D&C or Dilatation and Curettage is a minor surgical procedure that involves dilation of the cervix (the mouth of the uterus) and curettage or scraping of its inner lining by a sharp instrument or by suction.

It is done to diagnose the cause of:

1. Heavy/abnormal uterine bleeding
2. Bleeding after menopause

It is therapeutic when it treats the cause simultaneously.

1. Clear the uterine cavity after a miscarriage or abortion to prevent bleeding/infection 
2. Clear placental tissues that remain in the uterus after very early preterm delivery that can cause bleeding/infection
3. To remove cervical or uterine polyps

The tissue removed by D&C is sent for histopathological examination to check for:

1. Cancerous/precancerous conditions
2. A hormonal disturbance that causes thickening of the endometrium (hyperplasia) that could be precancerous.
3. Uterine polyps
4. Retained products of conception

-We may perform hysteroscopy along with D&C. During a hysteroscopy, a thin instrument with a light and camera is inserted in the cervix to visualise the uterine cavity so that targeted biopsy may be taken from abnormal-looking areas and conditions such as polyps may be diagnosed and removed simultaneously.

-D&C is usually done under short general anaesthesia, though sedation and local anaesthesia can also be used at times. The procedure takes around 10-15 minutes though a few hours are needed to recover from the effect of general anaesthesia.

-After D&C you may have mild cramping, spotting or light bleeding.

-You should be able to resume your normal activities within a day or two.

Dr Himani Gupta, Gynaecologist & Obstetrician at Kharghar Navi Mumbai who practices at Mother ‘n’ Care Clinic provides D&C treatment with upmost care & precaution taking patient safety as first priority.