Miscarriage

Kensington Clinic offers timely care for treatment of miscarriages and fetal demise.

Your physician may refer you or you may book your own appointment.

When a pregnancy ends on its own, it is called a spontaneous abortion or miscarriage. Miscarriages are common, occurring in 25% of pregnancies. A miscarriage usually cannot be prevented and is no one’s fault.

There is no right or wrong way to emotionally feel about a miscarriage.  Experiencing a miscarriage holds different meaning to everyone. Some want to explore ways to remember the pregnancy. Others may want to just focus on getting through the procedure on the day of the appointment. You can speak with a counsellor at Kensington Clinic if you want to explore ways to feel supported, remember the pregnancy, care for the pregnancy remains, or discuss a plan for further support after the surgical procedure. Our staff can provide resources and referrals in the community for support after a miscarriage. One organization is the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre.

You have options when it comes to caring for pregnancy remains and a counsellor will support you with whichever feels right for you. Options include:

1. The Silent Hopes Memorial is a program where pregnancy remains lost to miscarriage are cremated and interred at a memorial garden in Calgary. There is no charge for this program.
2. Private arrangements including burial or cremation can be arranged through a funeral home of your choice or the clinic will recommend a local funeral home to support you with this.
3. The clinic will care for the pregnancy remains in a regulated manner and no further involvement is required on your part.

If your pregnancy is very early, your doctor may have given you options to treat your pregnancy loss, including:

1. Waiting (expectant management) for the pregnancy to expel on its own.
2. Treatment with a medication called Mifegymiso will cause your uterus to contract and help your body expel the pregnancy. This is successful about 90% of the time within 2-3 days of taking it. Heavy bleeding and cramping are normal with this process. If unsuccessful, you may require a D&C.
3. Treatment with a procedure (D&C) to remove the pregnancy from your uterus. A procedure for miscarriage involves the removal of the pregnancy and placental tissue from the uterus. This is called Uterine Aspiration or Dilation and Curettage (D&C) for pregnancies up to 15 weeks by ultrasound.

If you are over 16 weeks by ultrasound when you miscarried, the procedure to remove the pregnancy and placental tissue is called  Dilation and Evacuation (D&E).  You can read about the risks of these procedures here.

If you have chosen to treat your miscarriage with a D&C, or your pregnancy is at a stage where your safest option is to be treated with a D&C or D&E, your doctor can refer you to a hospital or Kensington Clinic for the procedure. You may also book your own appointment at Kensington Clinic.  At Kensington Clinic we will make every effort to see you within a few days of your referral or request.

Procedures are done using IV sedation. You may feel very drowsy and not remember much after, but you will not be completely asleep. For procedures under 16 weeks, you can expect to be in the clinic for 2-3 hours. For procedures over 16 weeks, your stay in the clinic may be closer to 4-5 hours, or you may be required to come for two appointments on consecutive days. When you book your appointment, we will let you know what you can expect. You must arrange to have someone drive you home.

We will require copies of all the diagnostic investigations that have determined your pregnancy has ended or is non-viable. If you and your doctor have established you are eligible for genetic testing to determine the cause of your miscarriage, your doctor will need to forward the appropriate requisitions for the tests to us and Kensington Clinic will ensure this is done.

For more information or to book an appointment, call the clinic at 403-283-9117.