Looking for Advice on "Retained Products" in the Uterous

Hi L.,
I ended up having 3 mis carraiges before I gave birth 4 months ago. What's happening in your case seems strange given the fact that you had a D&C. My advice to you is to get a second opinion. I'm not sure where you live, but you may want to see another OB in the area or see a specialist if your problems persist. This forum is a really good way to get names of other doctors in the area.

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic towards you & your situation, but there are so many other couples out there that would be so grateful to be you, given the fact that you had no issues conceiving. Best of luck. I know this is frustrating, but with a bit of patience & a lot of persistance, you & your husband will end up with the greatest miracle of all!
Best regards,
R.

I am surprised that they did not do an ultrasound and see what is actually in there. I would request one and take it from there. Make sure you are taking a multi-vitamin faithfully and make sure you eat foods high in iron. Loss of blood can drain your body of essential vitamins, minerals.

Like the other women I feel for you. I don't have specific advice for you but I do have the name of an amazing Dr. that may help you. Dr. Keith Isaacson out of Newton Wellesley Hospital (Off 128)/90 intersection). His practice is SO thorough and nothing gets dismissed. He has advanced equipment that allows non surgical procedures to be done instead of surgical ones. He is a women Dr. and his practice is a fertility center. He raises his eyebrows to all the other doctors bad choices and makes you feel justified for your concerns. I never felt my questions weren't answered when I left his office. I found him after another Doctor REALLY messed up on me. And of course I kicked myself for listening to bad advice in the first place and waisting an entire year of with another doctor and not getting pregnant. It is So frustrating to have to wait to get pregnant. He gave me my beautiful twin boys, now 3. Good luck and listen to what your gut tells you. Women are usually right since we have that 6th sense!
E. J.M.

Hi i come from germany and my spelling is not very good. But i try my best for you to understand. I always caried my childre no moore then 7 months. The first childw as onely2 pounds. I thing you should realy give your boddy a rest. Take your mind of havinga baby for a while . It sounds strange. I worket at new england metical center in boston . You are trying to hard to havea baby and i seen this happen before . Give it about 6 to 7 months. And take you mind of it . I no it is very hard to do. But all the bleeting you have done is not good. Your body has to heal before you try again . And that takes 6 to 7 months . I am sure if you do this . By next year you will have healthy baby . This is to much 4 your body its not getting enough rest . So let me know how things are going ok? Thanks B.

Hi L.. I have no helpful advice for you, I just wanted you to know that your story touched me and I will pray that you and your husband have a family soon.

Good luck, and I'm sure this is more of a frustration than anything.

my heart goes out to you. I too had 2 m/c back to back at 14w both times, I bled and bled for weeks with both. one I had a d/c and the other I did not it didn't make a difference. i used some herbs to pass the retained products and it seemed to be effective...maybe ask your acupuncturist about that. Take this time to heal your body and heart your babies are waiting for you
God Bless
K.

Hi L.!
Even though your dr. is aware of the situation you need to be aggressive about your fertility-tell him or her that you need some effective help.I have had 4 misc. and 2 "chemical" misc. which is when the hormone levels are high as if I am pregnant but is no longer shortly after.I understand how frustrated you are and how there seems to be no control over your own body.I have 2 girls now one is 6 and the other is 2-they did not get here without close monitoring.I would love to go on about the subject so if you have other questions let me know maybe I can help.Best of luck and don't give up!

Hi, L.,

I would definitely recommend either switching doctors or, at the very least, getting a second opinion. I had a "retained product" situation after I gave birth to my daughter. I had a really bad postpartum hemmorrage about 1-2 hours after giving birth, and the doctor had to do a D&C on me because she couldn't get my placenta out. The pregnancy bleeding never stopped like they said it would, and, 2 weeks later, I woke up in the middle of the night having hemmorraged again (only this time with much less blood in my body that I could afford to lose.) Thank heavens, the doctor in my OB's practice that was on call said to come in for an ultrasound because it turned out that I had retained product and needed another D&C. The doctor at the local hospital said I was getting my menstrual cycle back. Whatever. Just because they are doctors does not mean that they are always right.

The point is, don't be afraid to advocate for yourself, and don't let a doctor make you do something that you are uncomfortable with. Get a wsecond opinion and ASK QUESTIONS!! If you don't do it for yourself, unfortunately, no one else will.

Good luck!

Hi,

I am sorry to hear what you are going through. I went through something similar. After trying for a year to get pregnant we first got pregnant in August 06. Our first ultrasound showed that the baby was not developing and I had a D&C with no complications (it was of course emotionally horrible, but went as to be expected). After waiting two cycles I got pregnant again and everything seemed to be going well until I started bleeding heavily. They did an ultrasound and couldn't tell about the status of the baby because there was so much clotting (but surprisingly my hormone levels kept rising, so there was still hope). After a week of bedrest and then lots of ultrasounds and hormone tests my hormone levels started declining and they determined that the baby was not viable. I had another D&C - this one had very painful cramping associated with it. I was still bleeding and my hormones levels didn't go down at the appropriate rate so they determined that I still had some pieces of placenta attached so I had a second D&C about a month later. This one went much like my first, no significant pain, and the levels dropped off pretty quickly, but I had gotten pregnant in early December and it was mid-April before we could start trying again. It is so frustrating because the miscarriages are so devastating and all I wanted to do was start looking to the future and preparing for our next chance, so when you have a set back on top of the miscarriage it feels unbearable.

So, I am several years older than you and had already been seeing a fertility specialist. I had genetic screening to see if that gave any indication as to why I was miscarrying. I do have one mutated gene that can lead to problems with clotting -the solution, take a baby aspirin every day- easy. I had one more failed pregnancy that was almost more of a chemical pregnancy than a miscarriage, but the bottom line is we went to IVF and after one try I am now 35 weeks pregnant and I am expecting a baby girl in just a few weeks.

I don't know what the rule of thumb is when you are under 35, but it seems like you might need another D&C and you might want to seek a fertility specialist. You don't seem to have trouble getting pregnant in the first place, but they may be able to help you find out why you are miscarrying. After our second miscarriage we had a whole battery of tests run and it honestly felt like we were actively doing something instead of just waiting for my next cycle to start. If you don't go to a fertility specialist, I would consider switching doctors like other people recommended.
Bottom line. You are going through something really sad, frustrating, scary, and depressing, but hopefully you will get through this soon and be ready to start trying again in a few months and the outcome will be a healthy pregnancy. I know it can happen, eventually it happened to me.

Good luck, my thoughts are with you.

L., I'm so sorry for your problems. Good advice has been given to you. Isn't it amazing that the teenager can get pregnant without trying very at all but as we get our acts together and we really want a family it seems to be a great challenge to find the time, co-ordinate it with our cycle, eat properly, take the right vitamins and everything else we have done to become pregnant and stay pregnant.

The advice has been given to get a second opinion, I agree.

The advice has been given to have a second D&C, I agree. Retained products would mean the first D&C was not complete! you may have a case against the physician, along with the fact he never took your hormone levels. I use to be a nurse that worked maternity, one of the happiest and can be saddest departments to work.

The advice has been given to give yourself some time to heal, physically and emotionally at this point, I agree. Your body must be at it's peak of health to be the best place for your baby to begin life. Give yourself some time. These days 32 is not too old, my age is too old, 50 for more than one reason. Get back on your feet after seeing another doctor or two. Remember you are the consumer and if you don't like the product in one store you go to another, shop around til you find the right fit.

Lastly, seek God in this time of apparent tragedy. He gives us struggles to strengthen us to become more like Him and to rely on Him for everything. You have received a message where you will be prayed for, I agree and will keep you in my prayers.

Would love to hear when things get better for you.

First of all, I am so sorry for all you have gone through, both medically and emotionally. Retained products are not unusual after a miscarriage, and it can happen after a D&C. I don't understand why they seem to think it is okay to leave something in the uterus. It would seem to be a breeding ground for infection as well as a barrier to future pregnancies. I worked in a women's clinic years ago, and retained products was a complication, not an acceptable condition to maintain. The endometrial biopsy was a good idea. The bleeding can be the result of the retention, and not just post-miscarriage bleeding that should sweep out the products. It's possible that another D&C might miss them, and I hate to see you go through this procedure again, but I seems outrageous to suggest that you should continue on with something remaining in your uterus and - what? - just hope for the best? I would seek out a fertility specialist, or at least another opinion. There is also a wonderful group called Resolve which is a support group for those with infertility or problems getting/staying pregnant. You may well find other women who have been through the same thing and can give you very specific advice. There are groups all over the country and they have been well regarded for ages - I knew about them 20 years ago when I was going through infertility. Good luck!

L.

I can definitely understand your pain. Last March I gave birth prematurely to my daughter after a very extremely complicated pregnancy (my water broke after we had a house fire at 15 weeks pg with twins, one of which did not make it the other had no fluid and had placenta previa, and I had low blood pressure and low weight gain). I had to have an emergency c-section after keeping my daughter in without fluid for 12 weeks. She had a twin brother that had passed away at approx 15 weeks. Incredibly they "forgot" to remove him during the c-section. They could not do a D&C due to the damage to my uterus from a T inscision in the c-section and the infection that followed. I dealt with retained products and infection for over 8 mo, and still have some irregularities. There are not any easy answers to complicated situations like these. I am finally to the point that I am no longer passing tissue.

It is so nice to hear that your husband supports you. It is a very difficult thing to go through. (I've lost 5 babies, and have 2 living children), but it is a really incredible and wonderful thing that your husband is supporting you.

See if the Dr. can do a follow up ultrasound. For me the complications were compounded many times over by the complications of the pregnancy and the resulting c-section.

Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions or if you just need to talk.

I am sorry to say I don't have any advice b/c I too am trying to get pregnant, but I am very curious to hear how others respond to you. Sorry you are having such a difficult time. You sound like you're keeping your spirits up and being positive - good job! Hope Spring will bring good things to you and your husband. Blessings! Allison

First let me start by saying I am so sorry for your losses. I am married, 36 years old with a four year old daughter. I completley understand your frustration. I had a similar situation. I was pregnant in June 2007 and found out at 12 weeks that I had a miscarriage but, my body didn't miscarry the baby. On August 1st I had my first D&C which had terrible complications. My doctor did check my levels to make sure they went back down to zero. In the meantime though I had an ultrasound only to find a small piece of something inside me (they thought it was extra tissue from the 1st D&C) I had a second D&C 6 weeks after my first one. Which my doctor told me all of the risks with having two D&C's so close together but, you need to take care of you!!! No one else can that for you. My husband I had to wait 3 months before trying again. Thankfully right now I am 13 weeks pregnant with our second child. I know how much you want to be pregnant but, right now you need to take of you! Did you ask the doctor if having a small piece of tissue inside of you will cause a miscarriage with your next pregnancy. I wish I knew the answer for you.

But, take care of yourself and get yourself well and then wait the two cycles before tryin again.

Good luck with everything.

My number one suggestion would be first and foremost to find a new doctor. It sounds to me like they did not follow up properly with you and are being pretty casual about all this. You have the right to have your body back. Perhaps you should even think about maybe going to a fertility clinic now since you've had problems twice and they can get you back on track before you try again. Put yourself first, get yourself a doctor who listens and is willing to help you. I wish you only the best.

Have you only seen one Doctor about this? I would recommend seeing someone else. I think that no matter what your ailment, a second or third opinion is always valuable. Good Luck!

I am so sorry. I had a miscarriage about two years ago and it is one of the most difficult things to go through. I would suggest you find a different doctor. Although I am not a physician, I did work in a medical office. If we, or a patient thought they might have retained tissue they would alway give them an ultrasound and a D&C if there was tissue found. Of course there are different circumstances in every case, but it sounds very odd to me that your doctor would just send you on your way without investigating further and/or giving you a D&C. Good luck.

You poor thing!! I had a misacarriage this fall and used the drug versus the d&c and it did take a couple cycles to get my period somewhat regulated. I think if it were me I would try the d&c again and maybe ask about the medication as well?? ALso, I would see if your acupuncturist knows of any other alternative remidies..sounds like that actual was the best thing you did! Our bodies are so complicated it's amazing healthy children are conceived and born and a miracle every time! Hang in there and good luck with number 2:)

Hi L.- I too am one of the "small percentages" that have had 2 miscarriages. My fisrt pregnancy was Nov 06, found out I miscarried, had a D&C in Dec. I was the NEVER the same. My periods were so erratic. Miss one month go 40 days b.w the next one, bleed for 2 weeks. After trying Clomid in Sept. of 07 I finally got pregnant again, had another miscarriage. I refused a D&C and had the miscarriage "naturally". The next month Nov 07, I got pregnant ann am now 20 wks and expecting a girl! When I went in for this ultrasound the tech told me that i had a lot of scar tissue. My doc told me that any type of tissue on the uterine walls could effect implantation.

Unfortunelty, doctors see many miscarriages a day. They are kind of immune to the emotional side of it. I was never followed up on by the office either. I thought there was something wrong with me for 2 back to back miscarriages. I cant tell you how many women I meet who have the same story. Give yourself a moment to get back to normal and then keep trying. My doc told me it is very unusual to have any more than 2 miscarriages in row.

Good luck! I totally understand what you are going through