Expert: Pat G - 8/17/2009

Question
Hi. I appreciate you so much for doing this. I am begining to lose hope.

On January 4th 2008, i had my first abortion. I was about 3 months or a little more. That same year, in July i had another one. It has been a whole year and a month since all of that. My husband and I have been trying for a while now. For about 5-6 months. Last month, i swore i was. I got my period n July 25 and it lasted for 2 days only. Saturday, Aug 16, i took a pregnancy test and it came out negative.
My question is, what are the possibilites why my period only lasted 2 days?? And will i ever get pregnant again?

my husband says that maybe there is something torn or not healed in me due to my last abortion. could that be true??

Answer
Hello, Isabella,

It is possible that your two abortions will prevent you from ever getting pregnant again. Unfortunately. However, we don't know that this is true in your case. Usually, they say you should try for a year, and after that, it's time to start worrying.

That said, I will mention several things I hope will be helpful. First, abortion causes scar tissue to form, especially surgical abortion. If scar tissue forms over the openings of both Fallopian tubes, then conception becomes impossible. The other thing you have to watch for is if the openings are partly covered. In that case, you could have a tubal pregnancy. The baby won't survive, and the mother requires emergency surgery to save her life. So if you do become pregnant and you experience pain at about 5-6 weeks from your last menstrual period, get checked out right away! If the pain suddenly stops, it is a life-threatening emergency.

The second thing is that it is possible that you may not be eating right. You need to eat a certain amount of animal fat to make the right hormones to make pregnancy possible. If you are a vegetarian, you might want to check into this possibility. I can discuss this with you if you want. Also, if you aren't eating enough, that could have an effect. Too much exercise could as well.

I would also like to recommend you learn to tell when you are fertile. You can't be using any kind of hormones, and you must chart faithfully. If you know you are fertile, you can time sex so that there is the possibility of pregnancy. To learn more, go here:

http://fertilityuk.org/

Another thing to keep in mind should you become pregnant, is that surgical abortions in particular can cause a weakening of the cervix, so that it can't carry the weight of a baby. This often results in extreme prematurity or miscarriage. Extreme prematurity is a leading cause of cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. Be sure and tell the doctor you have had abortions, and ask him to explain to you how to tell if you might go into labor early. He can also fasten your cervix shut until the time of birth.

Good luck, and take care of yourself! Let me know how things go.