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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 in 1st week of December 2015 and my periods were back to normal in mid of January. It was okay until February but since last month i.e. March I haven’t bled. what is wrong with my cycle? Is it normal to miss period for one complete month?
Yes, it is possible to miss a period for a full month. You may miss a period for many reasons including stress and fatigue. It is also possible that the abortion has disrupted your cycle.
I had an abortion on December 29 2015, and again on March 26, 2016….yes I realize in a matter of months. I used protection and learned the hard way you definitely are very fertile after an abortion. I was 6 weeks along when I had my most recent one a few weeks ago. I only bled lightly for a week (unlike my first one). I was an idiot and Had sex a week after (with protection!) and I was only bleeding very lightly. Fast forward to now (one week after having sex and a little over two weeks of the procedure) I’m bleeding again. Heavier than I have the whole time. Is it possible this is my period? I go back the 25th of this month for a follow up. But am just slightly concerned. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Hi Allie, Yes, it should be your period most probably. Also, It’s recommended to wait for at least 4 weeks after the abortion before having sex or even using a tampon. For the period, please use pads only. Anything can cause a vaginal infection.
Hi had an abortion four weeks ago and haven’t had my periods back. I’m worried.
That’s normal. It will take at least 4 to 8 weeks before your period returns.
Hi, I had a miscarriage; bleeding with ‘no’ heartbeat for my foetus before 8 weeks gestation and on doctor’s recommendation. I underwent an E&C on 2nd April 2016 and on 9th April I had a follow-up with my doctor and she confirmed everything was fine. Today, 10th April I’m experiencing moderate bleeding with cramps and lower back pain. Is it a normal period as I’m just past 1 week? Please advise. Thanking you in anticipation.
Yes, your symptoms are normal for someone who recently experienced a miscarriage.
Thank you so much for the reply. I had a revisit to the doctor on 12th and she reconfirmed that my uterus was empty and that its fine to have mild bleedings. However, she has prescribed me with ‘Primolut-Nor 10mg’ for 21 days to stop the bleeding and ‘Canesten’ cream for 10 days.
Okay, so I had an abortion in late February and had sex right after the abortion. I ended up missing my period for March until April. I took a pregnancy test but it came out negative…been having a bad taste in my mouth. Help please.
You may not be pregnant. It can take 4 to 8 weeks for a period to return after an abortion. Wait to see if it will come.
Pls I need a helpful reply. I have a medical miscarriage on 21s January and I see my period on February 29 & it last 4 days. Starting from around March 25 I started having pregnancy symptoms, both splitting around,abdominal pain, headache, breast pain feeling Feverish. and I have not seen my period since after the first one. I have done urine test and Scan. It all came out negative. Please can someone tell me what is going on in my Body please am scared.
Hi, no need to be scared. The bleeding you had earlier was most probably not period, but your body cleaning out the blood after miscarriage. The pregnancy signs should not be there if there is no pregnancy shown though. I would suggest that you contact your doctor about it. As they have your medical history, they would be able to find the issue more clearly. All the best!
Hi I have a question. I had my abortion March 3 2016.. I went through medical abortion. I been bleeding every since.. I had sex April 1, with a condom on I notice I had weird abdomen pain in my lower belly. What does this mean?? Also I’m still bleeding by the way. After I had sex it’s like my bleeding came down more….
Hi, are you constantly bleeding from 3rd march to now? Please see a professional immediately.
Hey, I had an abortion 2 years ago and my period came for a year and stopped. Until now I haven’t seen it.
Hey Shani, please see a professional for it.
Hey,I.terminated around the first week in march 2016 and had a little brownish spots in my pads for like weeks and then later had a one night heavy bleeding and after that bleeding stop so I decided to do the urine pregancy test and I did it twice and it was negative but since I haven’t see my period yet….please I need a quick answer cause am worried……
Hi Gemelia, it’s quite normal for your period to take 4-8 weeks after termination. The heavy bleeding you had was most probably not period, but the bleeding to empty the uterus. Wait until 12 weeks after the termination and if you don’t get your period by then, then consult a doctor. While 4-8 weeks is common, 12 weeks too is a probability. So till then, you don’t need to worry.
A friend did an abortion last month..and bleeded for three days..later saw her period but it wasn’t normal..it was just coming out little for two days while on a normal day its meant to last for 5days..Now this a new month,she started seeing her period yesterday but she is having pain on her lower abdomen and its coming out so little.like a drop..its not flowing normal.pls what should she do?is it normal or what?pls reply,thanks
Hi Emilia, I would suggest that she should see her doctor for this.
Hi, I had a surgical abortion on 15th of November. I bleed only for 1 day very little blood but I didn’t get my period until now!!! I get unbearable pain every month – especially on my right side. I did a vaginal 3D ultrasound, CT scan on my pelvis and abdomen but it was normal…ovaries and uterus. My doctor said she cleaned uterus very hard and I will get my period later but when uterus rebuilds it’s tissue. I’m so worried and tired from this painful pain that I have monthly and does what I’m going through can cause this hard pain?
You did the procedure 5 months ago – that’s too long for you to be suffering from an abortion. Though the tests indicate that all is well, you must seek a second opinion from another doctor. The pain indicates that all is not well. You must ensure that your fallopian tubes are clear as well.
Hey, I had an early abortion last year and my period is still irregular. Sometimes it last 2 days… Sometimes more. Sometimes it’s painful, sometimes not at all!!! Is that normal? Is it gonna affected my desire to having an other baby? Thanks for your attention.
Yes, that’s normal. No, it should not affect your desire to get pregnant.
I had abrotion on 8 march. The bleeding finished on 30 march. On 31 march I had sex with my life partener, but he discharge outside, not inside me. But after abrotion ovulation did not come.Can i pregent again?
Hi Raman, After an abortion, it might take 4-8 weeks easily for normal period to start. So most probably you won’t be seeing ovulation or your period in April. Also, after abortion, please wait at least for four weeks, do not have sex. Don’t even use tampons, use pads instead. Putting anything in vagina might cause infection.
HI i did my medical termination in end of December i had heavy bleeding in that time then it stopped after 4 weeks. Then i started bleeding in mid of February it stayed 4-5 days after that i have not get my periods. I am worried about it.Should i consult with GP or that is normal after termination?
Hi, heavy bleeding after termination is common. The gap after first period is not very unusual, but yes it would be best if you can consult with your GP, so as to be precautionary. Good luck!
Hi, my friend had medical abortion 3 weeks before. She had bleeding for 5 days and passed a clot too. After two weeks she had urine pregnancy test and it came out negative. Now, after 3 weeks, she is having bleeding, may be periods. Is it normal? She was just 5 weeks pregnant. Is the abortion successful as the result came out negative?
Yes, it is normal to test negative and have a period after an abortion. The negative pregnancy test confirms that she’s no longer pregnant.
Hi, I have had two abortions in the space of 4 months. I had the first one in November and found out I was pregnant again in January and got the second abortion in February. It has been six weeks now and no sign of my first period after this abortion. Can you tell me what’s happening?
In most instances, a menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. Give it a few more days for it to return.