Expert: Pat G - 6/27/2009

Question
Hi, I had a surgical abortion over a month ago and have been spotting and off
and on ever since.  About 5 days ago I started to bleed and thought that it
was my period starting back up.  About 3 days ago I go off a plane and as I
walked I noticed I had bled through my jeans, a lot of blood, covering my
thighs down to my knees. It was absolutely terrifying.  I managed to clean up
and things seemed ok for the rest of the day, then that evening the same
thing happened a gush of blood.  This happened that following day as well
and I decided I better see a DR.  They told me there was some remaining
tissue inside me from the abortion that was causing this.  I was prescribed
some medication, tablets that  I inserted to flush things out.  I did this about
30 hours ago and I did bleed pretty heavy as I was told and then things seem
to tapper off yesterday, again I  had the gush of blood passing tissue.  It's
very frightening and I don't know how much blood loss is cause for concern
now.  To me this whole thing is concerning!  
Can you please shed some light on this!  I am very frightened and scared and
am now quite emotional as well...is this normal too.  I seem to cry at the drop
of a hat.
Thank you for  you time  

Answer
Hi, pinch,

Yes, this is enough to alarm any woman. I have had that happen to me, but in my case, I was out in public a little less than a week after childbirth. I soaked my clothes. It's also very embarrassing.

I'm wondering if you may have been injured by the abortion. You should go to someone who will investigate this possibility. As for what they told you to put in your vagina, I hope it wasn't Cytotec! That stuff is dangerous! It can cause contractions so strong it will rupture the uterus. Also, using anything vaginally can cause toxic shock syndrome. If you get any symptoms, go immediately to the emergency room and mention toxic shock syndrome.

If all they did is give you pills, you really need to see someone else. Obviously, if you have a gush of blood, the blood was accumulating and let go all at once, but regardless, I'm not sure I buy that remaining tissue is enough to explain it.

Being emotional is also not surprising. Having an abortion can cause this, and since you are worried, that may well have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. You should probably see a counselor. You can find one through the organization I mention below.

Find a decent doctor. There will be an organization near you that can make a recommendation. To find one, go here:

http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/worldwide_directory.asp

They list 283 in Canada. There are multiple pages. If you look at "details", you can find out how to contact one of them.

Good luck, and please let me know how you do.