Expert: Pat G - 7/2/2009

Question
QUESTION: hello.
I would just like to ask you a question.
I had an abortion on 26.June.2009 and had sex on day 4 .
Im still bleeding but im not sure if its possible to get pregnant again.
Or is it just that the recovery will take longer?
Please help me~
Hoping you to reply back to me .


ANSWER: Hello, Noelle,

It seems to me it is unlikely you could get pregnant so soon after an abortion. However, the fact that you are still bleeding means that you have open wounds in your uterus, and your uterus is open to the outside world, so it is quite possible to get a nasty infection.

If you want to avoid a second abortion, you will have to protect yourself better. If you continue to have sex, pregnancy again is highly likely. You should abstain at least until the bleeding stops, so you don't end up with an infection. Then, if you are not using hormones, you can learn to tell when you are fertile. You have to chart faithfully. The only method that truly prevents pregnancy reliably is to abstain from sex. Don't count on condoms. They don't work.

Give some careful thought about your future, and whether or not you want to go through that again. You deserve better. Abortion is dangerous and can kill you. Seriously consider a change in your lifestyle so you won't feel the need to do it again. You are precious, so please stay safe!


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hello thanks for the answer. i have an another question to ask you
well from yesterday i have been getting leaking of milk from my breast.. is this ok??
im worried to get pregnant again..
and or an infection :(

Answer
Hello again, Noelle,

As far as I know, milk leaking from the breast after abortion is fairly common. Your body thinks you have given birth to a baby, and the baby needs to be fed. Just make sure your breast doesn't become hard or impacted. If this starts to happen, hand milk just enough to relieve the pressure, whenever needed.

It is wise to be concerned about getting pregnant or developing an infection. As long as people are sticking instruments inside you and causing wounds (surgical abortion), infection is possible. Abortionists often don't sterilize their instruments properly, and even if they did, as soon as they are taken out of the sterilization process, they will become contaminated just from contact with air. In the case of a pill abortion, if anything is left behind, it's a source of infection. It is especially dangerous if women put pills in their vagina.

As for getting pregnant, the only completely reliable way to prevent it is abstinence. If you aren't willing to do that, you should learn how to tell when you are fertile. You have to chart faithfully, and you can't be using hormones. For more information, go here:

http://fertilityuk.org/

As far as I know, a week after ovulation, a woman can have sex without getting pregnant, up until her period starts. It's not a big window, but it is one alternative. The period normally starts 14 days after ovulation.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any more questions you may have, and please let me know how you do.