Last updated: 11/24/2009

D & C is used to diagnose and treat heavy or irregular bleeding from the uterus. Possible reasons for abnormal uterine bleeding include:

• Hormonal imbalance. Often women with abnormal bleeding are first treated with hormones in an attempt...
  
  to normalize bleeding. D & C may be used to determine the cause of bleeding if hormone treatment is ineffective.
• Endometrial polyps. Polyps are benign growths that may protrude from the uterus by a stem or stalk, usually to the endometrium or cervix. D & C may be used to diagnose polyps or to remove them.
• Uterine fibroids. Also called leiomyomas, fibroids are benign growths in the smooth muscle of the uterus. Abnormal bleeding is often the only symptom of fibroids. D & C is often used to diagnose fibroids and may be used to scrape away small tumors; additional surgery may be needed to remove more extensive growths.
• Endometrial hyperplasia (EH). EH is a condition where the endometrium grows excessively, becoming too thick and causing abnormal bleeding. Tissue samples procured during D & C can be assessed for early signs of cancer.
• Cancer. D & C may be used to obtain tissue for microscopic evaluation to rule out cancer. Women over the age of 40 are at an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer.
• Miscarriage, incomplete abortion, or childbirth. Abnormal bleeding may result if some of the products of pregnancy remain in the uterus after a miscarriage or induced abortion, or if parts of the placenta are not expelled naturally after childbirth. These retained products can be scraped out by D & C.