D and C is a fairly minor surgical procedure. The procedure may be performed in the hospital or a clinic using general or local anesthesia. The doctor will hold the vaginal canal open with a speculum and may apply anesthesia to the opening of the uterus (cervix). A metal rod is used to widen the cervical canal. A curette (a metal loop on the end of a long thin handle) is then passed through the canal into the uterine cavity. The doctor will scrape away the inner layer of the uterus (endometrium) and collect tissue for examination.
Update Date 6/11/2014
Updated by: Cynthia D. White, MD, Fellow American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Group Health Cooperative, Bellevue, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.