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Dilatation and curettage; Uterus scraping
D and C is a procedure to scrape and collect the tissue (endometrium) from inside the uterus.
D and C, also called uterine scraping, may be performed in the hospital or in a clinic while you are under general or local anesthesia.
The health care provider will insert an instrument called a speculum into the vagina. This holds open the vaginal canal. Numbing medicine may be applied to the opening to the uterus (cervix).
The cervical canal is widened using a metal rod, and a curette (a metal loop on the end of a long, thin handle) is passed through the opening into the uterus cavity. The doctor gently scrapes the inner layer of tissue, called the endometrium. The tissue is collected for examination.
This procedure may be done to:
Your doctor may also recommend a D and C if you have:
This list may not be all-inclusive.
Lobo RA. Abnormal uterine bleeding: Ovulatory and anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding, management of acute and chronic excessive bleeding. In: Katz VL, Lentz GM, Lobo RA, Gershenson DM, eds. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007:chap 37.
Casablanca Y. Management of dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2008;35(2):219-234.
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