As some of you on this forum have seen, I was recently diagnosed with a miscarriage. I am supposed to be around 8 weeks at the moment, but things stopped developing very early, around 4-5 weeks - apparently my body simply didn’t react because I had no bleeding at all, no signs other than some mild period-like cramping. Because there was so little that needed to be passed, the doctors advised me to medically induce the miscarriage with cytotec.
Today I took 4 tablets vaginally at around 6.30 am. For a long time, basically nothing was happening aside from some slightly stronger period cramps. I bled a little 7 hours after inserting the pills, it was barely enough for one pad although I did feel some small clots passing when I sat on the toilet and pushed a little. This was not at all like a period, in my experience. Now all bleeding has stopped again, but I am still cramping every so often, not strongly or regularly at all, though. I am not even needing to take any pain killers.
Is it at all possible that it’s over? It was hardly any bleeding, way less than a normal period although the clotting was different. But then again, the contents of my uterus was just an empty gestational sac in the very early stages of development. If anyone has a comparable experience, do you think it sounds like I miscarried properly? Or was that probably just a preview and I should expect more ‘action’ later?
I know there’s no real way to know for sure other than ultrasound/bloodwork, but does it even sound plausible that it would be over? It was so little and hardly any pain so far, so different from my expectations/fears that I don’t know what to think.
Thanks for reading and for any advice you may have!
First of all I’m sorry for your loss.
Secondly, as you said it would be hard for anyone but your doctor to know for sure, but it sounds like it may not be over. I didn’t take any meds so it may be different, but when I miscarried at around six weeks last year I passed a plum sized sac and thought it was over then my o.b. said that if I still had any cramping that it wasn’t quite over because the cramping should completely disappear when it’s over. I did pass a little more tissue and the cramping went away completely like she said, but maybe it’s different when the miscarriage is induced with medicine. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Take care of yourself.
Hey Jackal. I’m glad you’re not cramping too badly. I wonder if that has to do with the tablets acting more locally? I took mine orally and there was a lot of stomach unrest along with the cramping, which was intense. I remember calling a friend and saying, “this can’t be right!” because the rhythm of it isn’t like a normal period… but the cramps were never so bad that I needed pain medicine. Maybe your doctor knew exactly the right dosage to give you to move things along but not send your uterus into spastic craziness? I have no idea. Surely everything’s fine. You’ll see your doc for follow-up, to make sure everything’s passed, so you’ll know then… But I bet it’s fine - the cytotec dosage must be very carefully regulated - they don’t want patients walking around with partial abortions.
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] you feel better and less worried soon!!
I’m cautiously optimistic! Very light bleeding has resumed, but it is really no more than spotting and a mix of brown and pinky red, like the tail end of a period. I think it’s not unheard of for the medication to fail in expelling everything, but yes I will just wait and see until my follow-up appointment in a week. I’m so relieved - compared to how I built this up in my mind it has been a piece of cake so far. Less discomfort than a period, even. Once I realised that it wasn’t turning out to be that painful, I stopped taking pain killers and I’ve just been hugging a hot water bottle, which has been more than sufficient. The fear of the unknown was a thousand times worse than actually going through this. Perhaps there will be an Act II, but I’m feeling happy and confident now.
Today it’s like a normal, but very light period. I’m pretty sure that’s all the effect that this dose of cytotec is going to have. Whether it was completely successful remains to be seen, but I sure hope so. I’m back working today and feeling positive. Not that I am happy to have miscarried, but at the same time I’m extremely happy that it is (or seems to be) over, so I can move on with my life.
I posted a thread with the same sort of questions a few weeks ago. I was reading things online, and everyone experienced awful pain for days. That wasn’y my experience at all. I had maybe half an hour of pain, and one clot passing, and that was it. The internet put me into a panic that what happened wasn’t right, and that I would have to go through more to finish it. I was also at 8 weeks. That was all it took for my body. I had some light bleeding for about a week, but I was able to work through it all.
I’m glad to see you’re getting back to normal. It is tough.
Well, update, for anyone who might be reading this in the future and going through something similar themselves:
This week I experienced bleeding that got heavier and was not entirely like a normal period, consistency-wise, thicker somehow (sorry), then eased off again so that one week after taking the cytotec it had almost stopped. I went in for my checkup today and although everything was much reduced, it wasn’t entirely gone. So I was given a second dose of cytotec. This time 2 pills taken orally, which I have just taken this morning (no effect so far, but it’s only a been an hour or so). They said it was likely that everything would finish up anyway when I got to my next period, but that a second dose was a good idea just to make sure, and to get things finished sooner. This time I am not frightened, since it was only half the amount I had last time and that wasn’t so bad. I do not have to go in for another checkup unless I start exhibiting symptoms of infection.
I am so sorry for your loss, @jackal. I too, had a miscarriage at 9 weeks, years ago. I had to have surgery, however. I hope this it for you, and that you don’t encounter any more pain.