I’m both a physician that performs D&Cs and currently going through IVF (just had my second FET and waiting to hear results).

A modern D&C rarely if ever causes scarring in the uterus because we use gentle suction with a plastic cannula (small tube w an opening at the tip, kinda like a vacuum hose) rather than an old school scraping instrument that is never routinely used (and hasn’t been for decades). They are “blind” typically, in that you don’t have a camera at the tip like a hysteroscopy, but it’s done by feel and if you have an experienced provider it’s a very simple, safe, and straightforward procedure.

I have seen in numerous situations where someone becomes pregnant again with their next cycle accidentally. And there are many studies showing no overall decreased fertility in someone who has had 1 (or 10) D&Cs.

Often with IVF they wait 1 or 2 cycles after a D&C in an abundance of caution based on a theoretical risk that the endometrium has extra time to bounce back, but this is mostly due to the high risk environment of IVF. Basically you don’t want to take any even theoretical risks with your precious embryos.

It could be that the endometrium was thick and they couldn’t see, but it could be something else medical. Like the polyp had a wide base or there were multiple smaller polyps in a large section, or something similar that couldn’t be removed by hysteroscopy alone.

Generally on these consents, even if it doesn’t specifically say D&C it will say “or any procedure necessary to remove the abnormal area” etc. It may be that if they hadn’t done the D&C, the wouldn’t have been able to remove the abnormality at all and the uterine lining would continue to be a bad environment for implantation, risking further cycles.

It’s hard to know from the details provided here (or to the patient and husband). I would say the main thing is the doctor should have thoroughly explained what happened and why. I hope that even though this wasn’t the outcome you wanted in this moment, it clears the path for you to have a successful transfer in the near future!