Looking for advice after miscarriage

[MoeBabyx6]

I'm just looking for some advice. I started swaying in august of 2017. I got pregnant the first cycle but had a chemical. Two months later I got pregnant again. I was doing the le diet for 14 weeks, exercising everyday for 60 min, 1 attempt, and using Clomid 50mg (just for swaying). Everything was normal with the pregnancy until my 14 week checkup when we found out the baby's heart had stopped. The baby measured 13+1. I unintentionally started back on the diet that day, I was too devastated to eat for awhile. A couple days later I had an "ultrasound guided d&e&c with suction". I saw the doc 10 days post surgery and she was confident she had got everything out. She didn't do an ultrasound or any bloodwork to check hcg levels. I bled lightly for a few days then a couple days of heavy bleeding then more spotting. I've continued to spot since then. I got my first period exactly 6 weeks after surgery. I thought the spotting would stop afterwards but it hasn't. I'm now 9 weeks post surgery and still spotting off and on. We had an attempt this month at +opk (no Clomid) and surprisingly the bleeding stopped right after. I'm now 6 dpo and the spotting is back. Those 5 days of no spotting is the longest stretch I've had. I feel like it's never going to stop. At this point I'm so over it all. I'm sick of wearing panty liners, I'm sick of spotting. I'm just wondering if all this is normal? I've read online that some docs have women go on birth control to regulate their hormones after a miscarriage. I don't want to take birth control because it means 0% chance of pregnancy. It also means longer on the diet. I've been back on LE for 10 weeks now and my bmi is at 20.8. Im not exercising this time.
I'm wondering if all this is normal?

Side note--all tests came back normal for the baby, and it was a boy so my sway did fail.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Moe.

The spotting is not normal. If they're telling you it is, they are mistaken. Something is not right here and we need for you to get in to have some testing done to see if there's retained tissue or a fibroid that could have contributed to the loss. you should not need to go on birth control, but they need to get to the bottom of what is happening.

I want you on iron 30-60 mg 3x a week from now on in.

[MoeBabyx6]

Thanks Atomic, we had sex again 2 days ago and it stopped the spotting again. I'm sure it will come back in a few days though. The docs don't know about the spotting because I haven't been seen since I was 10 days post surgery. I've been nervous to go in because I don't want to be put on birth control but at this point it's probably important to be seen. I am anemic and always have been, could this contribute to the spotting? I am not currently taking iron but I will start. Also do you have any idea why the spotting stops for a couple days after sex? My d&e was ultrasound guided, if I had any fibroids would she have seen them? I've never had any before so I'm not familiar with them.

[atomic sagebrush]

Putting people on birth control is rarely done any more. YOu're letting a hypothetical concern stand in the way of you getting medical care which you need immediately. No more going along with this here, this is not right and needs to be sorted. Retained tissue can cause infections that could cost you your fertility (and I'm not trying to scare you, it's unlikely, I just don't want you to put this off any longer)

Since you have a history of anemia please take the iron daily for the next month before reducing to 3x a week.

Doctors miss stuff all the time. I know a woman who had to have 3 D and C's because the doctors missed tissue. yes, they can miss fibroids or ignore them (many women have small fibroids that are no big deal)

[MoeBabyx6]

I wanted to update for anyone who may come across this post and may be in the same position. After spotting for 3 months post D&C I finally went to the doc. I had an ultrasound which showed a small piece of retained tissue, it measures 2.2cm. The ultrasound tech said it would have to be removed and that a doc would call the next day. I also had bloodwork which showed normal prolactin, normal progesterone, a normal thyroid and negative HCG. The ultrasound confirmed I was ovulating. The doc explained that the retained tissue acts like birth control and I would not be able to conceive with it there. The doc suggested we do a hysteroscopy D&C. This will be done Wednesday. She said she won't scrape anywhere in the uterus except where the small piece of tissue is hanging on. She also agreed that in the mean time I can try Misoprostol (cytotec) to try and let the piece come out. She gave me 8 pills total. 4 to take last night vaginally and then 4 more to insert 12 hours later. I took the second dose this morning and still nothing has come out. I'm having some cramping but no bleeding and definitely no tissue has passed. I am devastated, frustrated and pissed off. I've now lost out on 3 months while I thought I was healing. Now potentially another surgery, it feels like it's never going to end. It feels like a slap in the face to be back at square one. I'm honestly mad at myself for waiting so long to see the doc. I kept waiting, hoping and praying that with each period the spotting would stop, but obviously that never happened. The doc was also surprised that with 3 periods the piece didn't come out on its own.
I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Does anyone have any personal experience with a hysteroscopy D&C for retained tissue? Did anyone take Misoprostol specifically for retained tissue and if so did it work? How long did it take you to conceive after a second D&C or Misoprostol? After six normal & healthy pregnancies I never saw myself being here.

Atomic I am wondering what you would advise from here on out. A quick background--
DH and I are both 32 and we have 6 healthy kids with no swaying. I started swaying in august of 2017, I was doing the LE diet, exercise everyday for 60 min, and Clomid (for swaying purposes only). I conceived the first cycle (6 weeks on diet) but had a chemical. I conceived again the 3rd month on Clomid (14 weeks on diet) but had a miscarriage at 14 weeks pregnant. The baby measured 13+1. I had an ultrasound guided d&e&c with suction. I got my first period exactly 6 weeks post surgery. All tests came back normal so we don't know why the miscarriage happened. It was a boy. I continued to spot the entire last 12 weeks. I've had normal periods and ovulation since the surgery. I have now been back on the diet for 13 weeks. My bmi is currently at 20.3. I still have 2 months left of Clomid. I am not doing exercise this time. I am wondering how long you would recommend waiting to try again? The doc said she would like us to ideally wait a full 30 days before trying again whether the piece is removed via Misoprostol or another D&C, this would push us to having our first attempt in July. I ovulate on CD 16 or 17 and I would love to start trying my next ovulation in a month but wondering how you felt about it. The surgery will be done on CD 24 and I have a 30-32 day cycle. So I will get my period about a week after the surgery. My next ovulation would be about 24 days after surgery. This has been a long journey, I'm ready for some good news.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm so thankful you went in! I know it sucks but try to look at this as maybe it's the universe's way of setting things up so you get your baby girl in the end.

I'm sorry I know it's not what you want to hear but I also want you to wait a cycle. I just think that it's the smart thing to do and we don't want to end up losing more time with a conception that doesn't have the best chance of working out. It is always, of course, your decision to make and I'll support and help you either way but from where I sit that appears to be the wisest course of action.

and coming your way.

[squigglepink]

Hi Moe, just to let you know i had a hysteroscopy to remove retained product. I had a miscarraige at 12+6 and after a hospital stay and heavy bleeding for a few days which trailed off i was left with spotting on and off for months and months.. I went for many doctor trips and ultra sound check ups and we tried pills to get the tissue to move on its own but this failed to do so twice. A Gynae told me i could leave it there if i didnt want the hysteroscopy as a new pregnancy would absorb the tissue. Unfortunately the spotting refused to give in. It would stop randomly for a few days and then start again. It would also stop after sex for a few days but always start up again. I was so fed up. I had the hysteroscopy and that went fine and i bled for a few days afterward which finally stopped. However the spotting started up again and that kept going for a few months until it just left me one day and never returned.. (I did go to the doctor about it and a fertility specialist who said its not something to worry about and he checked my cervix and did an ultrasound and said nothing sinister going on and to just carry on having regular sex and trying for a baby. which is hard in between spotting) (I did ask my GP for progesterone tablets to stop it for a while to give me a break from the spotting/on off bleeding)

Hysteroscopy was done in April of 2017 and i fell pregnant in December 2017. Lost that one too unfortunately.. But that is how long it took for us and not to say it will for you too. In fact you my have zero spotting like i did after your hysteroscopy and could fall preg very soon after. I would suggest you see how you go/feel after the procedure and possibly wait for a cycle before ttc again.

All the best to you.

[MoeBabyx6]

Thanks squiggle, I'm sorry for your losses. My spotting also stops for a few days after we have sex. I'm just ready to be "normal" again. I'm hoping there won't be too much bleeding after the next D&C but only time will tell. I'm trying to stay positive, the last 3 months have been tough. I hope we both get a BFP soon!