Digital curettage is a gynecological operation that is used for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. The intervention is carried out in a hospital under anesthesia. During the operation, only the top layer of the endometrium is removed, which grows, dies and is removed monthly in a natural way. The cleansing procedure is simple, but certain complications may arise later, so you need to know what the discharge should be, how you feel, and so on.
When cleaning is done
The curettage is a minor operation, but it is still a surgical intervention, so the treatment is prescribed when the medicines no longer help. Cleaning is carried out both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Most often, the procedure is prescribed if there are remains of the embryo in the uterus after an unsuccessful abortion.or partial miscarriage, to remove a dead fetus during a missed pregnancy. Curettage is indicated for severe uterine bleeding or removal of polyps, sometimes prescribed after childbirth, with uterine myoma, endometritis, after an abortion. For diagnostic purposes, the procedure is carried out to take biological material for histology, if pathologies of the endometrium are detected on ultrasound, oncological diseases of the cervix or body of the uterus are suspected.
How long does an abortion
In case of an unwanted or frozen pregnancy in the early stages, a cleaning of the uterine cavity is necessary to remove the fetus or its remains. How long does an abortion take? Up to twelve weeks, pregnancy can be terminated at the request of the woman. Up to six weeks of gestation, medical interruption is possible, at a later date, interruption can only be performed by surgical intervention.
If the gestational age exceeds twelve weeks, an abortion is performed if there are serious indications: fetal pathology, mother's diabetes, social indications (husband's death, mother's imprisonment, rape, court decision on deprivation of parental rights). The maximum period at which a pregnancy can be terminated is 22-23 weeks, and in fact, from the twentieth week of gestation, if necessary, not an abortion is performed, but labor induction or a small caesarean section.
Preparing for the procedure
Before curettage of the uterine cavity, how long should I stay in the hospital? What preparation is needed for thisprocedure? If surgery is performed in the absence of pregnancy, then it is best to carry it out a few days before the expected period. So blood loss will be minimal, and the body will recover faster. To remove the polyp, the operation is performed immediately after the end of menstruation, so that the location of the polyp can be accurately determined on the thin endometrium.
The procedure is not emergency, it is scheduled as planned. Although curettage of the endometrial cavity of the uterus is a minor operation, it is necessary to conduct a thorough preparation for the procedure. The patient is carefully examined and all the necessary tests are collected: general blood, bacteriological smear, tests for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, biochemical blood test, smear for oncocytology, ECG, blood for Rh factor and group.
Two weeks before the procedure, all pharmacological preparations that a woman takes should be canceled in order to exclude a negative effect on the blood coagulation system. Two or three days before the operation, it is recommended to refrain from douching, use only warm water (without soap) for hygiene procedures, stop sexual intercourse and the use of suppositories that are inserted into the vagina. Eating should be avoided 8-12 hours before the scraping to safely administer anesthesia.
Carrying out scraping
The procedure is performed in the operating room on a gynecological chair. During the operation, the upper layer of the mucous membrane is completely removed, if necessary, the remains of the embryo or polyps are removed. First, the neck is expanded. ita rather painful process, so everything is done under anesthesia. If curettage is needed immediately after childbirth, then this stage can be skipped, because the cervix is already dilated naturally. Then a dilator and a special probe with a round end are inserted into the vagina.
After sufficient expansion, an ultrasound or hysteroscope (special video camera) is examined. The doctor can skip this stage - it all depends on the indications. Then the scraping is carried out directly. A curette is used to remove the mucosa. This tool looks like a spoon with a long handle. The obtained samples are collected in a test tube for further research. Separate diagnostic curettage of the uterine cavity involves the collection of material from the uterus and from the cervix separately.
The duration of the procedure is about 40 minutes. In some cases, it may also be necessary to clean the cervical canal. This is a separate diagnostic curettage of the uterine cavity and the cervix of the organ. The epithelial particles are then sent for analysis.
When scraping the uterine cavity, how long should I stay in the hospital? If everything went well, then the patient is released the next day after the procedure. From twelve hours to a day you need to stay in the hospital so that doctors can help with sudden severe bleeding, deterioration of the general condition of the woman, the appearance of negative consequences from anesthesia, and so on.
Recovery period
Recovery after cleaning is quite fast. bleeding aftercurettage stops within a few hours due to the high contractility of the uterus, but during the recovery period a woman may feel a lot of discomfort. The consequence of anesthesia is increased weakness and drowsiness. Pain may occur for several days. With strong discomfort, you can take Ibuprofen or Paracetamol. For the next ten days after the intervention, there may be a scanty discharge from a yellowish to brown tint.
General recommendations
Within two weeks after the intervention, you need to follow some recommendations to make the recovery of the body easier. Do not douche, use tampons (replace with pads), visit the sauna or take a bath (shower only). Sexual rest, lack of physical activity is recommended. In addition, drugs with acetylsalicylic acid should not be taken.
Normal highlights
Bleeding after scraping is normal. During the operation, the top layer is removed, so that the organ cavity becomes a continuous wound surface that will bleed for a certain time. This is the main cause of bleeding after curettage. Allocations are essentially no different from menstruation. How long does bleeding last after an abortion (cleansing) or curettage for diagnostic purposes? The duration of bleeding may vary. Normal discharge is considered to last about fivesix days, but not more than ten. There should be no strong odor. Gradually, the intensity of bleeding decreases. Normally, the lower abdomen may hurt, these sensations are associated with uterine contractions.
Pathological bleeding
Complications after curettage of the uterine cavity can occur for various reasons: too long an operation, insufficient processing of the hands of medical personnel or instruments, poor-quality work of a doctor. Fortunately, complications are becoming less and less common these days. With an optical device or an ultrasound machine, the doctor can see the inside of the organ and determine how well the surgical intervention was performed.
Pathology can be distinguished by a number of characteristic features:
- Duration. Bleeding after curettage should not last longer than ten days. Complications are usually associated with hormonal imbalance, surgery in the middle of the cycle, tissue remnants in the uterus.
- Endometritis. The inflammatory process develops when pathogens enter the uterine cavity in the event that the instruments were processed with insufficient quality. The cause of inflammation can be the remains of the fetal egg and other pathological inclusions. At the same time, the discharge has a sharp unpleasant odor, the temperature rises after scraping, there is severe pain.
- Accumulation of blood in the uterus. Blood clots are not removed because the channel is closed. Pathology is characterized by fever, severe pain, cessation of discharge throughtwo days after the procedure.
Treatment after curettage
The doctor prescribes hemostatic drugs and drugs that reduce the uterus. In some cases, some traditional medicine may be recommended. Herbal decoctions and infusions work no worse than drugs, have no contraindications and save money. In severe cases, antibiotics are prescribed, a blood transfusion or repeated curettage may be needed. In case of violations of the work of hormones, consultation of an endocrinologist is required.
After the operation, a special diet is mandatory. The menu should include more products that have a positive effect on hematopoiesis. These include buckwheat, red meat, beef liver, pomegranate. Bed rest or no physical activity is recommended (depending on the condition of the patient).
When urgent help is needed
In some cases, bleeding after curettage becomes pathological. You need to contact a gynecologist as soon as possible in the following cases:
- body temperature increased;
- the woman's condition deteriorated sharply, severe weakness, dizziness, fainting appeared;
- discharge has a strong smell and color of meat slops (this indicates the presence of infection);
- blood stopped flowing two days after surgery, abdominal pain appeared (possibly blood clots formed in the uterus);
- bleedingabundant and lasts quite a long time;
- discharge does not stop, although more than ten days have passed since the procedure;
- pain does not go away after taking pain medication.
The above symptoms in most cases indicate a serious pathology that requires medical attention.
