Expert: Doctor Early Options - 5/5/2009

Question
Dear Dr. Joan,

I reside in NJ and I am 20 years old. My question may seem long, hope you'll
bear with me.

I had a surgical procedure done on April 1st of this year. I went for my follow
up on the 1st and was told I was good to go.
I just went back for a 2nd follow up (April 30th)due to a HPT still reading
positive, and the ultrasound tech told me that my uterus was clean and their
pregnancy test read negative.
Now today, Im on my second green placebo pill of Ortho tri cyclen lo(this is
the end of my first month taking it OTC L) and I am getting cramps with very
very light spotting.

Is it too soon to get my period? Or could I be pregnant even though I was at
the Drs 4 days ago and they said I was fine? Or is this all completely normal
for 4 weeks after the abortion?

Thank you so much for all of your help!

Answer
Dear Ashley,
It is common and normal to get cramping and light spotting intermittently for up to two months after the abortion.  It can be difficult to know if this is your period or just irregular normal bleeding after ending a pregnancy.  It's best to take ibuprofen or motrin for the cramps and your period will eventually come back to normal.  There is no reason to think that you are pregnant again.
I hope this is helpful,
Doctor Joan
EarlyAbortionOptions.com
New York City

FYI I am not a big fan of orthotricyclen lo.  We see about one woman every week who gets pregnant on it while taking it correctly.  We have reported it to the company and they have not taken our concerns seriously.  If I were you, I would switch to any other kind of birth control pill.