Expert: Doctor Early Options - 6/13/2008

Question
I had a surgical abortion 6 days ago. At the time I took the blood test then, i was told i was 8-9 weeks pregnant.
However, when the doctor performed the procedure, he was concerned that i wasn't that far along. So as a precaution, he also gave me the abortion chemical injection.

I went back today for a follow-up appt. Even after both procedures, my urine test appeared positive for being pregnant.

It's Friday evening and waiting til Monday seems agonizing. (I had an additional blood test during my follow-up today.)

Is the office urine test coming up positive a week after the procedure common? Please help.

Thank you

Answer
Dear Lisa,
It is common to have a positive urine test for weeks or even a month after an abortion, so this does not mean there is a problem.  However, your story is unusual.  It is unclear whether they think you have an ectopic pregnancy.  If they are suspecting that, they should be telling you more about their evaluation.  They should know after the procedure whether they saw tissue indicating that the pregnancy was in the uterus or not.  The office may be open today, and you could ask questions to find out more.  The questions can wait until Monday if they are not open.

Here are your questions:
1) Did they see a pregnancy in the uterus before doing a surgical abortion?
2) When they completed the surgical abortion, did they see tissue that indicated the pregnancy was in the uterus?
3) How concerned are they that you have an ectopic pregnancy?  Are there signs or symptoms that you should know about?

I hope this is helpful.  It doesn't sound like they are communicating well with you.

Doctor Joan