-
Hi Renee,
I am so glad that you are able to be present for your patient…we can do so much good in these situations. I personally find that after terminations the blood tends to stagnate a bit more than in SABs (spontaneous abortion). I don’t know if it is a function of living in the frigid North or just what I see in my practice, but very clotty periods seem to be more common for awhile after a termination vs. an SAB. So in the months that follow, I keep an eye on tongue and pulse and ask lots of questions about the quality of the menstrual blood once the period returns. If she had a d&c I would be especially attentive to keeping things moving well in the uterus because of the risk of scar tissue development. As Debra mentioned – lots of moxa. And I echo Claudia to be on the lookout for signs of retained products as we are sometimes the providers who catch the earliest signs that something isn’t quite right.
Sometimes after a loss like this there is a desire to become pregnant again right away. I think we can also do alot of good here in encouraging people to take their time and allow their bodies, minds and hearts time to heal prior to becoming pregnant again. Anytime I work with someone after a loss I am both helping them to recover and also keeping an eye toward getting their cycle as healthy as possible for a potential subsequent pregnancy if that is what they are hoping for.