Expert: Doctor Early Options - 2/13/2009

Question
i am in the united states,i had medical abortion on december 31st which was about 4-5 wks ago and i am still bleeding i bled lightly after passing pregnancy then a few days i bled heavy with clots then it slowed down to barely anything which i thought it was pretty much done and now since 4 days ago i have been bleeding as heavy as a the first few days of period, could i be on my period now and is this normal to still be bleeding and how long will this continue?

Answer
Dear Nicole,
The bleeding you are describing is completely normal after a medical abortion.  The irregular bleeding is the most annoying thing about the abortion pill. Bleeding can come and go like this for months, and it can be difficult to know when your actual period starts and ends.  Don't worry about it -  it will come back to normal in the next few cycles.  

The only thing you need to be concerned about is not getting pregnant again.  Many women are under the illusion that if they're bleeding, they can't get pregnant, or if they are bleeding irregularly, they should stop taking birth control pills.  If you are on birth control pills, take them the way they are prescribed and ignore the bleeding pattern.  

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