Compassionate Miscarriage Treatment Services in Michigan

Miscarriage Treatment / Early Pregnancy Loss Care (EPL)

If you think you are having a miscarriage, the staff of Northland Family Planning has the expertise, experience, and compassion to help you and address your needs in these difficult circumstances.  We offer emotionally supportive miscarriage management to help you through the physical and emotional challenges of pregnancy loss.

Have you tried to force a miscarriage at home on purpose? If you have already tried home remedies to self-abort and are nervous or scared about what might be happening or you don’t think it worked—we can help you, it’s OK. Please call our office; you can be honest here. We understand, we do not judge, and we are here for you.

We offer our miscarriage patients:

• Fast, convenient service with a much lower cost than with your private doctor’s office or the emergency room
• One-visit care, in a more intimate, emotionally-supportive setting than a hospital
• Quick treatment: If you have insurance but no physician, you don’t need to find a new doctor to care for you
• NO hospital visit required!  One-visit care, in a more intimate, emotionally-supportive setting than a hospital
• Quick treatment: If you have insurance but no physician, you don’t need to take the time to find a new doctor to care for you
• Confidential treatment: Some patients prefer that their private physician not know about pregnancy at all
• A stellar reputation among physicians and genetic counselors all over the metro Detroit area and beyond who refer their patients to NFP

If you know you are having an Early Pregnancy Loss, you are not required to receive the State Mandated abortion information before scheduling an appointment with us. 

Why Northland?

We are dedicated to helping pregnant people and their families in all areas of reproductive health care. Many of our patients have asked us specifically to provide EPL treatment because they appreciate the way we care for them.  We are proud to be able to offer miscarriage treatment to those who know they are experiencing a loss and those who find out when they come to the clinic.

Our staff and physicians are experienced in and dedicated to not only providing the best medical care, but also to honoring the loss you and your family are experiencing. We are committed to ensuring that you receive the emotional support you may need and deserve.

Please be aware that many of the patients in our office may be here for abortion care. Good people make different choices at different times in their lives. If you have negative feelings against abortion and being in our office with people choosing abortion, Northland Family Planning may not be the right place for your care.  We understand that, we judge no one, and are happy to refer you elsewhere. 

What is EPL?

Early Pregnancy Loss, or EPL, is known by several names.  Most commonly referred to as a miscarriage, it can also be called a missed abortion, threatened abortion, or incomplete abortion.  When you experience an EPL, it means that the pregnancy has failed and is no longer growing normally.

What are some common signs of an Early Pregnancy Loss?

• Bleeding and passing clots
• Mild cramping
• Low backache also may occur
• Sometimes there are no symptoms, but an ultrasound shows that fetal growth has stopped*A small amount of bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy is relatively normal and often stops on its own without treatment. If you have spotting or vaginal bleeding early in pregnancy, if your bleeding is heavy or occurs along with pain like menstrual cramps, you should contact your health care provider.

What are my treatment options?

Our physicians will offer you advice about further treatment after an evaluation and exam. We offer two options:

• Aspiration or Suction Procedure-This method is commonly referred to as a D&C (dilation and curettage).  Using an IPAS manual syringe or a vacuum aspirator to remove the contents of the uterus, this simple procedure can be completed in 3-5 minutes in our office. If you need pain medication we offer light and moderate sedation options.
• Medication Management- This uses prescribed medication at home, which causes cramping and heavy bleeding. In the event that the medication does not work, an aspiration/suction may be needed to complete the miscarriage.

If you prefer an Expectant Management approach, or “wait and see,” we will refer you back to your family doctor or to a hospital emergency department. Some miscarriages do not resolve on their own so follow-up care by your physician is important. Northland does not offer this option at this time.

What To Expect At Your Appointment

The Northland Staff will:

• Confirm an EPL with a pregnancy test and ultrasound
• Have a private conversation about your treatment plan and medical history
• Perform your exam and suction procedure in a clean, softly lit procedure suite with music and aromatherapy for relaxation OR
• If you choose medication management, you will receive your medications and instructions from the physician
• When you are discharged, you will receive a prescription for post-procedure medications, which can be filled on-site, a Homecare Packet in which you will find helpful guidance on both physical and emotional health, and a 24-hour emergency phone number
• Follow up laboratory work (if necessary)

Additional Information:

• The physician may need to send the pregnancy tissue to a reference lab for evaluation by a licensed pathologist.  The physician may also order a series of hCG beta blood tests. These tests are done to determine that pregnancy tissue was removed, to eliminate the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy, or to see if the reason why you had a miscarriage can be determined.  There are additional fees if a test is ordered
• If you have an Rh-negative blood type, you will need to receive a rhogam injection regardless of the procedure.  There is a fee for this medication

Follow up care:

• We ask that medication management patients return in 2-3 weeks for a follow-up

Taking Care of Yourself, Emotionally

We want all of our patients to know that regardless of how you felt about this pregnancy before you started to miscarry, we will take good care of you physically and emotionally so you can take the next steps in your life.

Unplanned Pregnancy

1) We have worked with abortion patients since 1976. We know that when a person has an unintended pregnancy and is considering abortion, they might wish or pray for a miscarriage.  The obvious reason for this is to avoid having to make a difficult decision as a miscarriage makes the decision for her. Even when a person has hoped for a miscarriage, there can still be a full range of emotions from relief to sadness and all emotions in between. We understand that, and we welcome complex feelings.

2) Many pregnant people with an unplanned pregnancy are happy about being pregnant and share the same feelings as those with a planned pregnancy when faced with a miscarriage.

Planned Pregnancy

For a person who has a desired pregnancy and miscarries, feelings can be very different.  From heart-wrenching grief and loss to fear about future pregnancies.  We want you to know that our sympathies are with you, as we know this loss hurts very much, not only for you but for your family as well.

Resources:

Miscarriage Association: “We know that miscarriage can be a very unhappy, frightening and lonely experience. If you have been affected by the loss of a baby in pregnancy, whether recently or long ago, we hope that you will find here support, information and comfort.”

Hopexchange.com “Coping with the grief of miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death can be one of the most difficult trials in a person’s life, and one most of us are unprepared to face. We are here to offer you information, encouragement, support, and most of all hope.”

Imagine Counseling Charlotte Taft, Imagine, 505-490-2084. Ms. Taft specializes in over-the-phone pregnancy and grief-related counseling. She offers a one-hour introductory phone session for $25 with a credit card. She is on Mountain Time, which is 2 hours earlier than Michigan.

If you are in need of miscarriage treatment, contact our Sterling Heights abortion clinic, Westland abortion clinic, or Southfield abortion clinic.