How Long will I Bleed After Abortion: Post Abortion What To Expect At Home Care And Recovery

Abortion is now regarded as the ‘termination’ of pregnancy is where a fetus is expelled out before the pregnancy can reach to its full term or before the period of viability that is before 28 weeks of gestation. It could be a spontaneous expulsion known as a miscarriage or a purposeful termination of pregnancy known as induced Abortion. In this article we will discuss post abortion care and will try to answer the frequently asked question about abortion like

How Long Will I Bleed After Abortion?

How Soon Can I Have Sex After An Abortion?

How Early Will I Rrecover From An Abortion?

What Can Help Me Recover Better?

What Are The Side Effects Of An Abortion?

What Are The Complications Of Abortion?

In miscarriages, pregnancies end naturally. This is because of several reasons which may include:

• Trauma
• The old age of the mother
• Genetic abnormality
• Structural abnormalities of the uterus
• Infection
• Chronic diseases like; diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hypertension

How to get an abortion?

It is safe to get an abortion as soon as you find out you are pregnant or before 24 weeks of gestation because early trimester abortions are the safest. If you get an abortion done in the later stages of pregnancy it might become a health risk for you. There are mainly 2 types of abortions:

• First is the medical abortion. This abortion is opted by many women because of the feasibility of the process and also because it is less invasive. Medical abortions have high success rates and can be done in the comforts of your house. What you have to do is to take pills with a gap of 24 to 48 hours to induce an abortion. The first pill is mifepristone that inhibits the hormone called progesterone that is required to maintain the pregnancy. This causes a loss in the production of progesterone which stops the development of the baby. The second drug is called misoprostol, that has to be taken either right away or 24 hours apart from the time of the first drug. This drug will induce contractions of the uterus and then the uterus will expel out the contents of the conception. You will experience heavy bleeding which almost mimics the bleeding of miscarriage and you will also have severe cramping which will be because of the cramping of the uterus. Medical abortion is very effective in the early weeks, as the number of weeks increase, the effectiveness of medical abortion may also decrease.

• The second method is surgical abortion and is opted when the safe time of medical abortion has passed. It is performed by a doctor and it is an out-patients department procedure. You will be most likely sent home on the same day of the procedure unless a complication develops which happens rarely. The practice can be done in various ways. You will be given anesthesia so you do not feel the pain during the procedure. And just like a dilatation and curettage procedure, your legs will be put apart and propped up on stirrups to expose the site of the procedure. Your doctor can:

o   Aspirate the endometrium using a pump connected to a thin and flexible tube to suck out all the products of conception.

o   Perform a suction and curettage. This procedure is rather more time taking and requires more effort than usual. The walls of your vagina are set apart using a speculum to allow the entrance to the cervix. Then the opening of your cervix is dilated using the metal of different diameters starting with metal, called dilator, with the least diameter and moving up to dilators with wider diameters to avoid any trauma to the cervix. Once the cervix has dilated enough to allow a suction tube to enter, then the suction tube sucks out all the contents of conception.

Click To Learn More: Pros And Cons Of Abortion – Choosing Abortion Is A Right Thing For Me?

How soon can I have sex after an abortion?

As you feel healthy no pain no red discharge and when you feel ready you can have sex.

How early will I recover from an abortion?

Abortion is not an onerous procedure and it will not take you long to recover from it. You need rest both mentally and physically so your body can heal to its maximum. It is normal for a woman to feel cramps in the lower abdomen. You might even have bleed coming from your vagina in both the procedures. The bleeding may be heavier than your regular period, and you may also pass clots. This is normal for a woman to experience after an abortion and you should not worry about it. Though complications are rare, if you pass a lot of clots for a long time then it may be the time to see your doctor about this.

On the other hand, avoid intercourse until our body has recovered or at least wait for 2 weeks. If you are looking forward to getting pregnant again then you should at least allow yourself 1 month after the abortion to conceive again.

What can help me recover better?

• Keep yourself well hydrated to avoid the symptoms getting aggravated.
• Also need to cut down on unhealthy foods and drinks like fatty, salty or sugary food and alcohol or caffeine and start a new diet plan which is healthy and can replenish your nutrients and give you the energy you need.
• You can take vitamin supplements to give you the extra boost of energy.
• Allow your body to relax and give it the maximum time you can so can heal and feel better after a rest.
• Try doing light exercises which may include yoga or breathing exercise. It will release the tension in your muscles and it will also make you feel more relaxed.
• Start using a heating pad or take hot baths so your body can ease itself.
• Painkillers like ibuprofen will help to relieve your abdominal pain.

What are the side effects if an abortion?

Just like any other procedure, medical or surgical abortions has its own associated side effects which can be concern a lot of women, but all you need to know is that the side effects are very normal for you to experience and they also go away with time

• Cramping
• Bleeding
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Tender breasts
• Headache

Click To Learn More: How Long For Cervix To Heal After D&C

How Long Will I Bleed After Abortion?

Bleeding usually depends on how long the pregnancy had lasted. If a pregnancy lasted for a few weeks, it means your uterus has less content to expel but if you have an abortion in the later weeks, then your uterus will have more contents to expel and your bleeding may last for a longer time.

The majority of women suffer from bleeding and painful cramping. As you pass the pregnancy, the bleeding is generally heavy and the cramping very strong. This normally lasts one to four hours. The majority of women pass some blood clots from the toilet and the pregnancy is most often one of these clots. Following the pregnancy passes, the cramps decrease along with the bleeding slows down appreciably.Inside a couple of hours after departure the pregnancy, cramps and bleeding should be much improved.

In a medical abortion after taking misoprostol the first 24 hours are the most important period . This drug contracts the uterus to expel its contents and it takes about 3 to 5 hours after taking the pill for the heaviest bleeding and severe cramps to subside. But after this period, both your bleeding and cramps may reduce and can continue for up to 2 to 3 weeks, though it can vary from woman to woman.

What are the complications of abortion?

Medical and Surgical Abortions are very safe when performed by an experienced doctor. It is very likely for you to develop complications after a successful abortion, but there are always minute chances that you may get:

• Septic shock
• Infection
• Uterine perforation
• Incomplete abortion

Let your doctor know if you have:

• Severe abdominal pain
• High grade fever
• Massive bleeding
• Unusual vaginal discharge

Pregnancy After A Miscarriage: What You Need To Know

References:

Medical News Today

Webmd