Looking for vaginal cytotec experience (sensitive topic: MC)

[secondorange]

Here i go again. I promise this is my last post. Had a MC at 6 weeks, found out during 7th week via ultrasound after a bleed, body isn't doing things naturally and my dr wants to intervene Monday. I was really leaning towards D&C as the cytotec just sounded miserable but I wonder if this would be more "natural" and I wouldn't need to worry about scarring. I'm desperate for a baby and to TTC asap. I have heard awful things about the cytotec i.e. diarrhea, vomiting, passing out, hemorrhage etc. I just wonder if the vaginal route would cut down on the gastro symptoms or would be less intense somehow (also could I take them out if I back out and get too scared) please give me your experience xx

I’m so sorry to hear about your miscarriage, I know these words give little comfort but I couldn’t reply without saying anything.
Last year I had the misfortune of experiencing both the medical management (which I think is what you mean by cytotec), and also the surgical management too. Both times my pregnancy had stopped at about 6/7 weeks I think and were found when my husband and I went for a private scan at about 8/9 weeks.
The medical management was possibly closer to ‘natural’ in that it caused contractions, bleeding and passing of the pregnancy. In total I think it took about 6 hours for me from the doctor inserting the tablets to passing the pregnancy. I had the tablets inserted into my vagina because the nurse had told me that some people experience fewer gastro symptoms that way. My experience was that mild period pain started after about 20 mins of them being inserted and shortly afterwards I started to shake/have ‘the chills’. I spent most of the night with a hot water bottle because that helped with them. The pain was intense, and I did have diarrhoea and was sick. I didn’t have the haemorrhaging which some people have, but I couldn’t say how much blood loss there was because I spent the duration sitting on the toilet after we got home from the hospital. I did feel like I was close to passing out from the pain several times, but didn’t.
The second missed miscarriage last year I opted for surgical management. I hadn’t realised/thought that they would insert the same tablets into my vagina before the surgery to soften my cervix, but when I asked they agreed to only put them in 30 mins before the surgery so I didn’t get to the stage of pain or gastro symptoms. I was really scared because I’d never had surgery before and due to covid was on my own in the hospital, but the staff were so kind which really helped. The surgery itself was really quick (I think, I was fast asleep!). Afterwards the plan was to go back to the ward to wake up properly, have something to eat and drink and go to the loo then be discharged. Unfortunately I spiked a fever in the operating theatre (I suspect this was a reaction to the misoprostal given the chills I had in the previous experience). Anyway that meant I had to stay on the ward for my temperature to be monitored and antibiotics to be prescribed before I could go home. An additional issue was me needing the anti-d injection as I’m rhesus negative, and it not being prescribed until late in the evening which meant I ended up staying overnight. I had what felt like really bad cystitis after the surgery and that lasted for up to a week - I think that they bruised my bladder during the surgery which was the reason for this because normal cystitis relief didn’t help whereas pain killers did.
For both I needed about a week of physical recovery time.
If I have to choose again I’d go for the surgical management, but then I have read about people having the medical management and not finding it too bad so it’s definitely not the same for everyone.
It’s a horrible decision to make and one which is so personal. Sorry this post has been so long, but I remember only too well searching online for people’s experiences so wanted to share mine.
Good luck and take care of yourself @secondorange

I had medical management last year. I had two doses of misoprostol 48 hours apart because the first dose didn't induce any bleeding.
It was painful. Really painful. I had dizzy spells, feeling like I was going to pass out, chills. But for me it was the best decision, I didn't have work to go back to straight away, I could (try to) relax at home and let the process take place with my fiancé there. From an emotional perspective I think it helped me come to terms with it, by experiencing the end and acknowledging the process. I think surgery would have been just a quick fix for me. But I think it's very personal to you and your circumstances.
They suggest waiting one cycle before trying again, but that's purely for dating. You can ovulate as soon as after your bleeding from the m/c.
There's no right or wrong answer to this horrible situation.

Don't apologise - no-one talks about this stuff and it matters. So sorry you're going through this. It's such a horrid choice to make. My 2nd MC was fairly early in the lockdown last year and D&C wasn't being offered so I was given misoprostol (I think cytotec is the brandname for this?) For reference my baby measured 8 weeks when I needed medical management. I had a natural MC at 8wks measuring 5-6 and there was a lot less bleeding and fewer clots.

I definitely liked that I could take it at home, do what I wanted, and didn't have to be on my own or put on a brave face for anyone - if I wanted to break down sobbing I could. I took the tablets as pessaries. I was a little bit sick - not too bad but had awful diarrhoea. I didn't find the cramps that bad - worse than a period and I was walking around like a hunchback for a couple of days but completely bearable with paracetamol and ibuprofen. The first set of pills didn't work but they'd given me the second dose anyway in case so I took those 6 hours after the first. It took about 8 hours before I started bleeding/cramping and 17-18 hours before I passed any clots. I then had cramps and big clots and an upset stomach for 4-5 days.

I found it really distressing seeing the bigger clots but the hospital actually let me take them to be cremated which helped me get some closure as I could go to the memorial garden. I don't think that was standard practice so early but it was really lovely of them to do it.

Physically I needed about a week off work but the hospital signed me off for 2 weeks which I definitely needed emotionally. My cycle started again as usual the next month with no ill effects that I could tell and I was fortunate enough to get pregnant again 3 months later (now in 3rd trimester).