Expert: Pat G - 6/16/2009

Question
Hello I had an abortion on May 2nd of this yr and it is June 16....I had on in off bleeding which i know is normal .....it stopped though and i had what seemed to be a normal, very heavy period for about 7 days...it stopped i had intercourse with my partner he pulled out though....i started bleeding again a few days after that a bit of cramping....could it be from the abortion still maybe the intercourse triggered it? what is going on?

Answer
Hello, sabrina,

Actually, having an abortion is not normal, and neither is on and off bleeding. You should be aware that pulling out doesn't work. As for the bleeding with cramping, that would seem to indicate your uterus hasn't resumed its pre-pregnancy size. Intercourse can trigger cramping. In fact, it always triggers contractions, though they are usually pleasant rather than painful. But if your uterus isn't back to size, then intercourse can trigger cramping as it tries to resume its pre-pregnancy size. It doesn't sound offhand like there are any problems, but if you have any questions or concerns, please see a doctor. Don't go to the one who provided the abortion. Someone who hasn't been involved won't have a conflict of interest.

If you want to avoid having another abortion, it would be wise to consider what you are presently doing, because otherwise you will wind up in exactly the same position as before. And abortion is always dangerous. It can kill you or leave you seriously disabled. So you should figure out a better way to avoid it. And condoms don't work. The only thing that does work is not to have sex. Other things may prevent pregnancy for awhile, but all other methods have a failure rate.

Sex has much deeper meaning, and if your partner doesn't cherish you enough to protect you from the possibility of another pregnancy, then you deserve someone better. Obviously, you are bonded to your partner. Sex does that for a woman. But please give some serious thought to all of this. I don't want to see you in the same position that caused you to have an abortion in the first place. Please take care of yourself. Like I said, if you have concerns, please see a doctor. Make sure that you weren't injured in some way by the abortion, beyond the normal injury abortion always causes.