Expert: Dr. Harriet Johnson - 12/28/2009

Question
Hello,

I had a medical (pill) abortion at about 6 weeks on November 19/20. I have follow-up appointments and sonograms to confirm the pregnancy had been terminated-it had. I have since started birth control. I know birth control isn't completely effective until 1+ month... I have had unprotected sex twice since my abortion (December 6 and 13). Both times, I took Plan B within 32 hours of having sex. Now, my first month of birth control is over and I should be getting my period this week-according to the pill. I've been told I might not get my period on a regular basis for a couple of months after an abortion, but I've also been told if I take a pregnancy test, the hormones might still be in my body, giving me a potentially false positive, and that I would need a blood pregnancy test to determine if I was pregnant again. When is your period expected after an abortion? Should I be expecting it about now, since I am 1 month in on my birth control pills? Obviously, in hindsight, I should not have had any sex until I got my period and was on birth control for a more substantial amount of time. I just would like to know when a woman typically starts ovulating/becoming fertile after an abortion?

Thank you for your time.


Answer
Hi Pamela,

Women ovulate two weeks after an abortion, however this doesn't always happen. Your period should come around 4-6 weeks after an abortion but again this doesn't always happen, also because you started taking birth control, this may also delay your period.