks. It’s been an emotionally draining experience and I just hope it comes soon.

I am also in London and wanted to ask if there is anywhere you would recommend for a private scan? It’s probably my anxiety but I am worried that I defo don’t have RPOC considering how long it’s taking for my period to come.

@Annoymous3659 hey, that’s great to hear you got a scan and they didn’t find any RPOC. I totally understand your anxiety but if the EPU didn’t find any RPOC on the scan then a second scan is unlikely to find anything different. But if you do need the reassurance then you could go to a private obstetrician for another scan - I’ve seen Dr Luca Sabatini on Harley Street, he is very good. An ultrasound plus consultation is around £200. A cheaper option would be to go to Ultrasounds Direct - they have a few locations around London and you can usually book on the same day. It’s about £150 there. You’d be scanned by a sonographer so you wouldn’t get the expertise of an obstetrician, but if you just want a second pair of eyes to confirm no RPOC it would be a fine option.

I’m no expert but I’ve heard that for some people it can just take ages for HCG to drop low enough for the menstrual cycle to re-start (I’m still testing faintly positive after 6 weeks and I’ve got confirmation that there’s no RPOC now). It seems like that’s what’s happening with you. Which is super frustrating but if you’re negative now and there’s no RPOC and it looks like you’re ovulating then it really does seem like everything is moving in the right direction and you’ll probably get your period in two weeks.

It’ll all be over soon enough!

@NewtoSE thanks so much for your response. I decided to wait because as you say the scans privately may not show anything different from the scan provided by EPU. I started my period yesterday which was 7 weeks and 5 days after my procedure. It’s been slightly different from my usual period, maybe a bit lighter. I didn’t really have the usual PMS beforehand. I am glad though it’s started and my system will be able to regularise.