Introduction to D&C
If you need either therapeutic or diagnostic D&C, Women’s Clinic of Johnson County can help.
About 50% of miscarriages do not expel naturally. When tissue remains in the uterus, it can cause pain, heavy bleeding, and other symptoms. Dilation & Curettage, or D&C, is one solution, which allows your provider effectively target and remove the remaining tissue. We can also use this same technique when tissue remains after abortion; or there is excess lining or tissue, which is causing abnormal bleeding or discomfort.
Service Overview
What it Covers
- Heavy Bleeding
- Miscarriage / Abortion
Procedure Time
< 30 minutes
Hospital Stay
Outpatient
Recovery Time
1-2 weeks
Anesthetic
General
Downtime
2 - 6 days
Our Locations
We perform Dilation & Curettage at the following hospitals:
Olathe Medical Center
20333 W 151st St
Olathe, KS 66061
Phone 913-791-4200
Advent Health Shawnee Mission
9100 S 74th St
Merriam, KS 66204
Phone 913-676-2000
Surgicenter of Kansas City
8800 Ballentine St
Overland Park, KS 66214
Phone 913-894-4050
How it Works
There are two reasons why we might suggest Dilation & Curettage for a patient—for therapeutic purposes or diagnostic.
Whether you are eligible for an Endometrial Ablation or a D&C will be determined by a series of exams and tests, typically an ultrasound, blood test, and/or hysteroscopy. Once we receive the results of your tests and you have decided that D&C is right for you, we will schedule the procedure for a time that works best for your busy schedule.
While under anesthesia, we will dilate the cervix. Dilation before curettage is an important step in allowing us to effectively reach the target area. Once the cervix is open, we are able to reach and remove the tissue in question.
Therapeutic D&C allows your doctor to remove tissue from inside the uterus. The D&C procedure targets and removes specific concerning tissue within the uterus, such as an incomplete miscarriage or abortion which the body did not naturally expel (or other abnormal tissue or growths). This excess tissue can cause patients’ symptoms ranging from pain to heavy or abnormal bleeding.
Diagnostic D&C works the same way. However, rather than removing the entire amount of tissue, we remove only a small sample to be used for testing purposes. This sample of tissue can tell us a lot of information regarding your overall health and be an effective indicator of uterine cancer and/or benign tumors.
Benefits
Treating your concerns quickly and efficiently.
Removing excess tissue from the uterus by performing a D&C procedure can help alleviate heavy bleeding caused by excess tissue remaining from a past miscarriage or abortion. It can also help us diagnose larger concerns such as uterine cancer, uterine polyps, and even endometrial hyperplasia (a precancerous condition that causes the uterine lining to be too thick).
Frequently Asked Questions
Post-Operative Instructions
Your post-operative instructions for gynecology procedures were created for you by the Women’s Clinic of Johnson County to aid in your comfort and understanding of the recovery process. Our goal is to provide you with an excellent surgical experience. Thank you for choosing our health care team.