Expert: Pat G - 12/20/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello I had an abortion on11/19 and I still haven't recieved my period. I have had unprotected sex several times after. I have take about 6 test and all were positive except 1. The 1 I took on my first urine was positve then later in the day I took another 1 and it came out neg. My breast are tender and I'm having lower back pains. Frequent urination is occurring again. Is there a possiblity I am pregnant again. Please help.

ANSWER: Hi, Pinky,

I will need more information. What kind of abortion did you have? How far along were you?

There is the possibility that you simply have leftover hormones from the pregnancy you aborted. That said, obviously, there is also the possibility you are pregnant again. You didn't say how recent the last test was. While tender breasts and frequent urination are certainly a possible indicator, I don't know that lower back pains are necessarily signs of pregnancy, and they COULD be signs that you were injured by your abortion as well, so it's important to get checked out, but go to someone other than the person who provided the abortion.

Obviously, if you want to avoid pregnancy, you should refrain from sex when you are fertile. Fertility doesn't normally return until the pregnancy hormones from the other pregnancy have dissipated. But learning to tell when you are fertile might be helpful. You have to chart faithfully, and you can't be using any hormones. For more information, go here:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

Don't rely on "protection". It doesn't work very well, and it will make it more likely you will get a disease.

If you are married, obviously having sex is reasonable. Then the best and most reliable way to avoid pregnancy is to have sex only when you are not fertile. But it's not 100%. Only abstinence is 100%. If you are not married, I would encourage you to rethink your lifestyle, because sex has deeper meaning, and as an unmarried person, you won't experience any of that. And you may well have to face the same situation that led you to get an abortion in the first place. The other problem is the possibility of acquiring a disease. This could come either from your partner, if he has slept with anyone else, or from the abortion itself, if it was a surgical abortion.

Hopefully, it also seems obvious that you shouldn't have another abortion. Abortion is dangerous and can kill you or seriously harm you, and it can also harm your future children. And the more abortions you have, the more likely that there will be serious injury. So the best way is to make sure you won't have to face the situation in the first place.

If you let me know the answers to my questions, I can probably tell you more. If it turns out you are pregnant, then there are organizations out there where people are willing to help you with whatever problems you face that make abortion seem like a good idea. To find one near you, go here:

http://www.pregnancycenters.org/

Regardless, please let me know how you do, and please take care of yourself and stay safe!

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

QUESTION: Thank you for your honesty. I was 10 weeks and 4 days. I had a surgical abortion. And the positve test came out 11/15. As for my back pains my cervix is tilted backwards so the doc had told me that's why I was having back pains before.  

Answer
Hi, Pinky,

You're very welcome.

OK, there's something more I don't understand. Did you have your tests before or after your abortion? Or did you mean you took the tests on 12/15?

Thanks for explaining about the back pains.

I think the only thing you are going to be able to do at this point is get checked out, and test a couple more times to see if your HCG levels are declining or increasing. That should tell you what is going on. Wait a few days between tests.

Let me know what you find out. If you are pregnant again, or still pregnant, I will be here for you, and will try to help you with whatever problems you face. Take care.