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Abortion/medical abortion;sex; birth control pill

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Expert: - 5/5/2009


Question
Hi, Im from (USA)-NY about a month ago I discovered from home pregnancy tests that I was pregnant.I had a medical abortion and the doctor put me on birth control pills about a week after my check up (which turned up clear). My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex (pulling out method) about a week after my check up (it took 4 days for me to bleed out after the day i took the RU486 and I went for a check up 3 days after that-all clear). after taking the test again because I got worried about getting pregnancy again,it showed positive but the pharmacist told me its because of the hormones from the abortion.the doctor told me that during the first month of taking the birth control pills we should wear a condom, and then its ok not to. My problem is that from the third day of taking the pill we haven't been wearing a condom. question: How long does it take for the pill to be in my system. What if I am pregnant?the results would be a false positive still from the abortion from a month ago. How can I know without going back to the doctor???

Answer
Dear Jana,
A positive pregnancy test after a medical abortion is common and normal.  However, a month after the abortion pill the test should not be a strong positive test. It's best to check with the pregnancy tests that have two lines (not digital pregnancy tests). If your pregnancy test was only a faint positive test, there is no concern.  If it was a strong positive pregnancy test you should make sure that there is not a problem from the medical abortion.  The evaluation would include a simple blood test.  If you are in New York City my office can help you with this (earlyabortionoptions.com), or you can go back to the office where you had the medical abortion.  

I'm not really concerned about you not wearing a condom after starting the pill.  If you started the pill on your period, or within two weeks of the abortion it should be effective immediately, and you don't need to worry.  

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

Abortion

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Doctor Early Options

Expertise

We are a group of family doctors who provide abortion care for over a decade. We can answer any health or medical related questions about early abortion, including the aspiration procedure, the abortion pill (RU486), or surgical abortion. We run a practice called Early Options, located in New York City: http://www.EarlyAbortionOptions.com. The practice is dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. There are other family doctors around the United States who practice a similar approach to early abortion care: see http://www.EarlyAbortion.com. Please do not ask "private" questions so that other women can learn from your experience. Please tell me what country you are from so that we can better help you.

Experience

Experience in the area: We are all board certified family doctors who have special training in early abortion and reproductive health. Dr. Joan Fleischman is the founder of Early Options (earlyabortionoptions.com) dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. Organizations: National Abortion Federation American Association of Family Physicians

Education/Credentials
Dr. Joan Fleischman, Founder M.D., Harvard Medical School M.P.A., John F. Kennedy School of Government

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