Terminology Tuesdays: “Dusting and Cleaning”

Thanksgiving is upon us and the Ku household is inviting family over for some Turkey goodness. I have already begun the holiday festivities with a little dusting and cleaning of our house. As I was dusting and cleaning, I remembered something that my patient told me…

I am always impressed with my patients who surprise me with imaginative terminology for the myriad of mnemonics that we physicians create. I was explaining to one of my patients that she may need a “D&C”, also known as a dilation and curettage, for some endometrial masses found in her uterus that have been leading to abnormal uterine bleeding.

A dilation and curettage is a procedure where the cervix is dilated to allow the passage of an instrument which removes tissue from within the uterine cavity. A dilation and curettage can be performed in a doctor’s office or in the operating room. Either local anesthesia or general anesthesia is used during the procedure. Most women can resume normal activities after 1-2 days. After the D&C, a new uterine lining will build back up within the uterus and regular periods should resume.

We scheduled the surgery to occur near the Thanksgiving holiday. She told me that if her family asks her what she is having done in the operating room, she will reply, “I’m having a D&C…a dusting and cleaning!”

So, if your doctor recommends a D&C and your family asks you what type of surgery you will be having, you know what to tell them!

Source: http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp062.cfm

Dr. Lowell T. Ku, M.D. is a leading Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist at Dallas IVF, one the nation’s premiere infertility centers.  Dr. Ku clarifies the many confusing terms used in the world of Infertility using straightforward explanations.