Intrauterine Adhesions Following Miscarriage: Look and Learn

To examine the incidence of intrauterine adhesions (IUA) following the management of miscarriage in women with previously documented normal uterine cavities.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study from two fertility clinics with standard practice protocols for evaluating the uterine cavity prior to infertility treatment and following clinical pregnancy loss. A database query and manual chart review identified 144 women with normal uterine cavities who experienced a miscarriage between January 2010 and November 2012 and returned to the clinic for follow-up hysteroscopy. Following documentation of a non-viable clinical pregnancy using transvaginal ultrasound, patients chose expectant, medical, or surgical management according to standardized clinical protocols. The primary outcome was the detection of IUA. Secondary outcomes included the presence of retained products of conception and various risk factors associated with the development of IUA.

The incidence of IUA following early pregnancy loss was 6.3%. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between those with and without IUA. There was a significant association between IUA and increasing uterine size, particularly in the presence of multiple gestation (P = 0.039). Mechanical suction dilatation and curettage (D&C) was a risk factor for IUA, but manual vacuum aspiration was not a risk factor (P = 0.003). Retained products of conception were found in 13.9% of study participants, and the incidence did not differ among management options.

This appears to be the first documentation of IUA that were entirely attributable to the index miscarriage or its management. There appears to be an increased risk of IUA following D&C with larger uteri and multiple pregnancies and following mechanical suction D&C.