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
Hi , I had a one-month abortion on the 24th of March 2016. I bled for 6 days and had my period back on the 26th April which lasted for three days. After that I had sex throughout this month but today is my 28th day after which am expecting a flow but no result. Could it be a pregnancy? I also drunk neem leave juice once in the sex period which I learnt is a birth control method. am confuse tell me something. Thanks.
Hi to all! I had a medical abortion on 19.04.2016 and I still didn’t get my menstrual cycle. When should I expect it? And when can I get pregnant again? Thank you in advance.
In most instances, a menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. It is very important that you give yourself time to heal both emotionally and physically before you try to conceive again. Physical recovery after a miscarriage is quick and takes only a few days. After about a month, your body will be working normally and your menstrual cycles will begin once again (within a few months). It is possible to become pregnant during your first menstrual cycle after your miscarriage or abortion.
Thank you very much Steffy☺
Hi, I just got my period after I had a medical abortion. My 14 days ended on Thursday. I am bleeding on Sunday? Is this normal?
Hi.. i had my abortion last year early November, and after that i only saw my periods once in December. up till today i have not seen my periods, is that normal ?
Hello Suu, This much gap in your periods is not normal. You should visit a doctor.
HI, I had a medical abortion 4 months ago and for the last 3 months i got my periods a bit earlier than regular periods. and continued for about 10 days on my last period. now I am late its 33rd day after i got my last period. i had unprotected sex 3 or 4 times. am i pregnant or is there anything to worry. i feel a bit tired and have food cravings, no other symptoms.
Hello 4310, Getting abnormal periods after abortion is possible but the symptoms you are telling are not exxactly of pregnanccy. If you continue to have abnormal period in future visit a doctor.
I had a medical abortion 2days ago and I have not seen any sign of blood. Could it be I am still pregnant? What if I am, would the injection have any effect on the fetus already? Cos m even scared of using any other thing because of complications. Pls what can I do?
Hello Olami, Every woman and every pregnancy is different. Bleeding after an abortion also varies; some women have no bleeding at all after an abortion, while some may bleed immediately and for 3-4 weeks, so do not take tension and if you feel any discomfort, visit your doctor
Hello..
Me and my wife had a unplanned pregnancy, so we decided to terminate the feotus, but it was somehow late (meaning pregnancy has reach 3-4 months we didn’t notice as there is light bleedings everymonth and we didn’t take a test.) Still we decided to continue with abortion pills at home and the advice of the chemist we administered the drugs two orally and one vaginally as instructed. She had heavy bleedings the night took the drugs and with that the bleeding stops and nothing happen, we didn’t realised the feotus is still inside her. On the fourth day she had painful cramps and starts bleeding heavily, and after 4-5 hours of labour the feotus came out, she was still in pain and one hour later the placenta came along with it her pain reduce and gradually stops. It was in the year 2014 we dont have any plans to have a child and we didnt use any contraceptive and she has normal periods for sometime though painful, now she has irregular periods with painful cramps on the back as well as the abdomen, we did ultrasound test and everything seems ok but these two months she is in pain with little bleeding. So what could be the problem with her, is it the side effects of the drugs.
Hello Francis and Rose, the symptoms you are telling could be side effects of drugs or could be just some hormonal changes. But I would advise you to visit a doctor if you face further problems
Hello. I had a abortion March 25th and started my period 4 weeks later and now 18 days after my 1st period, I am now on it again. Is that normal for irregular periods after abortion ? I had very regular periods post pregnancy.
Hello Nicole, It is normal to have first two- three periods irregular after abortion. However, if you continue to have so for a longer time, consult your doctor.
Hello,
I had a medical abortion on 17/04/16. The first day of my period following the abortion was 29/05/16 – about six weeks after the abortion. Yesterday (18/05/16) I noticed some light brown discharge/spotting. It is very light, but has continued for about a day, and is noticeable on tissue but is definitely not the same amount as a period. I am a little concerned as I have never experienced spotting before. I am not taking a contraceptive. What could be the cause of this?
Thanks.
Hello Becky, Spotting after abortion could be because some tissue might be left in your uterus after abortion, it could also be because of hormonal imbalance.Also some women may experience bleeding about 10-14 days after their period. This is usually caused by a temporary drop in levels of the hormone estrogen at the time of ovulation (when an egg is released by an ovary). This is quite normal.
I missed my period on the 29th of March, I did a pregnancy test is was positive. I did an abortion on the 11th of April using the injection and now this is May 18th and I have not seen my period. Is anything wrong?
I missed my period on the 29th of March,I did a pregnancy test and it was positive. I did an abortion on the 11th of April using an injection and now this is May 18th and I’ve not seen my period. What is going on?
Your menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. Give it some time to return but be sure to practice safe sex.
Hi, my girlfriend had a medical abortion on 11th of April and it’s been 5 weeks and some days now which she only have a light menses with little menstrual pain so little but dark or brown in colour and stopped. Please, is that normal or should we expect more?
A menstrual cycle is usually expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion. Give it some more time.
I had a medical abortion on the 8th of April. Since then I’ve not seen my menses and I am still feeling pregnancy symptoms.
After an abortion, it is normal to still feel pregnant for the next 3-4 weeks, as the body is trying to adjust to the new situation, which takes some time. To make sure, you can take a urine pregnancy test after 6 weeks of the abortion. Also, don’t worry about your delayed period – in most instances, a menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion.
Hi, I had an abortion on June 24th, 2015. I did not get my period until August 10th, 2015. Then I got my period again on September 17th, 2015. I am now 8 months pregnant, expecting a child with an estimated due date of June 20th, 2016. A dating scan said I conceived September 28th, 2015 however I did not have sexual activity in the days leading up that date nor on that date. I has sexual intercourse on September 30/Oct 1st/Oct 4th. I can’t seem to pin point when I ovulated since I only had two periods to go off of and it was not a normal 28-day cycle. When did I conceive? When did I ovulate based on these dates?
The dating scan gives an estimation based on the measurement of the foetus and other factors. You’re 34 weeks pregnant since you conceived on October 1, 2015. Your last monthly period on September 17 was used to determine this information.
Hi, I was 25 to 30 days pregnant. I took abortion pills on 1st April and had bleeding approx 4-5 days. After 3 weeks my pregnancy test was also negative. It’s now 5 weeks post-abortion and I have not had my periods. Is it normal or should I consult my Dr.?
Don’t worry about your delayed period – in most instances, a menstrual cycle is expected within 4 to 8 weeks after an abortion.
I had a medical abortion in December. My periods have been alright since then until this month when I got stabbing and scratching pains instead of any type of cramps I’ve had before. Besides the ones I had during the abortion itself, these are for sure the worst cramps of my life and no medications or heating pads I’ve used have helped and I’ve been in bed for 3 days. Do you think this is normal so far after my abortion, and do you know anything I can try to take the pain away?
hello Jessica, having such cramps as you have described, that too after quite some time after your abortion is not normal. I would suggest you should consult a doctor.