Dilation and Curettage (D&C) in New York on Upper East Side and Midtown, Manhattan

What is Dilation and Curettage (D&C)?

A standard gynecological procedure, a dilation, and curettage — commonly referred to as a D&C — is a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure to remove tissue from your uterus.

As a diagnostic procedure, the D&C is used to obtain a tissue sample for testing.

As a therapeutic procedure, it aims to remove or clean out malignant or benign growths.

Both types of dilation and curettage are considered minimally invasive and have almost no recovery time needed after the procedure.

A diagnostic D&C is different from a biopsy in the technique and tools used in the procedure. However, the result is the same: to capture a tissue sample to analyze so your doctor can reach an accurate diagnosis. A therapeutic D&C is similar to a hysteroscopy, but your doctor uses a different instrument to complete it. A D&C hysteroscopy combination offers a complete picture of the health of your uterus.

Manhattan Women’s Health & Wellness offers comprehensive Obstetrics & Gynecology care for women of all ages. Our center provides a full range of gynecology services, from annual check-ups and routine pap smears to GYN procedures such as Dilation and Curettage.

Why You May Need a D&C?

The primary reason to visit New York Gynecologists to undergo a D&C is to investigate or resolve a medical issue in your uterus. Some external tests, such as an ultrasound or even a pelvic exam, can’t confirm or reject certain uterine conditions. Only by examining inside your uterus can the health problems be identified and therefore treated. A D&C allows for both.

Symptoms precipitating a D&C include:

• Bleeding after menopause
• Unusual bleeding from your uterus at any age
• Abnormal results from a Pap smear or other scheduled test

Your doctor examines the inside of your uterus for unusual growths, lesions, or conditions. If necessary, your doctor will take tissue samples and send them to the lab to test for uterine cancer, precancerous polyps, or endometriosis. If your women’s health care practitioner finds something, he can use the curette to remove:

• A molar pregnancy, which is a tumor that looks like pregnancy from the outside
• The remains of the placenta after birth
• Benign polyps from your uterus or cervix
• Any tissue left from an abortion or miscarriage

The goal of a D&C is to remove any tissue that may be causing abnormal bleeding and keep your uterus healthy.

D and C’s can be both diagnostic or therapeutic.

What Are The Risks of a D&C?

Your gynecologist has likely performed hundreds, if not thousands, of dilation and curettage procedures. It’s a safe, minimally invasive process with few complications. Like everything, however, there are a few risks to consider. They’re rare but still possible.

Your healthcare provider possibly may:

• Introduce an infection. Because your doctor sterilizes the curette, infectious diseases are rare.
• Damage your cervix. To get into your uterus, your doctor has to pass the cervix. So an injury can happen, but it’s usually minor and can be addressed at that time to stop any bleeding.
• Scar your uterine lining; nowadays, your doctor will usually use plastic curettes to minimize this risk.
• Puncture your uterine wall. This consequence is more common in menopausal women. If it happens in women who were pregnant, the punctures heal on their own. However, if a blood vessel or another organ is also injured, it must be addressed in a separate procedure.

How Is D&C Performed?

You prepare for the procedure as you would for a pelvic exam. After the anesthesia or sedation kicks in and you go to sleep, your doctor can begin by inserting a speculum into your vagina to gain access to your cervix. Your doctor will either use medication or a series of dilation rods to dilate your cervix until your cervix is open wide enough for your doctor to get to your uterus.

Using the curette, your doctor examines your uterine lining, as well as the entrance to your fallopian tubes. Then, if necessary, the curette extracts a tissue sample or removes abnormal tissue. This nuance is the difference between a diagnostic D&C and a therapeutic D&C.

Curettes can remove tissue by either cutting or through suction. To double-check the results of your D&C, your practitioner may choose to follow up the procedure with a hysteroscopy. A post-D&C hysteroscopy provides your doctor with a clear view of the work done. Sedated, you won’t feel any pain. Depending on the severity and steps, the whole procedure may take 15 minutes to an hour to complete.

What D&C Recovery Includes?

If you were under the anesthetic or sedative, you’d need someone to drive you home. D&C is an outpatient procedure, so you’ll spend your time at home recuperating. You may be sore for a day or two, but you can return to your normal activities the next day or as soon as you feel up to it. There are no long-term adverse side effects from undergoing a D&C. In some cases, it may even increase fertility for a short time after the procedure.

Immediate side effects include some mild cramping and maybe some light bleeding and spotting. You should not feel any cramps from the procedure after a couple of days or bleeding longer than two weeks. You can take over-the-counter medications for pain when you get home as instructed by your doctor, but your pain should improve to the point that it disappears over the next few days.

Do not insert anything into your vagina while you heal from the procedure. Even a fresh tampon can cause an infection. If you notice a bad-smelling vaginal discharge or experience excessive bleeding after D&C, contact your doctor immediately.

To be on the safe side, wait about a week before having sex after D&C. If you have to return for a follow-up to your women’s health expert, you can ask your doctor for confirmation when it’s safe to resume sexual intercourse.

The recovery after a D&C is minimal.

What Can Be Issues With Pregnancy After D&C?

If pregnancy is your goal, talk to your fertility specialist to understand what effects the D&C had on your ability to get pregnant. Then, ask when you can expect to be ready to resume trying.

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