Dilatation and Curettage procedure, often referred as D and C, is a procedure that used to examine the uterus, if women experience abnormal or excessive bleeding, inability to conceive or to maintain pregnancy for a full term. It is a gynecological procedure that uses a tool called curette, which scraps and collects the tissue from the uterus walls.

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Your doctor may advise you to go through the procedure if you experience following conditions:

• Heavy period, associated with the strong pain and cramps

• Abnormal bleeding, that occurs between menstrual periods, after sexual intercourse or after menopause

• After miscarriage

• Uterine cancer can be detected in early stages

• Pelvic inflammatory disease

 

Dilatation and Curetage procedure may be performed in a hospital operating room, surgery center, or a room in a doctor’s office that is specifically designated for the procedure. Usually it is performed under general anaesthesia, or in some cases under local anaesthesia.  On the day before the procedure, you doctor may apply special medications in order to soften and open the cervix. Therefore, you may experience mild discomfort and cramps in abdomen. A pain relief medications are advised to be taken during this period.

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How is the procedure performed?

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After anaesthesia, your will be laying on the operating table where your legs will be popped up. Your doctor will use speculum to hold the walls of the vagina and with the special instruments dilatation of the cervix done. Afterwards, a curette will be inserted to scrub and collect the tissues from the uterus walls. The scraped tissue is sent to the pathological laboratory for further tests.

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 Risks and complications

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Dilatation and Curettage procedure considered as a low risk procedure. However, risks associated with this technique includes infection, bleeding, pain. .  Also, you may have some vaginal discharge for a few days. Avoiding intercourse, lifting heavy objects, and using tampons for 1–2 weeks after the procedure is recommended