anyone had a d&c for excessive bleeding?

[lmh2402]

so, as an "update" to my diva cup post - i did use it with this last cycle and it worked pretty well. i'll update that post more specifically.

however, it was still not enough. for example (TMI), i totally filled the cup and soaked a "just in case" overnight pad in the span of 2 hours one day.

since getting my period after DD, i've had a on-again-off again very, VERY heavy periods. not every cycle. but every couple.

my doctor is suggesting doing a d&c to see what's going on and "clean things out."

read up on this and it sounds very unpleasant. anything that involves "scraping" in my uterus with something sharp is really not very appealing.

plus, not sure how doing that would tell them what's going on

any experience with this?

thanks

[essnce629]

I just mentioned this in your diva cup thread but I suggest you try drinking peppermint tea throughout your cycle to decrease your bleeding and shorten your cycle. Normally I have 7-8 days of bleeding with 2 days being really heavy (like bleeding through an overnight pad every few hours). For the past 3 cycles I've drank 1-2 cups of strong peppermint tea daily and my bleeding has been completely over by the 5th day and I only had heavy bleeding for 1/2 a day! I haven't had a period this short since I was on BCP in college before having DS1! I bought this super strong peppermint tea that is used by people who have IBS and I steep it for 10 minutes before drinking and add a little heavy cream.

This is the tea I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Heathers-Tummy...=vglnk-c165-20

I have no experience with a D&C for bleeding but I'd definitely want to try something else less invasive first. I'd be wary of a D&C that wasn't truly necessary as I've heard they can increase the chance of miscarriage, placental problems (previa, accreta, etc), and postpartum hemorrhage in future pregnancies.

[lmh2402]

I just mentioned this in your diva cup thread but I suggest you try drinking peppermint tea throughout your cycle to decrease your bleeding and shorten your cycle. Normally I have 7-8 days of bleeding with 2 days being really heavy (like bleeding through an overnight pad every few hours). For the past 3 cycles I've drank 1-2 cups of strong peppermint tea daily and my bleeding has been completely over by the 5th day and I only had heavy bleeding for 1/2 a day! I haven't had a period this short since I was on BCP in college before having DS1! I bought this super strong peppermint tea that is used by people who have IBS and I steep it for 10 minutes before drinking and add a little heavy cream.

This is the tea I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Heathers-Tummy...=vglnk-c165-20

I have no experience with a D&C for bleeding but I'd definitely want to try something else less invasive first. I'd be wary of a D&C that wasn't truly necessary as I've heard they can increase the chance of miscarriage, placental problems (previa, accreta, etc), and postpartum hemorrhage in future pregnancies.

thanks, latia! will order some of the tea!

zero plans for future pregnancy, but also want to avoid anything invasive just because i want to avoid anything invasive! thanks

[lizzywednesday]

I've heard of uterine ablation because a friend had one.

I didn't think they used a curettage tool, but rather a different instrument. Here's more info about them: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-proc...n/prc-20014190

Honestly, I'd use it as a last resort rather than a first step.

[BabyBearsMom]

Not quite the same, but I had a D&C when I had a miscarriage. The fetus had gotten too large to pass on its own, and I was at a risk of infection so my doctor recommended the D&C. Physically, I didn't find it painful at all. I had some mild period type cramps the next day and that was it. They gave me percocet, and I didn't find the cramps bad enough to take even an advil. I did not have any issue getting pregnant again (went on to have two healthy, full term babies) and did not have any placenta issues. If I were bleeding like you describe, I would definitely want to do something ASAP.

[justlearning]

I just mentioned this in your diva cup thread but I suggest you try drinking peppermint tea throughout your cycle to decrease your bleeding and shorten your cycle. Normally I have 7-8 days of bleeding with 2 days being really heavy (like bleeding through an overnight pad every few hours). For the past 3 cycles I've drank 1-2 cups of strong peppermint tea daily and my bleeding has been completely over by the 5th day and I only had heavy bleeding for 1/2 a day! I haven't had a period this short since I was on BCP in college before having DS1! I bought this super strong peppermint tea that is used by people who have IBS and I steep it for 10 minutes before drinking and add a little heavy cream.

This is the tea I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Heathers-Tummy...=vglnk-c165-20

I have no experience with a D&C for bleeding but I'd definitely want to try something else less invasive first. I'd be wary of a D&C that wasn't truly necessary as I've heard they can increase the chance of miscarriage, placental problems (previa, accreta, etc), and postpartum hemorrhage in future pregnancies.

Thanks so much for this info! I've had very heavy periods lately but have never heard of drinking peppermint tea for it. I just bought the one that you linked to and look forward to trying it out next period.

[MSWR0319]

Not quite the same, but I had a D&C when I had a miscarriage. The fetus had gotten too large to pass on its own, and I was at a risk of infection so my doctor recommended the D&C. Physically, I didn't find it painful at all. I had some mild period type cramps the next day and that was it. They gave me percocet, and I didn't find the cramps bad enough to take even an advil. I did not have any issue getting pregnant again (went on to have two healthy, full term babies) and did not have any placenta issues. If I were bleeding like you describe, I would definitely want to do something ASAP.

I had a D&C one week postpartum with DS1 due to hemorrhaging. I felt fine the next day. I did not need any type of pain killer after the procedure. I had no issues when we tried to get pregnant again, and had a full term healthy baby with no placenta issues. I do know that there is a chance you could get Asherman's syndrome from scarring from the D&C but it usually occurs after D&C's for pregnancy related issues. I've heard of people getting ablations to help with heavy bleeding, is that an option? I'm paranoid about bleeding after having my pp issue, so I'd also do something ASAP about it.

[speo]

If you get to this point, I went on birth control because of the length and heaviness of my periods. I take the pill continuously so that I don't have any periods. It has been wonderful. My last period was 18 days long and 5 of them were really heavy (like what you are describing) and another 3 that were heavy. That one did me in. I had always had very heavy periods and they just got worse and worse over the years.

[minnie-zb]

I have very heavy periods since my second child. One day it is a crazy heavy flow (like you not every period, but it is pretty common). And then that is it. I've mentioned it to my Doctors but they've never been concerned and they've never suggested a D&C. Personally I would not do anything without a better reason than they are giving you. I would seek a second opinion. Sorry, I've seen doctors put my mom through way too many crazy procedures just because they didn't know anything -- and still not get any answers.

[westwoodmom04]

Not quite the same, but I had a D&C when I had a miscarriage. The fetus had gotten too large to pass on its own, and I was at a risk of infection so my doctor recommended the D&C. Physically, I didn't find it painful at all. I had some mild period type cramps the next day and that was it. They gave me percocet, and I didn't find the cramps bad enough to take even an advil. I did not have any issue getting pregnant again (went on to have two healthy, full term babies) and did not have any placenta issues. If I were bleeding like you describe, I would definitely want to do something ASAP.

I had the same experience for a miscarriage. the d&c is not physically painful.