Knowing what to anticipate after an abortion is a smart idea if you’ve had one or are thinking about getting one.
Abortion is safe, regardless of whether it is performed surgically, medically, or with a doctor’s assistance. Resting and maintaining your comfort are usually part of post-abortion care.
Although difficulties are possible, side effects are often modest and go away rather quickly.
Although complications are uncommon, here are some things to watch out for.
Severe consequences from abortion are extremely rareTrusted Source, affecting little more than 2% of people who undergo abortions. Infections and incomplete abortions are the most frequent consequences.
The following are some signs to look out for:
Prolonged heavy bleeding, which is characterized by bleeding through one maxi pad every hour for three consecutive hours or two maxi pads every hour for two consecutive hours.
passing clots of blood bigger than a lemon
Excruciating pain or cramps, particularly if they worsen over time or persist despite taking painkillers
Extreme stomach pain that doesn’t resemble pains in the uterus
fever of at least 100.4°F (38°C) with foul-smelling vaginal discharge
If you encounter any of the aforementioned symptoms, make sure to get in touch with a medical expert right once.
Consult a healthcare provider if, more than two weeks after your abortion, you are still experiencing any pregnancy-related side effects or if, after taking abortion medicine, you did not experience any bleeding. These can indicate an unfinished abortion.
Seek medical attention
You should still get medical help if you have problems and are in a state that makes you unfriendly to an abortion.
You are not required to reveal that you caused the abortion, and medical practitioners are unable to differentiate between a pharmaceutical abortion and a miscarriage.
You can report that you’re having heavy menstrual flow or that you think you may be miscarrying. The same treatment is given to these conditions.
Typical adverse effects of abortion
Cramping and pain
It is normal to cramp. It indicates that your uterus is shrinking back to its prepregnancy size as your body eliminates the pregnancy. Compared to regular period cramps, post-abortion pain is frequently more intense.
If you had a surgical abortion, your cramps could feel like menstruation discomfort at first, but three to five days following the surgery, they will get worse.
According to a 2012 study (Trusted Source), 78.4% of participants had moderate to severe cramping, making pain the most often reported adverse effect of medical abortion.
A 2019 study claims thatAccording to a reliable source, the agony from a medicinal abortion lasted longer but was generally thought to be less severe than that from a surgical abortion.
After an abortion, some people report more pain than others.
The following individuals seem to be more likely to suffer from pain:
Knowing what to anticipate after an abortion is a smart idea if you’ve had one or are thinking about getting one.
Abortion is safe, regardless of whether it is performed surgically, medically, or with a doctor’s assistance. Resting and maintaining your comfort are usually part of post-abortion care.
Although difficulties are possible, side effects are often modest and go away rather quickly.
Younger people who were pregnant for a longer period of time before having an abortion
People who have never given birth vaginally before and those who have experienced unpleasant periods in the past (dysmenorrhea)
People who lack social support or who have mixed feelings about getting an abortion
The bleeding
The amount of bleeding after an abortion varies from person to person.
The majority of the bleeding will likely occur on the day you take misoprostol if you have chosen a medical abortion. With an average bleeding duration of nine days, medical abortion seems to result in greater bleeding than surgical abortion.
For the first few days after a surgical abortion, you might not bleed much, if at all. Three to five minutes later, you might start bleeding, which would be comparable to your typical monthly flow.
Regardless of whether you had a medical or surgical abortion, light bleeding may continue for a few days to approximately two weeks. Some people may experience intermittent bleeding.
According to some publications, some people may experience spotting for as long as four weeks after an abortion.
Additional adverse effects
Everyone’s body is different, and you may experience some, all, or none of these symptoms after your abortion:
Weariness; Your body will likely need a bit more time to recuperate, as with any medical procedure. You might have less energy than usual or feel drowsy.
Vomiting, diarrhea, or nausea: After a surgical abortion or a few days after using abortion pills, gastrointestinal symptoms may persist for approximately 24 hours. Although it’s probably not an emergency, GI issues that persist for longer than that may warrant further consultation with a healthcare provider knowledgeable with abortion.
Chest or breast pain: Tenderness in your breasts or chest may have started prior to your abortion and may last for some time following it. It is the final symptom to go gone for a lot of folks.
Cooling; Shivering and chills are experienced by certain persons. It is advisable to seek medical attention if it is accompanied by a fever.
Release: A small amount of mucus-like discharge that ranges in color from red or purple to brown or blackish is normal. There can be some blood visible in the discharge.
Advice for dealing with post-abortion side effects
Before you leave a clinic where you had an abortion, your provider will probably give you advice on how to handle any possible side effects.
They could also recommend drugs to help with pain management or antibiotics to help prevent infection. Ask your provider any questions you may have and make sure you take your prescription as prescribed.
You’ll probably require a ride home after a surgical abortion, particularly if you were given sedatives. If at all feasible, you should be picked up by someone you trust and who agrees with your choice.
It’s a good idea to take a day or two off work or school after your medical, whether it was surgical or not. Limit your exposure to stressful situations and try to find a comfortable place to rest.
Additionally, you might find it useful to:
At the location of the cramps, massage your abdomen. Using your fingertips to apply pressure and rub in circles from your belly button to your pubic bone for at least ten minutes is known as a uterine massage.
To ease soreness, put on a compression top or tight-fitting bra.
Drink plenty of water, and pay close attention to how hydrated you are if you’re throwing up or have diarrhea.
Drinking warm liquids, such as tea, can help you stay hydrated, manage stress, and reduce gastrointestinal discomfort.
Establish a support network. Having supportive friends and family can be very beneficial during your recuperation. To lessen stomach cramps, use a hot water bottle or heating pad on your stomach.
To relieve pain and cramping, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen.
After an abortion, is it safe to use tampons?
Tampons and other objects inserted into the vagina carry the risk of causing a vaginal infection.
Although the danger is usually modest, it is best to minimize everything that could increase the risk because infections are among the most frequent consequences after abortions, especially surgical abortions. Tampon use is part of that.
When it’s safe to use tampons again will likely be determined by the clinician you saw or spoke with during your abortion. It’s wise to get in touch with them again and inquire if they didn’t.
If you had a surgical abortion, some specialists advise delaying using tampons for one to two weeks.
You can use them as soon as you feel ready after a medical abortion. First, make sure that any severe bleeding has ceased.
In the end, it is wise to use menstrual pads for the first several days. Compared to tampons, pazduce the danger of infection and allow you to monitor the amount of bleeding you’re experiencio the increased risk of infection, we do not advise douching.Trusted Source: If you’re going to suck, wait until the intense bleeding ends, even if you haven’t had an abortion recently.
Pain control
Aspirin, an over-the-counter pain reliever, and aspirin-containing drugs should be avoided as they may exacerbate bleeding.
How much time should pass after an abortion before having sex?
It’s unclear how long you should wait to have sex after an abortion. According to some sources, you should wait at least two weeks to have penetrative sex, which is when a penis, toy, or fingers enter your vagina, but many providers say you can have sex whenever you and your partner(s) feel ready. Delaying penetrative sex for a while can help prevent infection, which you may be more susceptible to after an abortion.
The potential effects of an abortion on your menstrual period
After an abortion, your periods will return to normal, whatever that means for you, despite some misconceptions that it changes your menstrual cycle.
It is common for the initial phases to be a little erratic, though.