What is a D and C? And what does it stand for?

Question

I am still having the post partem bleed and after seeing my doctor i was told that i hve retained placenta and that i need to go to hospital and get a D and C

So what the h**l is a D and C and what does that stand for

I would have asked but the shock of having to have an operation freaked me out so much that i sort of had a bit of an anxiety attack and left as soon as i could

Answer 1

It means they're going to clean out your uterus - scrape away the lining.  D & C stands for dilatation and curettage.

Edit:  I had one following a miscarriage - they used a general anaesthetic.  It wasn't painful afterwards.  You'll be fine.

Answer 2

Dilation & curettage.

Either local or general anaesthetic.

(we tend to prefer GA 'cos we can do the job quicker without the patient having to have everything explained to her)

You'll be up in lithotomy position, you'll be dilated using a series of smooth tapered rods, so they can reach in with the curette is used to scrape the lining of your uterus out.

You'll be groggy/ perhaps feel sick from the GA, but it will pass.

You'll feel sore down there.

It's a common procedure (I wouldn't call it an operation- there's no incision).

Don't get embarrassed- everyone's seen it all before.

Answer 3

I had to have one after a miscarriage, and i had bleeding for a couple of days afterwards, but then i was fine physically.

My sister-in-law had one to scrape of some cysts and the same she was fine.

The operation in itself lasts less than ia about 5Min's. I was put to sdidn'tand didnt feel a thing.

You will be fine. Don't worry,

Answer 4

Dilation and Curettage

Often used to diagnose or treat abnormal uterine bleeding, the D&C is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on women. Dilation and Curettage also provides important information about whether uterine cancer is present.

You can be put to sleep during the "operation" however it isn't that painful because they do use an anesthetic, it is a bit uncomfortable but not horribly painful.  You might expierence a bit of pain afterward but nothing a tylenol can't fix.

Answer 5

Dilatation and Curettage (D&C) is a procedure in which the uterine lining is sampled with a metal device called a curette in order to determine if there is an abnormality with the cells that line the uterus (endometrium). Most commonly, this surgery is done in order to help determine the cause of abnormal uterine bleeding. It can also be done to help determine the degree of abnormality of the endometrium in cases of cancer or pre-cancerous cells that are detected by an in-office biopsy. D&C is also used to evaluate post-menopausal women who have had abnormal cells appear on their pap smears.