ERPC (Evacuation of Retained Products of Conception) is a minor procedure carried out under general anaesthetic to remove placental and/or pregnancy tissue that remains in the uterus after a spontaneous pregnancy loss (miscarriage), or preterm/term delivery from the womb. Sometimes after miscarriage, some tissue remains in your womb and you need treatment to help remove this, some miscarriages are ‘complete’ and no surgery is required. In other cases a small operation is advised to empty the womb in order to prevent the risk of infection.
How is it done?
You will have a general anaesthetic. When you are asleep the doctor inserts a speculum in to the vagina. This is an instrument which is used during vaginal examinations, such as a cervical smear test. It allows the doctor to open the vaginal wall so the cervix (neck of the womb) can be seen. The neck of the womb is gently opened and any remaining pregnancy tissue is removed. Occasionally suction is used. No cutting or stitching is required. The procedure takes approximately 10-15 minutes.
REFERENCES
https://www.qegateshead.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/users/user1/leaflets/
IL362%20ERPC%20%28Evacuation%20of%20the%20Retained%20Products%20of%20Conception%29.pdf
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/retained-products-of-conception