Expert: Pat G - 11/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: i married 3years back i am 29 years,3years back i had an abortion in 2nd month.now from 2 months i am trying for getting pregnancy.
can i get pregnant again witin short time.
please give me ur suggestions.

ANSWER: Hi, gayathri,

Nobody knows if you will be able to get pregnant. You will have to wait and see. Having an abortion reduces your chances of getting pregnant. If you haven't gotten pregnant within a year, then you might want to start talking to a doctor about what might be the problem. In the meantime, you should learn how to tell when you are fertile. You can't be taking any hormones. When you have slippery, stretchy mucus, then you are fertile and should try for a baby. For more information, go here:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

Be sure you are eating well. You need adequate protein, and animal fat in your diet would be very helpful. You can get this from milk products, for example, such as the cheese or sour cream in daal, made with garam masala sauce and spinach, or any dish made with ghee. You can also get animal protein from milk products or from chicken or lamb. It is much easier to get adequate protein from animal sources. If you have periods, then you may be getting enough animal fat to make the necessary proteins. But unfortunately, a pure vegetarian diet can prevent you from making the necessary hormones.

About one out of ten women who has one surgical abortion will never be able to conceive again, but we can hope you are not one of those women. If you had a pill abortion, then nobody knows what effect that has on fertility.

Good luck, and please let me know if you are able to get pregnant.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: do u suggest any precautions of getting pregnancy  

Answer
Hello, gayathri,

You haven't told me what kind of abortion you had. That is important. At this point, too little is known about pill abortions for me to give you specific advice. However, you need to make sure you have good prenatal care from a doctor who is familiar with the consequences of abortion, and knows what to do with the problems that may arise.

If you had a surgical abortion, please be on the alert for the following:

Pain about 4 to 6 weeks into the pregnancy, especially if it suddenly stops. In that case, you need emergency surgery for tubal pregnancy.

Inability to carry a baby to term because the cervix has been weakened. This results in miscarriage or very early birth, which can cause mental defects. The remedy is for the doctor to fasten the cervix shut until time for birth.

Placenta previa or prolonged labor at the time of birth. Placenta previa is caused by scarring on the uterus, so that the baby cannot attack in a good place, and instead attaches near the cervix. The placenta can be ripped loose, causing a life-threatening hemorrhage. Either problem may require that a woman have a Caesarian section to protect the life of both mother and child.

I hope this helps. Take care.