D&E- dilation and evacuation

You shouldn’t worry about it too much! A D & E is simply a medical procedure, where the cervix is dilated, and the inside of the uterus cleaned, or evacuated. Hence the name D & E or dilation and evacuation.

 

This procedure is normally advised after you have experienced a miscarriage, or a missed miscarriage, or even, in some cases, after a pregnancy to term, to remove any leftover materials in the uterus.

 

Generally, a D & E is considered safe, and will not affect your chances of future pregnancy (some mums even claim it helped them get pregnant faster!) There are, however other options, such as waiting for spontaneous evacuation of tissue, or using drugs or medications prescribed by your doctor to induce expulsion.

 

Whichever you and your doctor decide on, whether it’s the natural approach, medication or a D & E, it’s important to remove the leftover material in your uterus, to reduce the risk of infection. After all, while a D & E is 99 percent safe, an infection can be harmful, or even cause you to have trouble conceiving in the future!