Following a medical abortion, you may experience bleeding lightly, moderately, or heavily. In some cases, women do not bleed afterward, at all.
Bleeding can start right after the abortion process or until several days after. When it happens, it may stop at some point and then start again.
Don’t be surprised if you experience increased bleeding 4 to 5 days after a medical abortion, complete with clots and strong cramps that will last for several days.
Menstrual-like cramping is normal for the first week after an abortion and may extend to the second week. So don’t be alarmed.
Just take a pain reliever to ease the pain, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen. But avoid Aspirin as it can increase bleeding.
The only time you need to worry or even call an A&E is when heavy bleeding becomes too heavy and too much.
What you need to know about bleeding after an abortion
- Bleeding can last around 1 to 2 weeks
- Blood clots maybe pass like a normal menstrual period
- When the bleeding stops, you may experience spotting until your next period
- 3 to 6 weeks after an abortion, your normal period should begin
- You may experience mood swings or emotional upset for a few days or weeks
- Menstrual-like cramping can happen for the first week or two
It is important to note that the symptoms you experience may vary from one abortion pill to another. In the case of Misoprostol, bleeding and cramps should be expected.
After using the pill, bleeding can start within 4 hours. But it can also happen at a much later period. Bleeding usually signals the start of an abortion.
As abortion continues and progresses, bleeding and cramps will become more severe and may be associated with other side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and dizziness.
Cramps and bleeding are often heavier if the pregnancy has developed for longer.
Once you experience heavier blood loss, with severe pain and cramping, this signals that the abortion process has reached its peak.
Once it’s complete, bleeding and cramps should diminish.
2 to 5 hours after using Misoprostol, you may experience the heaviest bleeding which then slows down within 24 hours. Light bleeding will continue for 1 to 3 weeks, and menstrual period should occur 4 to 6 weeks after.
There are instances when heavy bleeding can happen after 48 hours, along with clots that may pass for days or even weeks. This is normal when taking Misoprostol.
What is not normal is when heavy bleeding becomes severe.
How can you tell if you’re bleeding more than it is safe and necessary?
Keep track of the number of pads you’re using
If within an hour you soak 2 maxi pads, which extends to two hours in a row, you need to call your doctor immediately. This is because you are already experiencing severe bleeding.
Keep an eye on the size of any blood clots
Passing clots that are bigger than a golf ball for 2 hours or more is a sign of serious bleeding that requires medical attention. Don’t ignore the sign and call the clinic right away or go to an A&E if you are able.
Abnormal vaginal bleeding may be a result of the blood vessels not constricting or uterine muscles not contracting to stop the bleeding. On very rare occasions, it can also be a result of a perforated uterus or a lacerated cervix.
That is why abnormally heavy bleeding after an abortion should not be ignored.
While it is normal to pass blood clots as you heal from a medical abortion, with sizes that range from pebble-like to egg-like, the timeline tells a different story.
Golf ball-sized clots passing for two hours or more is a serious complication.
This can result in the uterus enlarging and causing severe pain because the cervical opening is blocked. It can be caused by the uterus not contracting and passing out tissue during an abortion.
Monitor the length of time that you’re heavily bleeding
Bleeding heavily for 12 hours in a row is bad news. This may be a sign that something is wrong and you should contact your physician right away.
The same is true if you bleed heavily for 12 hours or more and the color of blood is bright red instead of darker red.
Bleeding longer than 2 weeks
If you experience spotting or bleeding longer than 2 weeks, you should call your doctor for an appointment.
Remember that normal bleeding after an abortion should only last around 1 to 2 weeks. Anything longer than that is a cause for worry.
You should also call the doctor if you don’t have your period within 6 weeks after your procedure. There could be underlying causes that need to be checked and addressed immediately.
Based on the information above, one of the most important signs to look out for is the timeline of bleeding following an abortion.
Bleeding heavily during and a few weeks after an abortion is normal, provided that there are no large clots and that you’re not soaking several maxi pads or sanitary towels in one hour.
Bleeding for two weeks is common. But can be worrisome if it lasts longer.
With this in mind, monitor how long you bleed following a medical abortion and keep an eye out for other symptoms.
These include signs of infection, such as a headache, dizziness, or muscle aches, severe belly pain, 4 to 6 hours of vomiting, heavy or smelly vaginal discharge, and pain in the genital area.
I had my abortion on aug 25th… And bleeds for 5 days after that sore breast, morning sickness, etc went away… But i started to bleed lightly with small clot from 7th october.. . It means that 6 weeks has passed.. . When i did a home urine test it shows positive result.. What could this mean?? ?
Hi Siamtei, generally we recommend waiting at least 4 weeks after the abortion to take a pregnancy test but at 6 weeks it should be reading as negative. I would recommend a follow up with your doctor in order to determine if the pregnancy was complete and everything was passed.
hi I had an abortion of 6weeks and have bled for 5weeks now though the bleeding is not that much but appears a little more than spotting is it a complication cos it’s my first time and I’m scared
Hi Empress, it’s normal to bleed for 3-4 weeks and for a pregnancy that was only a few weeks along you should have been done bleeding by now. Have you had a follow up with your doctor to ensure that the abortion was a success? I would try that route at this time.
hi, drank 5cytotec tab last week Thursday then bleeding started like 5mins later with a lot of large blood clot for a day then clotting stopped but bleeding continued up until 2days ago d bleeding was dark n cramping was mild but had a much larger clot 2days ago now bleeding is bright with more cramping pain,bleeding increased too change every 12hours now…pls help am worried
Hi Ebum, are you saying that you are changing a pad every 12 hours? That’s not too bad then. As far as the bleeding, you can bleed for up to two weeks and that’s completely normal. It really depends on how far along you were as to how much bleeding you have. Unless you are changing a pad every two hours then you have nothing to worry about.
8 weeks after abortion pills i’m on my wnd period and just bled everywhere passing clots that fill a whole maxi pad. I’m 34 should I be rushing to hospital I’m so scared.
Hi Sari, That’s normal. With it comes to medical abortions, the next period generally will include clotting and be heavier than you would normally have. This could happen for this and your next period but it is normal.
Why am i having normal spotting after 1 month of abortion? My abortion bleeding lasted for 1 week and bleeding was stopped completely. Now i should have my period as per calculation( 5th week ongoing) but instead of that i see spotting with no pain. And i feel very tired. My 10th day usg report of abortion said i have passed my pregnancy but is it possible that it was wrong and im still pregnant?
Hi Payal, if you have taken a pregnancy test and it’s negative then you are good. Generally we advise you to wait at least 4 weeks after the abortion to do so. Your cycle could be completely different but you should experience your regular period within 8 weeks.
Good morning. My girlfriend was 5weeks pregnant and just yesterday, she inserted 2cytotec and 1 under tongue. She complained of stomach ache and back ache for a while and she later started bleeding by about 2.am. But the bleeding isn’t heavy and just recently, she said she noticed some tiny particles and that the colour of the blood was kind of brownish and she is still bleeding. Please what does that mean, is it normal?
Hi Shem, bleeding with an abortion is normal and expected. She would have to bleed in order for the embryo to be expelled as well. She might bleed for a few days to about two weeks which is normal. She should be going for a follow up after the abortion to ensure that everything passed as it should.
Hi am Cindy I took 4 cytotec and inserted 1… I bled lightly and passed thick blood clots four times for just a day and the next day there was more blood.. please is the abortion complete?
Hi Cindy, yes this is normal for an abortion. Bleeding, especially with a medical abortion is completely normal and expected.
My issue is Scary.Am Faith.I had an medical abortion 11 weeks ago with mifepristone and misoprotol.The bleeding was normal as described,but yesterday it came back am now passing large clots again and bleeding and am freaking out😰is the abortion incomplete
Hello Faith, you need to see a medical professional to confirm if your abortion was successfully done.
Hello everyone, 8weeks pregnancy and take 1mifepristone with vaginal insertion of 4 misoprostol and I dont even feel cramps only chills and diarrhea my bleeding appear after 53h and is very low and sticky dark red with only very small blood clot last for only 3days Its not even necessary to change pad wholeday if I want to. Im not sure if it succeeds or not can anyone tell me am I safe ? Will the pregnancy continue? Please reply thank you.
Hello Maye, take a pregnancy test or see a doctor to confirm that your abortion was successful.
Hi doctor my friend had an abortion of one month pregnancy on 9th of September on that day she bleed for two hours with big clot after that during the day she had a scant bleeding but on second day 10th of September the bleeding became very scanty bhu the fever continues and that she is still feeling cold pls doctor is it? Is the abortion complete?
Hi Shamzy, generally once the clot passes that the beginning and then the bleeding is just part of the natural process. If the fever doesn’t pass soon I would contact the doctor but that could be from the loss of blood and that could affect her more than others, especially if she is anemic, or close to it, as it is.
Hi, at 5 weeks I took 2 Misoprotol and 2 to 3 hours I started having cramps and bleeding was small, since then I have been vomiting every morning for 5days now….want to know if the abortion was successful… Thanks
Hi Lima, again you said in a previous post that you had a surgical abortion, so I’m a bit confused.
Yes, that was after the surgical abortion.
After abortion my first periods started aug 17.4 days it was normal.after that it started increasing.
almost 10 days its heavy and clots are really big.
what is the reason
Hi Poppy, If your periods are continuously getting heavier I would recommend making an appointment with your doctor. Unless you have started a new birth control (for example Paragard has a tendency to cause heavier periods plus some that get depo experience heavier periods as well).
Hi Doc., Please could you kindly guide me on why i have been seeing small clots till now haven done an abortion in the last two weeks? however, can i take provera drug and is the flowing blood which is sometimes accompanied with the clot a successful termination? thanks Doc.
Hi! So you have had an abortion in the last two weeks? That’s what it seems like despite what is written. Clots are a normal part of abortion. If you weren’t having any then I would be concerned. And two weeks is reasonable to see clots at this point. Once you have had the abortion you can get depo=provera to prevent pregnancy in the future.
Hi, I insert 2 cytotec and 1 under the tongue. I am still bleeding for 2weeks now.
Hi! How far along were you? The further along you are the longer you may bleed for. Some bleed for up to 3 weeks so this could be perfectly normal for you. However, if you are changing a pad every two hours, see your doctor ASAP.
Hi I’m 5 weeks pregnant and I inserted 3 and 1 under my tongue cytotec, few hours later cramps with lower back pain followed later by heavy blood flow and large blood cloth and then bleeding stopped after some few hours just little spotting. Pls does this mean the abortion was successful?
Hi Barbara, at 5 weeks there isn’t necessarily much to pass. Yes it could be normal and sounds like it was successful. I would recommend just waiting it out until your follow up visit.
5 weeks pregnant inserted 3 cytotec 3 days ago, didn’t have any bleeding until next morning when I peed. then bleeding was light for whole day nothing the following day. not sure if abortion succeeded
Hello Cynthia, you will know soon if it is.