If the miscarriage has occurred then no further intervention is required. For most women, the bleeding will stop within two weeks from the initial heavy bleeding. However, if you are still bleeding after three weeks, please see your GP to arrange to have a scan to make sure the miscarriage is complete. If your miscarriage has not been completed, then your GP will refer you back to Mater. You will then have the option to either give it more time, have another two doses of misoprostol, or to have a surgical procedure called a curette.
Our nurses will continue to follow up with you via telephone until the miscarriage is complete, regardless of which option you choose. The procedure, performed as day surgery under general anaesthetic, usually takes less than 15 minutes and includes the following:.
If you have a general anaesthetic, you will probably feel tired during the hour period after your anaesthetic; It is important that you stay in the company of a responsible adult and do not travel for 24 hours and:. You should wait two weeks, or until any bleeding has stopped, after a Dilatation and Curettage or any type of miscarriage before resuming intercourse.
Once the heavy bleeding has occurred and the pregnancy tissue has been passed, the bleeding gradually decreases then stops over the following week or two. In all cases, a sick leavecertificate can be obtained on discharge from hospital.
Generally your chances of having a successful pregnancy are just as good regardless of what treatment option you choose. However, the surgical option carries a slightly higher risk of fertility problems. When the bleeding and pain has been finished for a week, it is usually safe to start having sexual intercourse again. You may not feel like having intercourse for a while or your sex drive might decrease. Your feelings and those of your partner need to be respected. You may try for another pregnancy again when you feel ready; however, we recommend you wait until after one period before trying for another pregnancy.
Your period should return within four to six weeks of the miscarriage. If it does not, then please see your doctor for a check-up. Fortunately, most couples go on to have normal, healthy, full term babies. The chance of another miscarriage following one miscarriage is not significantly changed. Even after several miscarriages, there is a good chance of a successful pregnancy. There is no magic formula for success, but the emotional and physical well-being of both parents in the months before pregnancy will help to give your baby the best possible start.
Please remember these are only suggestions—the most important thing is to decide how you both feel about being pregnant again, and to prepare in whatever way feels right for you. Only if there is a specific reason. We recommend you visit your GP in the weeks following the miscarriage if you have any concerns. It is natural to experience grief and feel low or depressed following a miscarriage. Give yourself time to recover. It may help to talk over things with your partner, friends and close family members or a visit to your GP to arrange professional counselling if you are struggling.
After a miscarriage, it is worthwhile asking your GP for a general health check. Your doctor may be able to identify or resolve any problems that may affect a future pregnancy.
If you have a disability or long term condition such as diabetes, obesity, epilepsy or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about your plans to fall pregnant. Ask how your condition will affect your pregnancy and what extra care may be needed to reduce any risk to the baby. Illegal drugs such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine may affect fertility, increase the risk of premature or low birth weight babies or cause damage to the developing fetus.
The safest course of action is to avoid using any of these drugs before and during pregnancy. Smoking can make a man less fertile and may result in the production of damaged sperm; a woman who smokes has an increased risk of miscarriage.
Heavy drinking reduces the number of sperm a man produces and can also damage sperm. For women, heavy drinking reduces fertility and increases the risk of miscarriage. As the risk is highest in the earliest stages of pregnancy including the time before a period is even missed it is advisable that you both stop drinking if you are planning a pregnancy and during pregnancy. Certain infections may increase the risk of miscarriage or abnormality to your baby during pregnancy. Rubella German measles can lead to serious disability for your baby if you have it in the first few months of pregnancy.
Even if you think you are immune, ask your doctor for a blood test to check. You can be vaccinated against rubella, but it is best to wait three months after the injection before becoming pregnant.
A well balanced diet is the basis of good health. A good diet will help to provide the best possible conditions for your baby to grow. Recent research has shown that folic acid microgram tablet once a day appears to reduce the risk of neural tube defects e.
High doses of certain vitamins and minerals can be harmful, so it is advisable to obtain advice from your doctor before taking any supplements. We are sorry that you have experienced the loss of your baby in early pregnancy. You are likely to feel sad and you may need time to grieve. You may experience a range of feelings such as sadness, anger, bitterness or guilt.
You may worry that some activities such as exercise, going to work, or sexual intercourse caused the miscarriage. This is a normal reaction, but it is very seldom that anything you have done, or not done, that has caused your loss.
The loss of a baby can be traumatic at any stage of pregnancy. Experiencing an early pregnancy loss can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, particularly when other people around you are having babies. Any resentment that you may feel is common and normal. It is important to acknowledge and accept your feelings and experience, as a part of the grieving process. Partners are likely to feel upset because of your distress, as well as for the loss of your baby.
You may be able to support each other and may even feel that this experience has brought you closer together. However, grief can put a strain on even the closest relationships. You and your partner may both be upset but in different ways or at different times. Your partner may also feel guilty because you are the one who has experienced the physical aspects of miscarriage. Children often notice when something is wrong, especially if a parent or someone close to them is upset.
You may want to think about telling them what has happened, even very simply, especially if they knew you were pregnant. There are brochures and books available to assist you in understanding how children grieve and how to explain what has happened.
Pastoral care is also available to provide you with support and guidance with how to approach the conversation. All babies and pregnancy tissue will be treated with the reverence and dignity required by the philosophy and Mission of Mater and the Sisters of Mercy. Mater arranges a group cremation for all babies who died in early pregnancy, unless otherwise notified by parents. These collective ashes are then placed in a reserved memorial garden located away from the hospital at Eco Memorial Park, 21 Quinns Hill Road West, Staplyton.
Please be aware that we cannot give you any indication of the timing for cremation or internment of ashes. We invite you to visit the garden at any time.
Do not hesitate to ask the staff to see your baby, no matter how small they are. Many parents find this helpful in the monthsahead. However, sometimes, there may be no baby to see and you may find it difficult to grieve for your baby because you have no one to clearly remember. For this reason, you may like to create some memories of your baby such as planting a tree or shrubor creating your own personal memorial.
Email: mmh. It is likely that you will feel sad following your loss. Light bleeding may last for about 2 weeks. Patients may take OTC acetaminophen to help manage the pain or prescription pain medication eg, acetaminophen with codeine , along with the misoprostol may be used.
It is important for patients not to take both OTC and prescription pain medication to avoid exceeding the daily recommended dose of acetaminophen. Women who are Rh D negative should receive Rh D -immune globulin within 72 hours of the first misoprostol administration. Follow-up is important after misoprostol administration. Advise patients to follow up with their OB-GYN within 7 to 14 days for an ultrasound to ensure the complete passage of tissue. December 8, Early pregnancy loss.
Published May Accessed November 28, Mayo Clinic. Regardless of the heaviness, the median bleeding time has been reported to be 12 days and the duration may last longer than 30 days. Other possible side effects include abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, and diarrhea—but these are seen less often. For pain management of abdominal cramping, over-the-counter ibuprofen or other NSAIDs should be recommended, provided that the patient does not have contraindications for their use.
With miscarriage being such an emotional time, patients may not have a clear understanding of why the remnants of the pregnancy need to be evacuated or know the more severe adverse events of miscarriage to watch out for, including infection and hemorrhage.
Patients with miscarriages are at risk for infections due to dilation of the cervix. Antibiotic prescriptions are more commonly prescribed for patients with postsurgical abortion, although they may also be prescribed to miscarriage patients taking misoprostol.
Hemorrhage is also a concern with miscarriages. It can be a result of damage to the reproductive organs or coagulopathy. As the patient passes the contents of the uterus, vaginal bleeding will occur. If the patient experiences abnormally heavy and prolonged bleeding, she should contact her obstetrician immediately. After receiving counseling on more severe adverse events of miscarriage, patients may be concerned, and their concerns must be addressed.
Patients need to know to monitor for these signs and symptoms to reduce the risk for complications through early detection.
Interaction with a pharmacist can positively impact the emotional outcomes of a patient with a miscarriage. Psychological outcomes improve if the emotional issues are discussed.
She may be blaming herself for the miscarriage, due to the misconceptions that stress, exercise, or sexual activity could lead to early pregnancy loss. Forums can be helpful resources for women to read about other miscarriage stories, and possibly share their own experiences.
Examples of forums that can be recommended can be found in Table 2. October is National Miscarriage Awareness month; there are many events held during this time for a woman and her family to remember their lost child.
The annual Wave of Light is on October 15 at 7 pm in your time zone; participants can light a candle for at least 1 hour to honor those lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonate death. It is important to clarify that misoprostol will have no impact on future fertility. Recommendations may vary among physicians and should be individualized per patient. In addition, patients who are emotionally unstable may not be psychologically prepared to become pregnant soon after their miscarriage.
In these patients, contraception options should be discussed and put into practice to prevent a possible unwanted pregnancy. The use and compliance of contraception is higher in patients who are counseled on its importance at the initiation of misoprostol treatment. When a prescription for misoprostol is brought into your pharmacy, it can be for either an elective abortion or a spontaneous miscarriage. The terms abortion and miscarriage may be used interchangeably, so communication is necessary to understand why the patient is taking misoprostol.
These interactions should begin with providing comforting words to the patient, and transition into the use of misoprostol and encouraging discussion about miscarriage.
By following these best practices, pharmacists will be able to make a difference in the emotional well-being of patients receiving misoprostol for a miscarriage. I have always appreciated—frankly, always expected—that my pharmacist asked whether I had any questions about the medications I was taking.
Unfortunately, in a time when I needed it most, it was not offered. Going through a miscarriage is a significant emotional rollercoaster.
The physician prescribed medication to manage my missed abortion, including pain medication, antibiotics, and misoprostol. When my doctor explained what was happening, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I was not paying much attention, much less asking any questions.
I dropped off my prescription at the pharmacy shortly after the appointment. I had been crying in the car before I arrived, and I am sure I looked visibly upset. After a short while, I went back to pick up the medications, including misoprostol.
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