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Abortion/pain after abortion

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Expert: - 1/24/2009


Question
Hello,

I had a D&C done on Monday Jan.19, The past days since the surgery have been fine I have had cramping, bleeding, clots the doctor told me this was normal. I had my follow up appointment and the doctor said some "stuff" was left behind but that was normal. Is this normal? I woke up this morning with severe pain in my abdomen area and rectal area on a scale from 1-10 it was a 15. What could this be? I still have pain cramps, painful stools and I don't know what this all is? Please help me.
Thanks

Answer
Dear Amanda -
I'm sorry you're having a difficult time.  You are describing a condition called "retained products."  Unfortunately this can be extremely painful, as you described, but the reassuring this is that nothing bad has happened.  It sounds like some of the tissue lining from the pregnancy did not come out during the procedure, or that after the procedure you had some bleeding, that formed into clots.  A few days later, your uterus tried to push out the tissue/clots.  Your uterus is a big muscle, so when it contracts, it can be very painful.  Over 90% of retained tissue resolves on its own, and the uterus is able to push out the tissue.  The other 10% will need a repeat procedure.  I usually advise people to wait at least 24 hours before opting for the procedure.  There is no problem in waiting for it to happen.  You just need some good strong pain medications.  

I hope this is helpful,
Doctor Joan
Earlyabortionoptions.com
New York City

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Doctor Early Options

Expertise

We are a group of family doctors who provide abortion care for over a decade. We can answer any health or medical related questions about early abortion, including the aspiration procedure, the abortion pill (RU486), or surgical abortion. We run a practice called Early Options, located in New York City: http://www.EarlyAbortionOptions.com. The practice is dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. There are other family doctors around the United States who practice a similar approach to early abortion care: see http://www.EarlyAbortion.com. Please do not ask "private" questions so that other women can learn from your experience. Please tell me what country you are from so that we can better help you.

Experience

Experience in the area: We are all board certified family doctors who have special training in early abortion and reproductive health. Dr. Joan Fleischman is the founder of Early Options (earlyabortionoptions.com) dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. Organizations: National Abortion Federation American Association of Family Physicians

Education/Credentials
Dr. Joan Fleischman, Founder M.D., Harvard Medical School M.P.A., John F. Kennedy School of Government

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