Having a miscarriage often brings some uncomfortable decisions. After diagnosing a miscarriage, doctors commonly recommend or suggest a D&C to remove the remaining tissue. This surgical procedure makes it almost certain that everything comes out, and some women prefer to speed up the process rather than waiting for a natural miscarriage after receiving the terrible news. Yet, the D&C procedure is invasive and has some definite disadvantages. Many prefer to avoid it whenever possible.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at misoprostol and mifeprestone as alternatives to the D&C. The study found that the drug was 84 percent effective in speeding up the miscarriage. While its failure rate is still not as low as that of the D&C, which has to be repeated 3 percent of the time, the pill is far less invasive and appears from the study to be safe. Visit the above link or WebMD to read more.

Thoughts:

I wrote about the D&C question last year in one of the inaugural articles on this site. It is never an easy decision to have to make. Neither option, whether D&C or natural miscarriage, is anything anyone should have to go through.

Having had a D&C after my second miscarriage, I remember having a lot of conflicting feelings. I hated checking into the hospital to have my baby removed, and I especially hated finding a cold and impersonal description of the procedure in my medical records later. I felt invaded again just reading the description of what they had done to me. At the same time, it was something of a relief to have the miscarriage over with. I could start picking up the pieces of my heart and moving on, rather than waiting several more days or weeks until my body could complete the miscarriage.

I think this third option could definitely benefit some women. When you learn you're going to miscarry, and the diagnosis is 100 percent certain, I can imagine little worse than having to wait for weeks with that knowledge. This pill could allow women to move on but without the invasiveness of the D&C. While this is still a situation no one should have to face, maybe this option will help some women by avoiding the worst aspects of the other two.

Have thoughts? Please share them in the forum or email me at miscarriage@bellaonline.com.