Expert: Doctor Early Options - 3/7/2009

Question
Hello Mam
i stay in india,i m 24yrs old.i did a abortion by misoprostol on mon,2nd mar,at that time i was 2-3 weeks pregnent.till dat day evening i had a heavy blood loss,clots were also there but not that much pain but afterwards its normal & almost very less till friday,6th mar afternoon.suddenly in the afternoon i started bleeding again ,i have to change my pad after every 5-6hrs & there is lot of pain in my lower abdomen,lower back & right thigh.i m feeling very weak since then...very scared why it started again bleeding?can i take any medicine for pain? for how much tym this bleeding will continue??my mom is asking me why my periods havent stopped yet, what would i answer to her??also my waist n breast size has incresed within 2-3 days,is this the side effect of this medicine?please help me,i m very tensed..

Answer
Dear Preet,
The second round of bleeding and cramping that you are experiencing is common and normal after taking the abortion pill.  You should take ibuprofen/motrin/advil 800 mg every 6 hours and see if that helps you.  The pain you are experiencing is that the abortion was not complete, so more tissue, blood and clots are trying to come out.  The cramping is simply your uterus trying to push it out - and that is a good thing - nothing to be afraid of.  Other things you can do to help this - take a warm bath and massage your lower abdomen, exercise, and believe it or not - sex.  Sex helps the uterus to contract and push out the tissue.  If the pain is not better in 48 hours, you should see a doctor.  This would likely mean that the tissue is stuck in your cervix and needs to be pulled out, usually with a very simple procedure.  You do not need to tell the doctor you took the pills - he can just assume you are having a natural miscarriage.  And you can tell your mom that you are having a heavy period.  
I hope this is helpful,
Doctor Joan
EarlyAbortionOptions.com
New York City