MMC Advice Please

[Malachite666]

Hi Ladies,

Im mid 40's and found out Im preg. with first child. Since knowing I did bleed a few days with terrible pains, I thought it was a mc. I did another test and it was positive. I was o/s at the time with my partner who doesnt want to know about the preg so Im alone with this. Three tests showed pos. then when I returned to my country I went to GP and blood test showed pos also. A scan which the result confused me said that they felt the baby was not alive, I was nearly 6 weeks then.

I go for another scan this week not hopeful but did read on here but cant find the thread again, that some women who went through a MMC had been given 3 options of what to do next. I know I must sound naive and I am in this topic, but so that Im prepared on the day and understand correctly, what are the three options offered when a MMC has been diagnosed?

Any advice would be really appreciated, thank you in advance.

Malachite, so sorry to hear about your sad news. Is there anyone else you can talk to in rl about this or take with you to the next scan for support? I have had two mmc in the past year and the options I was offered was an ERPC which is the old D & C which is basically an operation to remove the pregnant, the other is to take a pill which basically encourages your body to start the mc process rather than waiting for it to start naturally. The third is just to wait for your body to miscarry naturally but this can in some cases take a number of weeks. In my first mmc I carried for 2.5 weeks after baby stopped growing and with the second for 5/6 weeks.

I choose the operation the first time as I just wanted it over with. It was very quick and painless and I had much less bleeding and discomfort than when it happened naturally the second time. I was not offered the op the second time as by the time I came back for my second scan my body had already started the process anyway.

For what it's worth I would definitely choose the operation again as I was back to normal (well physically anyway) by my next cycle.

mlmonkey, thank so much for your reply. That helps me to understand more than the technical talk of the GPs etc. No I dont have anyone to take with me or to talk to unfortunately so Im literally all alone with this which makes it a little more difficult when I dont understand what is happening or going to happen.

The bleeding I had for the few days and the pains I really thought I was going through a MC and I had bleeding again when I returned home but I think that it may have also been stress from my ex partner throwing me out and turning his back on his responsibilities. Also I think that the long flight from Amsterdam to Sydney may have taken its toll as well.

Maybe also the bleeding was my body trying to naturally do its work I dont know Im just guessing. The Dr didnt explain to me much from the scan just that he felt the baby may have died but at near 6 weeks it was best to wait these two weeks. He didnt say anything about when he thought the baby may have MC and I didnt know they could even tell that so I never asked. It would have been a little miracle at my age to have my only child but things happen for a reason they say.

Thank you so much again for your advice you dont realise how greatly it is appreciated. I felt a little silly for being so naive on my situation.

Regards
Malachite

I'm sorry for your loss, it sounds like you are going through an awful time.

I just wanted to give you a bit of information on medical management, as that's the option that I chose. I was treated in the uk but I would imagine its fairly similar in Australia.

I chose the tablets over waiting as I couldn't bear not knowing when it would all start (I'd already been carrying a dead baby for 3 weeks without any proper bleeding); and I wanted to avoid an anaesthetic so didn't want an erpc. I was given a tablet to stop my body producing progesterone on the day the mmc was diagnosed, and then 2 days later I went in to complete the treatment, which involved a pessary and then tablets a few hours later to induce the mc. I bled a lot, and it was painful but I was given pain relief and once I'd passed the sac the pain improved. I had to stay overnight as they weren't sure I'd had a complete mc but it's usually done with within a day, then I had a scan a few weeks later to check it was complete.

Good luck, and come back and ask if you've got any more questions. There's a mc board under 'body and soul' too that I got loads of support from too.