Photo: Pixabay
Making the decision to go through with an abortion it is often a stressful one.
There are many reasons why that decision is made whether it’s due to the health of the mother, learning about the health of the baby, and also that it’s just not the right time to bring a child into the world.
Whatever the situation is, it’s not one for others to judge, that is your decision and whatever you choose to do, it’s right for you.
Because it’s a stressful situation, there could be an effect on your upcoming menstrual cycle.
As explored in previous articles, stress can delay your period because your body is trying to regulate everything else (and it’s been said that delaying ovulation helps to prevent a pregnancy during a stressful time based on history).
Some women see their periods return quickly, within 4-8 weeks, while others may not see it as soon.
Let’s take a look at the basics of an abortion, different types, and then we can discuss how it can affect your next cycle (or two).
Abortion – General Information
An abortion is when pregnancy is ended at an early stage through an outside intervention. While there is a term, spontaneous abortion, it’s sort of a misnomer. It’s essential to note that this is a miscarriage.
This was not a pregnancy where the parents decided to terminate it, it’s when the body did it naturally [1].
The body, once a woman is pregnant, starts creating pregnancy hormones and preparing all the organs for sustaining a new life.
This means that during the time before and even after the abortion for a period of time, the woman can still experience some pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and sensitivity to smells.
The body must go back to normal and let those hormones regulate in order for you to start feeling yourself again and so that you start having a cycle again.
When you make the decision to get an abortion you’ll want to go to a trained medical practitioner. Going to a place that isn’t can risk your health and your future fertility.
There are two types of abortion, a medical abortion, and a surgical abortion.
No matter which you choose an early abortion will not impair your fertility or result in complications later in pregnancies.
Both medical and surgical method can be used to induce abortion throughout the pregnancy. The choice of method used depends on factors such as pre-existing medical conditions, preference of women and availability of surgeon.
Medical Abortion
The medical abortion is as it states, it’s done with medicine and one of the most common medications used for this is mifepristone, a progesterone receptor modulator. Since progesterone is required to maintain pregnant uterus in quiescent state, mifepristone will bring about uterine contractions and result in expulsion of fetus.
This is followed by prostaglandin analogue misoprostol, which can now be administered in lower doses, and brings about strong contractions to expel products of conception.
This is something you must get from a doctor and is not an over-the-counter medication. The name may change depending on where you are located however they all do the same thing.
Surgical Abortion
As the name states, this is an abortion done surgically where the doctor will do either a manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) or a dilation and evacuation (D&E).
The former is generally done within the first 12 weeks and the second can be done after the first month [3].
What About your Menstrual Cycle after an Abortion
When you terminate a pregnancy during the first trimester, your period should return in four to eight weeks [4].
Generally, the earlier in the pregnancy you have the abortion, the sooner your cycle will return.
However, that does also depend on what type of birth control you are using (as some can delay or lighten your period, even stop it completely.
No matter what type of method you are using, if you don’t see your period return within the eight weeks, it’s advised to contact your doctor to check for pregnancy or any underlying conditions.
Right after the abortion, your body is going to prioritize expelling all the remnants from the lost pregnancy.
This includes fetal tissue in addition to other debris from your uterus, and it’s characterized by heavy bleeding.
Essentially, this is your first period because it is the beginning of your cycle, getting your body ready to ovulate once again.
The first period after an abortion might not be what you usually anticipate. It could be lighter than your normal one and might not last for the length of time that is normal for you.
That next period could even be heavier than you normally would expect as well. However, if your period is exceptionally heavy and long (filling more than one pad every two hours), you’ll want to contact your doctor.
What Could Change?
When it does come to that next period, as stated above, it might not be what you would normally expect. It could be different in multiple aspects than what your periods were like before your abortion.
One change could be the flow. If you had a surgical abortion, it could result in a lighter period than normal, and with a medical abortion, it could be heavier than normal [5].
You might also find that you have more PMS and other symptoms such as back pain and cramping for the first few cycles. This is normal and should eventually even out to what you experienced before [6].
One reason that the period after a medical abortion is heavier is that the body is still expelling all pregnancy-related tissues [7].
A surgical abortion removes the products of conception and endometrial lining, which results in lighter periods.
Pregnancy Test After Abortion
After an abortion, many want to see if it was successful and taking a pregnancy test is a sure way to determine that. Right?
Well, not necessarily depending on when you take it. A pregnancy test measures the levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in the urine which is the pregnancy hormone as we’ll call it.
While the hormone does decrease very quickly after an abortion, there is still some in the body for up to four weeks after having an abortion [8].
After this point, it’s safe to take a test and determine that you are in fact no longer pregnant. Before that, you may get a false positive because your body hasn’t fully cleared the hormones from your system.
A blood test is a bit different because they can see the actual levels of the hormone. A test can be taken just before the abortion and then about five days post-abortion. If the levels have decreased, then the abortion is successful [9].
Getting Pregnant After Abortion
In that timeframe between the abortion and your next period, you may ovulate. However, this time can vary for different women and depends on how far the pregnancy was when the abortion happened.
Generally, this happens before the second cycle, the first cycle is when the body is still clearing out the pregnancy hormones and such and getting back to being regular again [10].
Because you will not know if you are ovulating yet, it’s recommended that you take precautions to prevent another pregnancy. Either you or your partner could investigate different methods of birth control.
In addition to not wanting to go through another abortion, your body will need time to heal from the loss of a pregnancy so another one is not recommended until at least a few months when it is Fully recovered.
This is very true for those who have had a surgical abortion where the cervix needs to heal from an actual surgery.
Final Thoughts
Again, having an abortion is an extremely personal decision and one that will affect you not only physically but also mentally as well.
Take care after your procedure to care for yourself, whatever that entails. It could be seeing a therapist, taking some yoga classes and meditation (once cleared by your doctor), getting a massage or a spa day, etc. It’s up to you.
Each person will handle it differently but treat your body with respect afterward and when you are ready to start your family, you will still be able to.
Do you have a question about your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, abortion or any other related topic? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.
References
- Visit https://www.webmd.com/women/abortion-procedures#1
- See https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/mifepristone
- See above #1
- Planned Parenthood. What can I expect After Having an In-Clinic Abortion? [link]
- Aliya Khan via First Cry Parenting. Period After Abortion – Symptoms, Changes and Self Care Tips. [link]
- See above #5
- New Kids-Center. What’s Period After Abortion Like When to Worry? [link]
- Women Help Women. Was My Abortion Successful? [link]
- see above #8
- see above #7
I had a medical abortion with mezo tablet and gynaecoside tablet on 10 November and now its 29 December. after abortion i had frequent unprotected sex with my husband. but up till now i don’t have second periods and pregnant strip also shows negative results (i did it twice).. And the most horrible thing is that i had frequent urination along with bladder pain also .. Which is a symptom of pregnancy don’t know…whether to take the same medicine or to wait ……..but the pain in urination sucks alot
I had a medical abortion a week ago, and the bleeding was heavy just for few hours, after which the blood came on and off and after 4 days, I began to see some dirty like stuff on my pad. I was happy thinking the bleeding was finally over until I began to have terrible cramps again,then I started bleeding afresh. Please am really worried. What should I do?
Hello,You may bleed heavily, moderately, lightly or not at all, for one to three weeks after the abortion. Some women do not start to bleed until several days after the abortion, some stop bleeding and then start again, some pass clots with strong cramps for several days. So what you are experiencing is normal if you have very bad cramps along with fever go to a doctor could be a sign of infection.
Hi, I had surgical abortion on 3rd December, had unprotected sex on 8th of DEC,then I took postinor after 3 days, up till now I’ve not seen my period, I did a urine test with one step strip today ,it tested negative. my question is can I be pregnant? if I’m not can I get pregnant before my next period? Thanks
Hello, Yes you can get pregnant before your next period if you are not using protection,also postinor can delay or let you period come sooner.
Hy,I did abortion on the 27th November I had a normal periods for 3 days after that it was heavily blood for 2 days after that I had on and off period. Now I’m shocked I’m still bleeding, what must I do to stop this
Hello, A normal period is expected to return 4-6 weeks after an abortion,the first bleeding after an abortion is not a period.some women experience spotting for awhile before their bodies get back to normal if you are experiencing pain and fever along with this bleeding please visit a doctor.
I had a medical abortion on Nov 16..bleeding continued for 4 days.then I got my periods on Dec 17..there was only 5 drops totally for 4 days..I was very tensed..plz suggest me
Hello, After an abortion our bodies take a while to go back to normal some women experience heavier bleeding during their periods,while some experience lighter bleeding. some women even experience irregular periods afterwards…wait to see if your next period comes back normally if not you can go to the doctor for a check up.
I did abortion since 6 of November through medication, and I bleeded up to 4weeks, as at today being 20 of December am ovulating please is it normal or the abortion didn’t work?
Hi, Your period is expected to return 4-6 weeks after the abortion, If you have not seen a period yet otherwise from that bleeding wait until you see a period then you can take a pregnancy test to find out if you are pregnant and the abortion didn’t work, as sometimes it takes a while for the pregnancy hormones to get out of your body so you will still feel pregnancy symptoms.
I did an abortion on last month November and on the 21st of November I had my period which lasted for four days then on the 9th of December I had an unprotected sex bit till this very moment I have seen my period can I be pregnant
I had a medical abortion on 27th Nov 2015 and bled till 6th Dec 2015. I had protected sex on the 16th Dec 2015. I haven’t gotten my periods yet and am freaking out. Please advise.
A menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. Do not panic.
I had a surgical abortion in October. Started the pill two days later. I bled for the entire month of those pills(November). I’m now on my second month of pills and I normally would’ve gotten my period three days ago but I haven’t. I spotted for a day but that was it. I have signs of ovulation tho. Any ideas?
I had a medical abortion with Medabon on 29th September. I later tested and it was negative and I had my menses on 13 November. I had protected sex but the condom failed and I’m pregnant again. I’m so surprised and confused. Can I use the Medabon again?? I hope it won’t hinder my further fertility…
Hi, There’s no evidence that medabon can can cause in fertility but taking it twice in a year so close you need to get advice from your doctor before doing it.
Hi. I had an abortion on Nov 16, I was bleeding until the 30th now it’s Dec 16 and I haven’t got a period, the type of abortion I had was a medication one. Should I be worried that I could be pregnant again? Please tell me.
Hello, a menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. You can take a pregnancy test just to ensure that it is fully terminated. Generally, hCG levels will remain high up to 6 weeks after abortion or miscarriage. It may be necessary to re-test a few times after an abortion to ensure that the pregnancy has been terminated.
I did an evacuation on the 17th of Nov 2015 I bled just for 4 days, I had sex with my husband on the 9th of Dec up till date have not seen my menses, am I pregnant? Pls reply.
i had an abortion in Dec 2015 and i had a light bleeding for two days simultaneously and after three days i had a light bleeding.so after that there has been no bleeding again so i did a pregnancy test which give a positive answer.and i have to do a urine test of ph,protein,glucose and nitrate for my school medical test,my school question is that will the test shows that i am pregnant .
If a pregnancy test is done it may still show positive. Generally, hCG levels will remain high up to 6 weeks after abortion or miscarriage. It may be necessary to re-test a few times after an abortion to ensure that the pregnancy has been terminated. The other tests may not reveal that you’re pregnant. Can the medical test be deferred to another time?
I did surgical abortion on 11th Nov. I bled on 13 to 15 nov, head sex on 17th, took Pregnon, apoil and steel tablet for 3 days every 7 hours. have not seen my period this Dec but my nipple is hurting me. am I likely to be pregnant?
Hi, When did you take the apoil and steel tablets? i’m guessing before the pregnon? If you took the pregnon as directed you should be safe,also after morning pills can give you breast tenderness,let your period come early or late. You are also expected to start a 4 -6 weeks after an abortion.
Hi, pls I need help I had an abortion using pills on the 15th of November and I bleed for like a week with serious cramp, I was supposed to see my period early December I had a slight pain like it was really going to come but all I’ve been seeing since then is something like mucous and I’ve done several home pregnancy test all showing negative I’m thinking of going for ultra scan tomorrow I hope I’m not pregnant.
In most cases, a menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. Give it a few more weeks to be come. Note also that your future menstrual cycle may change because of the abortion.
I had a surgical abortion on nov 16, 2015 i had sex 2 weeks later on dec. 2 is it possible that I’m pregnant?
Hi, Yes it is possible if you had unprotected sex you can get pregnant right after an abortion.
hi sir /mam
i did medical abortion on nov 8 the bleeding continuous 4 to 5 days. then again nov 21 i got periods that is not much as regular bleeding for 5 days. then again dec 8 got periods as 3 days as normal periods. then dec 15 got period. i am very tensed for this unusual periods. is it normal after abortion? please tell me
Hello,Intermittent bleeding (bleeding on and off), blood clots, pinkish tissue, and clear or brownish discharge are normal.Bleeding that is not normal after an abortion would soak through several maxi pads in one hour or soak through one maxi pad every half hour for more than two to three hours. If this should happen call your doctor.
hi sir/mam
Intermittent bleeding (bleeding on and off), blood clots, pinkish tissue, and clear or brownish discharge only happen.