QuestionHi, Sara,
I have been diagnosed with two empty gestational sacs. I started spotting brown when I was (I suppose) 6 weeks. i have been spotting for more than two weeks and now they have started measuring my hcg levels on blood, but i don't know the results yet. My question is, how long does miscarriage last ? Am I supposed to start bleeding heavily any time? Thanks a lot, I am so tired, just waiting and waiting.
AnswerHi Anna
I'm so sorry to hear of your news. I too had a blighted ovum, I spotted briefly at 6wks but didn't miscarry fully 'til almost 11wks, unfortunately because the spotting wasn't investigated I carried on not knowing til I started bleeding.
Please don't panic, you won't have to wait that long! The wait for miscarriage can vary greatly from each woman & each miscarriage, but early diagnosis means that it can be acted upon sooner.
I suspect that because you haven't started bleeding yet, they'll monitor your hCG levels to see how fast they're dropping.
If they're dropping slowly or remain the same, they may offer you a D&C. This is usually performed under a general anaesthetic & it's to remove everything in one go. I wish I had opted for this, as it was very traumatic and unpleasant going through a natural miscarriage & I ended up having surgery anyway as there were still bits of tissue remaining which caused me to bleed heavily.
If you opt for a natural miscarriage you can bleed for about 10 days, if you have surgery then because they remove everything you'll usually spot for a few days.
I'm not suprised you;re fed up. I expect that all you want is to grieve and gain closure, but you can't do this until the physical process has started.
You can actually start bleeding at any time, so do be prepared with plenty of thick sanitary towels (you cannot use tampons) and make sure that you remain accompanied when you can or carry a mobile phone around with you in case you need help. Some women start off light and it gets heavier, others experience heavy bleeding out of nowhere.
Once you start to bleed, it's advisable to get to the hospital ASAP. If the bleeding is so heavy that it soaks towels within minutes then you can call an ambulance. This is so they can monitor you and check to make sure everything has been passed. If it hasn't, it's also an ideal time to book you in for surgery.
Once you've been given the all-clear, you'll be sent home usually with a patient care instruction sheet. If you can, take a week or so off of work to give you some privacy & a chance to grieve. Your doctor doesn't have to reveal to your employer why you have been signed off, just let the doctor know and they will write something different on your sick-note.
I do hope this has helped, I've tried to be as comprehensive as possible and give you the information I wish I was given when I had a miscarriage.
I wish you the best of luck - please don't hesitate to come back to me if I can help with anything else.
Kindest Regards
Sarah
