"One of the most common surgical procedures performed on women."
"It can be performed in a hospital setting using general anesthesia or in your doctor's office using a local anesthetic. An injection around the cervix will minimize pain or discomfort from the procedure and produce numbness in the area."
"Many women will notice mild cramping for a few days following D&C, as well as spotting or slight bleeding for up to a week. Your next period may be early or late."
Listen to your body because one of my friends still felt "pregnant" and she went in and the doctor discovered that they still hadn't removed everything.
"To prevent bacteria from entering the cervix following D&C, you should refrain from sexual intercourse, tampon use, and douches for at least a week."
HCG Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
"It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12-14 days after conception by a urine test [a.k.a. pregnancy test]. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8-11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy."
HSG Hysterosalpingogram
An ultrasound is like a 2-D x-ray, while an HSG is like a 3-D x-ray of your uterus, fallopian tubes and the area around them. A dye is put through the vagina, and flows through the fallopian tubes. "The pictures can show problems such as an injury or abnormal structure of the uterus or fallopian tubes, or a blockage that would prevent an egg moving through a fallopian tube to the uterus." It can also show if there is any scarring or other problems that might prevent the egg from attaching (implanting) to the uterine wall.
This procedure can be extremely painful or not painful at all, depending on the person doing the HSG. My doctor prescribed me Lortab, but I didn't want to be woosey, so I took three menstrual Midol instead. Whoever did the HSG was amazing because I hardly felt a thing. It felt just like getting an ultrasound. (Having so much caffeine from the Midol, however, did put me in a very depressive mood for an hour after it wore off ;)
Incompetent Cervix see
IUI Intrauterine Insemination
A cleaned sample of semen from your husband is injected into your uterus.
Your doctor will give you a cup for the semen sample probably a while before you actually have the procedure done. Before the IUI, the semen needs to be cleaned and to do this, you need to go to a lab. You may need to call the lab before you go. Some labs require a 24 hour notice, some require an hour, and some may not require a notice. If you're doing an IUI through a fertility doctor, they might be able to do everything at the clinic. You have to get the semen sample to the lab within 30 minutes!
The doctor puts the cleaned semen in a syringe with a long, thin tube and injects this into you. It packs a punch! It felt like a really bad menstruation. I had to lay for 30 minutes, then we went home.
Most people try an IUI every month during ovulation for 6 months. If after 6 times it doesn't work, then you must look at other options.
IVF In Vitro Fertilization
This process is where the women's eggs are harvested, fertilized with the man's semen, then put back into the uterus. This is extremely expensive. Only a few states will cover the costs and even fewer health insurance companies will help. One of my friends put up a blog to raise money for it!
