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Sue S - September 17th, 2005 2:48 AM

I took three doses of Misoprostol yesterday at home after being diagnosed with a missed abortion type of miscarriage. My story goes like this... I went in for my first prenatal appt 9/7 and the doctor said there was no heartbeat and the fetus was measuring 6 wks instead of 8. During the next week the doctor checked my hormone levels to ensure they were dropping (they were). On 9/14 he did more ultrasounds (two different technicians) to ensure that there was no heartbeat, then sent me home with the Misoprostol and pain medication. Yesterday morning I took the first 3 pills orally. After about an hour the menstrual-type cramps started and, I am sorry to say, diarrhea too, along with stomach cramps. I took the pain medication then and felt better in about 1/2 hour, but no blood was coming. I drank a lot of fluid and ate some soup because I was really afraid of becoming dehydrated. The stomach cramps lightened up and after about 5 hours the menstrual cramps started. Blood and clots that equalled about one pad every 45 minutes. After 8 hours, I took the second dose of cytotec, but it did not have the huge effect of the first dose (meanwhile I continued the pain meds every 4 hours). Around 11 hours after taking the first dose, the blood came faster - a pad every 20 to 30 minutes - and I started to get concerned about bleeding too much, or falling asleep and passing out. I stayed awake until around 16 hours after the first dose of cytotec (1 am) and got out of bed to take the last dose and use the restroom. Passed one big clot and went to lay down. I slept lightly until 3 am with almost no bleeding since 1 am. Slept the rest of the night with a heating pad and woke up with almost no more bleeding and only mild discomfort. Today the bleeding is very light. I have to recommend that if you take this medication, you commit yourself to staying in a reclined position ALL DAY - except for the minor trip to the kitchen or bathroom. I found that the bleeding did subside a little if I did not walk around. I am interested in hearing the experiences of others and I will post back to this page next week if anything unusual has happened after the follow up ultrasound to ensure that my uterus is empty. My doctor wanted me to use these tablets because I was under 9 weeks pregnant and the risks associated with a D&C are slightly higher for scarring, infection, and problems with general anesthesia. It was nice to be home, but I was getting scared around hour 11, but that was the "hump" and the rest has been better.

Alison - September 17th, 2005 8:24 AM

Sue I am so sorry for your loss and all you have been through. It still amazes me that so often women are given these pills and then sent home-I live in the UK and have suffered 3 miscarriages. As I always wanted to avoid surgery and was told each time it could takes weeks to happen on it's own I took the pills to make me contract. Where I stay the maternity hospital have a ward for women miscarrying or threatening to, when you take the pills they keep you in while you take them to keep an eye on you and give you pain relief. They also examine you every so often to check your cervix etc. I too found it extremely painful with the pills the worst pain ever-really strong contraction pains and lots of heavy bleeding with clots. I didn't have diarrhea but was sick. Each time I passed the baby & sac after the 2nd dose but continued to have contraction type pains for several hours after. Each time I bled for approx 1 1/2 weeks afterwards and the 1st AF came 4 weeks after the miscarriage started. Each time they also scanned me before leaving hospital to make sure everything had passed. Again I am just so sorry for your loss and all you have been through it really is awful and as glad as I was to avoid surgery I found it horrendous taking the pills. My miscarriages were 9 wks (baby died at 7 1/2wks) 8 1/2 wks (blighted ovum) & 10 wks (baby died at 7 1/2wks) I pray neither of us have to go through that again and that we will have a healthy pregnancy and baby next time. Was this your first loss? Most women go on to have a healthy baby after 1 miscarriage-I wish you every blessing. Take care xxx

Sue S - September 23rd, 2005 8:46 PM

Took me a couple days since my final u/s appt (9/20) to post a follow-up, but I am happy to say that my uterus looks normal and the doctor said I could ttc again after af. All and all I guess I was fortunate that I didn't have any complications with the medication. I would have to say that it's sort of a toss-up if I would recommend it to a friend. Both D&C and cytotec have their pros and cons. Me personally, if I was ever in the same situation (please no!!!), I would take the medication instead of the surgical procedure...and I would take it very easy and stay home (which is close to the hospital). Alison, thank you for responding to me with your story. I am so sorry that you have had to go through this. This was my first miscarriage. I am 37 and I am blessed with two healthy, young children. I wish you the best, if you are still out there, let me know... I would like to ask you some other questions.

Diane Gregg,L.M. - September 28th, 2005 11:33 AM

I am researching Cytotec for an article in my second book and I have a news alert about it on my website: inspiringbirthstories.com
Sue and Alison both I am so sorry for your losses. I am a midwife in private practice, mother of four and grandmother of one. I am writing books of birth stories from my practice. Many young women seem terrified of birth . The risks with Cytotec are rare but very serious including mothers dying. Please be careful.
Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and birth. Diane

Alison - September 28th, 2005 1:31 PM

Hi Sue I'm still here-been busy at work so not able to post as mcuh as I would like! How are you holding up? I'm glad there were no complications and your uterus looks ok. Scans show mine does too thankfully. I was told there were no possible side effects from the pills I took so am now wondering if they were the same thing or not? I think they must be though or at least something very similar? I am pleased to hear you have 2 lovely children! That does not make your loss and grief any less though and again, I am so sorry. I wish you every blessing. Feel free to ask me any questions. I will hopefully be back soon..take care xxx

C.R. - October 1st, 2005 10:54 AM

I'm on my 5th unsuccessful pregnancy. I had a D&C 14wks, natural at around 6wks, blighted ovum w/ cytotec around 11 and cytotec at 7.5 weeks. The first time with cytotec I think the dose was too high. I was told to take them vaginally and within the hour I thought I'd die from pain. Talk about diarrhea! In July they gave me a lower dose and it was not nearly as bad b/c I didn't get the diarrhea. One thing I have learned after all these m/c is that no matter how much you want to sleep your life away, it's when I stand up and move around that I bleed and when I'm resting I don't. So, the more often I get up and when I get to a day I want to move around, the sooner the m/c completes itself and I can get on with af.


Illyria - December 2nd, 2006 8:57 PM

Hi all,
Im so sorry for everyone's loss. I am a 40 year old woman, and had a natural miscarriage last month (10/2) after being 4 weeks along.. I became pregnant again right away, and went in for my first appt. and the sac seemed empty so my Dr. did an HCG level test. Sure enough they were falling. I took Cytotec that day (Thursday). 1/2 hour after my first 3 pills severe cramping set in along with chills.. I didnt get any stomach problems, but felt like I was getting the flu and was in a lot of pain. I started taking the pain meds after 3 hours when I decided that the cramps were not getting better. I started spotting right away, but it was brown, and very light. The cramping continued as I took the next set of 3 pills 6 hours later. They didnt make me feel as sick the second time. The bleeding did not intensify however, and I didnt even change one pad the first day. By the next morning, after my last dose of cytotec the bleeding started to get less and I have only gone through one pad. I am worried that I didnt have a full miscarriage because according to all sources I should have bled a lot more. Its now Saturday and I havent even changed my panty liner, but the cramps continue. I will find out on Monday if this was a successful miscarriage. Wish me luck...


jill-78 - December 3rd, 2006 9:39 PM

Hello....I also had a missed miscarriage. My dr also gave me Misoprostol (Cytotec), but he inserted them vaginally. I got a fever and diarrhea. I had slight cramping 8 hrs after and then one big cramp. I went to bathroom and a small clot came out. After that I just had slight bleeding and slight cramping. I did not need to take the pain medication. I went in 3 days later and my dr did an u/s and the baby had passed. Because I didn't have much bleeding the dr gave me another dose of Misprostol vaginally. Two days after that I had another small clot come out, but other than that just slight bleeding. My dr is now having me go in weekly to get blood tests to check the hCG levels. Four weeks later they are down to 16, but must be at zero, so I go in again next week. I still have not gotten my period and am waiting since I would like to try again. Hope this helps and good luck to you, Illyria.


jessie101 - December 17th, 2006 7:58 PM

I had a my first pregancy which resulted in no heartbeat 2 weeks again. I go tomorrow for a dose of cytotec. I just had cervical surgery in July (have healed perfectly) but my dr. thought it could cause more problems to operate again so soon. I hear that the med causes labor type pains, but I have never been pregnant before and don't really know what to expect. I would appreciate any insights you might have. Thanks.

Illyria - December 27th, 2006 1:47 AM

Hi all,
Just checking in. I ended up going to the on call Dr. 4 days after my first doses of the abortion medicine. She did an ultrasound because I was having really bad cramping again, and there was still a part of the embryo left inside me. She gave me another dose of the meds and sent me home. This time they were vaginal... Ugh.. to have to go through it again. It made me bleed a little more, but not much.. Then 5 days after that after intercourse a very large piece of tissue came out. I think it was done. I went to the Dr. a couple of weeks ago and my HCG level was at 8. Im now experiencing cramping, similiar to period cramps... but light and persistent. Could I have ovulated as late as 3 weeks after my first round of pills even though I still had tissue left in my uterus? We used protection until Dec. 18, and my first round of pills was on Nov. 30th... Im so sorry for everyone going through this. It is the most painful experience.


Anna13 - September 12th, 2007 1:17 PM

Thank you Sue for sharing your experience. I am getting ready to go through the same thing. It seems that my pregnancy never really developed. So this morning on my way to get one more ultra sound, I was spotting blood. I was probably about 8 weeks. We just never saw anything develop in the sac. This is my third miscarrage in a row and really did not want another DNC. I will take you advice and take it easy.

heathersherman27 - September 26th, 2007 8:39 PM

I will be starting the same process on Friday 9/28 and I'm grateful to be able to read about your experience with the Misoprostol pills because I now have an idea of what to expect. My story is exactly the same ( # of weeks preg etc...) I'm still pretty nervous. What has happend since day 2-3? Thank you

sandralop - September 28th, 2007 6:32 PM

Hi all, I should be 9 weeks pregnant but I have been diagnosed with a 5 week old blighted ovum. 3 hours ago I took the 4th dose of misoprostol medicated by my dr to m/c. (I have been taking them every 6 hours, starting yesterday). I have felt pain and cramps, but not much blood has been coming out. I really don't want a d/c.... what do you recomend??


jlbko - September 29th, 2007 4:15 PM

Our baby was diagnosed with no heartbeat at my 8.5 week appointment on September 5th. They started me on Misoprostol on the 10th - 3 pills vaginally. That afternoon I started bleeding and had cramps, but everything was really light. Two days later I inserted 3 more pills. Nothing much ever happened. I had some bleeding and then nasty brown sludge (sorry, gross) for several days but not very heavy at all and only one or two clots. 8 days after starting medication (12 days after miscarriage diagnosed), I went in for an ultrasound and nothing had really passed. I had a D&C September 19. I felt very very frustrated (who can't miscarry successfully?) and felt like I had wasted a lot of time with the medication for nothing. The D&C was fast and I was under general so I never really even knew what happened. I thought the waiting game of the drugs was MISERY and I hated having to "watch" for the baby to come out. The emotions were too much for me. I would do a D&C quickly rather than try the drugs. I just felt like I wasted two weeks and I now could be 2 weeks closer to trying again. The process felt never ending.


kayla f - October 15th, 2007 2:35 PM

Hi Sue,
My baby was diagnosed with no hearbeat at 10 weeks. I was sent home with a prescription for Misoprostol and took two pills vaginally, within two hours I was having severe cramping and then about an hour after the cramping started I passed what looked like the size of an egg, which I assume was the baby in it's sac. It was a pretty emotional time and was difficult to see your baby come out that way, I had bleeding for almost 13-14 days after. I would not want to go through this ever again and if I had my time back would have chosen the D&C.


sadlytrue - November 22nd, 2007 11:53 AM

I had never thought a lot about medically induced A. While on the pill, I became pregnant last year. I was not in a position at all where I could support a child, and it would not have been fair to bring him/her into the world. My doctor gave me misoprostol. I was told to go home, insert 4 vaginally, and lay on the couch with my feet elevated. I had no idea what I was in for. About 5 hours later it felt like I was going to have really bad diarreah.....so I would sit there.....and nothing would happen. Another hour passed, I started to run a 103.3 fever, I was shaking uncontrolably, was sitting with the diarreah while vomiting in a bucket. Large amounts of blood were passing, and finally a large clot. This whole process lasted if I remember correctly about 14 hours or so before I could actually lay in my bed and catch a few hours of sleep. If anyone is going to be taking misoprostol for pregnancy purposes, I would really suggest that you have someone there to care for you the whole day and night because you will not be able to do it alone. Take care to anyone reading this, and remember, don't be scared. It sounds really aweful, but you will make it through. You have to be strong.


beth523 - November 30th, 2007 9:50 AM

Let me begin by letting everyone know I had a panic attack the day I found out I was going to have to do this. I was incredibly scared of not knowing what to expect. Then I read the stories of those who had done this and became 10 times more freaked. I even had to call my care provided be reassured I wouldn't die from this. I even went as far as asking her if she felt it was necessary to be admitted to the hospital. She reassured me and said it was safe so here starts my story. First, I made sure I had someone here with me so I called my mom (I'm 26). I took 800 mg of Motrin at 6:30 AM on Nov. 28th and I began my 1st dose of cytotec at 7:30 AM. I had to place 4 200 mcg tablets into my vagina. At 10:30 AM, I began to feel minor period cramping with a small amt. of brownish blood. I passed 2 dime sized clots. Then an 11:30 AM major cramping began. Out of 10, I'd say they were about a 6. I took one Lortab 5mg and 45 mins. later the cramping was relieved. I kept taking the Lortab every 3-4 hours to ensure the cramping would stay minimized. I was able to eat a 12 inch sub sandwich, a bag of chips, and drink soda during the entire process. I NEVER got diarrhea nor did I spike a temp. I did vomit once just a little but I think that was b/c of the additional Motrin I took with the Lortab doses. (The midwife told me to take Motrin 800 mg every 8 hours....I don't recommend this...I know that is why I became pukey...). I remained comfortable all day and would sometimes forget that I was inducing an abortion. I NEVER saturated a maxi pad. I changed them about every 2 hours just for cleanliness sake. If I was not concerned about being hygienic, I probably could have worn the same pad for about 6 or 8 hours. Around 7:30 PM I went to go check my bleeding and pee and I passed a lemon sized sac. It was not painful, it just felt kinda weird. I was very relieved to know that this was over and I would not need a D&C. After I passed the gestational sac, my bleeding picked up slightly. I took another Lortab around 11:30 PM and slept through the night. I woke up the next morning and I was feeling fine. No more need for any pain meds and my bleeding was minimal. It is now the 30th and I am still bleeding very slightly ( I could switch to wearing a panty liner vs. a maxi pad.). I am so incredibly thankful that my cytotec experience was not as unpleasant as I thought it was going to be. Knowing what I know now, I will not fear becoming pregnant again b/c I feel like I could take cytotec again if I had too. I would recommend getting your care provided to give u a prescription for Lortab 5mg. I would not have made it with out them. Those pills were my saving grace through this whole process. Having my mom here was also a MAJOR help. I know everyone's experiences are different, but if you are nervous please try not to be. Be strong, make sure you have someone supportive with you, and take Lortab every 3-4 hours. You will be okay and my prayers are with anyone who has to go through this.


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