More Abortion Answers
Question Library
Ask a question about Abortion
Volunteer
Experts of the Month
Expert Login
Awards
About Us
Tell friends
Link to Us
Disclaimer
|
| |
|
|
| |
| | | |
About Pat G
Expertise
I can help women with the consideration of their decision, and with resources, and I can share my own experiences as the mother of seven and grandmother of six. My approach is to show love and concern, and help women work through the issues, emotional, spiritual, practical. I also help women deal with boyfriend and family issues.
Experience
I have been working with women who are considering abortion for several years. I also work with women who have had abortions. Our family has also experienced adoption, so I can talk about that as well.
Education/Credentials
I am mostly self-taught. I also studied midwifery for awhile. I have spent years doing research on this topic. In fact, I have been doing research and working in this area since the early 1970's. I have been helping women online for a few years, under the guidance of a woman who was formally training in counseling.
| | |
| |
You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Women's Health > Abortion > abortion
Expert: Pat G
Date: 5/12/2008
Subject: abortion
Question
I had a surgical abortion last March. My boyfriend and I have been having unprotected sex for the past 10 months. I'm worried that I can't get pregnant again. What are the possibilities that I can no longer get pregnant?
Answer
Hi, Jessica,
I have no idea what your chances of getting pregnant are. Statistics are one thing, but either way, for you, it's 100%. For the most part, you have to wait and see. You obviously had an abortion for a reason last time, and I wouldn't know offhand why you would want to go through that again. But there is a possible explanation.
There is a book called Taking Chances - Abortion and the Decision Not to Contracept, by Kristen Luker. The book is out of print, and not easy to find, so I'll tell you briefly about it. The author studied the reasons why women sometimes take chances. One of the reasons given is to make sure she can get pregnant. Of course, if you were to get pregnant again, would you seek an abortion because you're not ready to have a child? If so, you would have that same question, but this time, it would be because you had had a second abortion. It turns out that the incidence of infertility after one abortion is about 14%, but after 3, it's 50%. The more abortions you have, the more you harm your chances of having a child.
Inability to get pregnant can result from an abortion if the openings to the Fallopian tubes are blocked by scars. If it is a partial blockage, a woman can have a tubal pregnancy, which is life-threatening for her. The baby won't survive. Any sign of pain at around six weeks from last menstrual period should be looked into. Pain that is suddenly relieved means get to an emergency room immediately! If you have a tubal pregnancy, you are now in a life-threatening situation. There could be other reasons, too. Because of the abortion, you could have developed an infection which could render you infertile. You could also have contracted an STD which could render you sterile.
The best thing to do is to live a healthy life, and hope your body heals, though in some cases, a woman only ever conceives one child for reasons that nobody knows.
Contraception isn't very reliable, and at least if you have been having unprotected sex, you don't have a false sense of security.
If you are seriously worried and ready to have a child, go to a doctor and let him or her check you over, check your hormone levels, that sort of thing. Sometimes pursuing infertility issues can get very expensive. So make sure you are really ready to have a child. If you're not ready, I recommend abstaining and finding other ways to express your feelings for each other. It's the only truly reliable way to protect yourself from pregnancy. Keep in mind that this means no contact near the area, but also keep in mind that other forms of sexual expression can also make you vulnerable to STDs or cancer. This includes oral and anal practices. In particular, anal practices are very dangerous and can shorten your life by decades.
I hope that when you are ready to have children, you will be able to. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Stay safe!
Add to this Answer
Ask a Question
|
|
