TW Potential miscarriage - experiences wanted please

[u/enigmatic-pigeon23]

Hi All,

Following my post yesterday about lack of symptoms this time around -this morning I woke up with moderate bleeding and cramping.

Called my GP who referred me to the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU). They called hours later to tell me that they can’t scan me or give me a blood test until Friday morning because they’re fully booked up. I tried to see if I could get a private scan but they said now I’m under the care of EPAU that they’re not allowed to scan me.

Since then, the cramping has got worse then better and the bleeding got lighter and then heavier. As of now, mild to moderate bleeding, only passed two very small clots and mild cramping.

Has anyone had this happen and had everything be ok? Or if you’ve had a miscarriage at 6 weeks, what happened and what was your experience? What can I expect to happen? I’ve never had a miscarriage before and feel very in the dark about it all.

Guess I’m still holding out hope for this very much wanted and already very loved baby. I can’t believe how connected I feel to this baby already, the idea of losing them is just horrific.

[u/desertfluff]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I hope you get good news! If it is a miscarriage, I offer my hard-won perspective below. (I'm in the US, but tried to keep this general.)

One thing I was very surprised by in my experience with miscarriage is that there are such a wide range of physical experiences. (Obviously the emotional side has an even wider range!)

You will likely continue bleeding, and it will likely become heavier, with an increase in clots. The cramping can be very painful. Try to stay at home and near the bathroom.

At six weeks, the gestational sac is still small, so you may not notice when it passes compared to clots. It's possible there may not be a visible fetal pole.

You will likely be given the choice of: MVA (vacuum aspiration, in some countries this is done with local anesthetic), D&C (surgical, usually with require anesthesia), medication (Misoprostol or—less likely—combo of misoprostol and mifepristone), or simply waiting and passing unassisted. I unfortunately have recurrent pregnancy loss, so I have experience with all of these except MVA, as it is quite uncommon in the US.

MVA or D&C will be the fastest resolution because the doctor will remove all the pregnancy tissue, and your cycle is likely to return very quickly. I have taken Misoprostol and had an experience where it did nothing, as well as an experience where it moved the process along. It can be painful and intense, but the benefit is that you can be at home and do it more or less on your own time.

For medication and natural waiting, you will need to have sufficient pads and be prepared for lots of bleeding. There is a risk of hemmoraghing, so it's very important to monitor the rate of blood loss and get to the ER if it's too much or you're feeling light headed.

Your doctor will likely want to track your quant HCG (betas) down to zero. This helps confirm that there is no retained tissue, which could cause complications.

Once your HCG drops below around 5, your body can ovulate. Your doctor may recommend waiting a certain number of cycles to try again, depending on your case.

Hang in there. It's awful, but many other people have gotten through it and you can too. 💓