Miscarriage
At Willow, we provide medication management with mifepristone and misoprostol for patients experiencing miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Miscarriages occur frequently, with an estimated 15-25% of pregnancies ending in miscarriage. You may feel a range of emotion during this time and may need more support from your friends family or health care providers. Having a miscarriage does not necessarily indicate any underlying medical issues, and it is important to understand it is not your fault. Stress and regular activities like exercise or having sex do not cause miscarriage. If you have been diagnosed with miscarriage you have three options for mangement.
- Wait for the miscarriage to resolve naturally over time. We don’t know when your bleeding will happen. It could be within days or weeks. Many people manage well but some require pain medication or further treatment to ensure all the tissue is expelled.
- Medication management. At Willow Clinic, we provide medical treatment for miscarriages which may help you to time the start of the bleeding and help to ensure all the tissue is expelled compared to waiting. During your initial visit, you will meet with our counselor who will explain the procedure and medications as well as provide resources for further support. You will alos meet with our doctor who will review your medical history and may repeat your ultrasound if necessary, Following this, you will administer the medications at home and can expect bleeding and cramping. A follow-up appointment will then be scheduled for 10-14 days later to ensure the completion of the process.
- Surgical management. You can also have a procedure to remove the pregnancy tissue form your uterus. This can be done by referral to a gynaecologist or early pregnancy assessment clinic. Some abortion clinics also provide this service. See our Resources page for more information
In order to book an appointment with us for medication management of your miscarriage you do need to have had an ultrasound confirming that your pregnancy is no longer growing. Have your health care provider fax a referral with a copy of your most recent ultrasound to 604-251-8842 or if you have access to your most recent ultrasound report and have discussed miscarriage management option with your health care provider and have chosen medication management, you can call us directly without a referral at (604) 709-5611 to schedule an appointment.
For additionl emotional support and counselling see our resources page for more information.
Information for Health Care Providers
After discussing diagnosis and management options with your patient, we are happy to provide medication management for patients with a confirmed intrauterine missed abortion on diagnostic ultrasound. Please fax a referral and the most recent diagnostic ultrasound report to 604-251-8842.
**For early pregnancy assessment, management of pregnancy of unknown location, or confirmation of completion of spontaneous abortion, please refer patients to their local early pregnancy loss clinic or a gynaecologist.