There are two options for terminating pregnancy – or in my case making the miscarriage happen: medical management or surgical management. There is a third option, expectant management - essentially waiting - but given that nothing has happened three weeks after fetus death, I've already exhausted that option. I liked the idea of medical management because it seemed natural and more personal. I would take mifepristone (RU486) to block progesterone in my body, and then misoprotol to induce the uterus to contract. Medical management is 90% effective up to 8 weeks, but it drops to 60-70% at nine weeks. And, there is higher risk of hemorrage. Surgery is a faster/cleaner option, but there is some risk of injury which can result in heavy bleeding or infection, and the cervical injury could impact future fertility.
I love data. Data makes me comfortable and happy. Finding data quantifying these risks has proven to be difficult. Especially since most of the available information is slanted toward abortions versus miscarriages.
In the end, I decided on surgery without the comfort of data. My Chinese Medicine doctor and a friend at Planned Parenthood were both concerned about how far along my pregnancy had been, and the fact that I might have a lot of necrotic tissue which would best be removed quickly to prevent infection.
Decision done. Next: my battle with Kaiser.
I am going through a similar situation. I am now waiting for the actual miscarriage to take place. Nothing has happened in the last few days and I have no pain and no spotting. I am feeling anxious......... This roller coaster ride to pregnancy and miscarriage is the ultimate test of my patience!
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are with you. Definitely make sure you advocate for yourself with your doctor, especially if you decide you don't want to continue wait for the natural process.
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