How to Avoid D&C After Natural Miscarriage

How to heal and avoid a D&C after a natural miscarriage tragically and unexpectedly occurs so that a hospital visit is not necessary.

I recently experienced a heartbreaking miscarriage. Instead of opting for a hospital visit and invasive D&C, I chose to have a natural miscarriage and let nature take its course at home.

D&C stands for “dilation and curettage”. It is a surgical technique where a doctor forcibly dilates the cervix and clears the uterine lining using an instrument called a curette.

A D&C is not a pleasant experience, to put it mildly! Avoiding it using natural methods is a highly desirable alternative.

Natural Miscarriage Story

I was almost 12 weeks along when I miscarried, so it was almost like a mini-birth. I was lucky that I have experienced a live, home birth when my daughter was born over two years ago. That, combined with past experiences with miscarriage, helped me to not be afraid of the process.

I was very thankful to do everything at home (as opposed to a birth center or hospital). The physical environment was an important part of my overall healing.

Unfortunately for me, after the worst had passed, I continued to bleed and have intermittent contractions. After two full weeks from the time that I passed the baby and placenta, I went back to my OB to get an ultrasound to see if I had retained some piece of the placenta.

I was also fighting a cold virus and showing symptoms of an internal infection in my uterus. My blood was beginning to have a foul odor to it.

The doctor confirmed that I had indeed retained some tissue. Later that day, at my family practice doctor’s office, I had a vaginal exam and my blood drawn to be tested. My iron levels were great, but my white blood count was low indicating an infection was beginning to take root.

My family practice doctor is very natural minded and I respect him very much, so when he suggested I take antibiotics, I listened.

I hate taking antibiotics and try to avoid them as much as I can, but I felt like the antibiotics were the lesser of two evils when weighing the risks of a D&C. (1)

Looking back, if I had been in a better mindset (thinking right and not consumed with grief) I probably would have thought to pull out the natural remedies sooner to avoid having to take antibiotics. But only hindsight is 20/20, and hopefully, this post will help someone else in the same situation.

He gave me three days to pass the rest of the tissue on my own or I would have to go to the hospital.

I left his office thinking I may have “failed” at this pregnancy, but I am sure not going to “fail” at having a natural miscarriage. I pulled out my type A, over-ambitious personality and got to work figuring out all the natural remedies that help complete a miscarriage.

Over a three-day period, I did many different remedies to help me expel the last of the tissue. And sure enough, it worked. I completed the miscarriage on my own and did not need a D&C.

Hallelujah!

Remedies and Therapies to Avoid D&C

Here are the remedies I tried to avoid a hospital D&C. The good news is, they worked!

They are listed below in no particular order.

• Tea with Dong Quai in it. I drank Traditional Medicine Women’s Moon Cycle tea. I also drank some plain organic raspberry leaf tea (I like this one) which is a hugely beneficial herb for uterine health.
• Cinnamon. I couldn’t really find exactly the dosage to take, so I just sprinkled fresh cinnamon on everything I could. Note that whether it is cassia or Ceylon cinnamon really doesn’t matter. The Women’s Moon Cycle tea also has some in it. It tastes great in a glass of raw milk or on a piece of bread slathered with butter. If you want to be bad, sprinkle on some sugar and you are in for a treat. It’s also great with cumin on a roast in a slow cooker such as a clay pot.
• Acupuncture. My acupuncture doctor did an hour-long treatment to help me expel everything. You can do pressure points at home if you prefer. They are mostly all in your ankles and shins. There is one on your hand as well, the fleshy part in between your first finger and thumb. Basically, all those points that you stay away from when you are pregnant. Stimulating them is good for expelling everything from the uterus as well as acupuncture for labor. I recommend just massaging the area and whenever you find a tender spot, rub the heck out of it, even if it hurts a bit.
• Cupping. She also did a technique called cupping. Cupping is known to release congestion and help things that are stuck, physically or energetically, unstick. (2)
• Energy healing. I had a session with an energy healer and I realized that part of the reason I was holding on to that last bit of tissue was an emotional reason. I emotionally was not ready to fully let go of the pregnancy and my body was reacting to my emotions by holding on to the last bit of tissue.
• Affirmations. After the energy healing session, I told my body over and over again to let go and release. I also repeated over and over again, “I am healed. I am healthy.”
• Homeopathy. Both Sabina and Sepia are helpful for naturally completing a miscarriage. I did Sepia because not only does it help expel the tissue, it helps expel the grief. My homeopathic doctor warned me that it would make me want to curl up in a ball and cry, a lot, and not to be alarmed. I sort of brushed him off and then later that day, I went to a yoga class. Showing up late to said yoga class late, the only spot left was smack dab in the middle of the room, next to the instructor. Just my luck! And sure enough, it only took one sun salutation and there I was, the crazy person, silently sobbing in child’s pose for the rest of the class. Super embarrassing. So if you take Sepia, stay home!
• Herbs. Black and Blue Cohosh. I had these on hand and was going to do this at the last moment. These herbs are so bad tasting that I really did not want to have to drink them. Luckily I didn’t have to. These are the same herbs you can help to induce a full-term pregnancy. They are like a natural version of the inducement drug Pitocin. Also, a friend told me that these herbs can be found homeopathically, and they are called Caulphyllum and Cimicifuga. Incidentally, herbs can be a great friend for natural birth control as well as enhancing fertility when you are ready to try again.

It’s been over a week now since my “deadline” and I stopped bleeding on that very day!

I have had no more pain or blood, which I am very, very happy about. With the physical process complete, I can finally start to move on emotionally.

I do hope that this helps anyone going through a miscarriage and looking for information about how to avoid a D&C. There is not very much online about it, and it is good to know that you can heal and complete it on your own without having to go to the hospital.

References

(1) D&C After a Miscarriage

(2) What is Cupping?