Expert: Dr. Harriet Johnson - 9/10/2009

Question
Whooo...ok.  I am a 32 y.o. female.  I had a medical abortion on August 18, 2009.  I was 3 wks gestational age.  I took mifepristone on Aug. 18 and then, 2 days later on Aug. 20, I vaginally inserted 4 misoprostol tablets.  The contractions were minimal and the pain was not so bad... I was actually expecting alot worse.  I had already started spotting after taking the mifepristone, and after taking the misoprostol I began to bleed at a steady flow.  Although, the flow was not too heavy, but I am judging from what I have read, that this may be normal considering my regular periods are very light and usually only last 2-3 days.  I know I passed a greyish tissue which was probably about an inch and a half long... the gestational sac?  I stopped bleeding on about the 30th of Aug.  

Please, understand I did not want this abortion.  I had previously had an abortion in Decemeber of 2007 which concurrently almost took my life as well.  I had an aspiration procedure in Bloomington, IN.  I started passing massive clots on Christmas Eve...and then began to hemmorhage.  I was rushed to emergency surgery... and remained in the hospital through the Christmas break. You understand-- I still had bits and pieces of my child left in me.  I was 10 weeks pregnant, and regardless of whether medical society can prove or not... My child already spoke to me:-(.  I did not fight so much for myself, because I thought I deserved what came to me.  And as you can tell it still pains me greatly to this day.  But I believed in the man I was with and loved him beyond life.  Evidently I chose the wrong life.  So, I guess you can ask me why it is I did it again...

The first man I was with I still see off and on, and I still love him.  But I began seeing another man which I have been seeing now for about a year.  This is the man I conceived with this time.  We went through the same thing as with the first pregnancy.  But, as guilty as I feel, I do not love this man.  And, I didn't argue too much with him when he suggested abortion, because he could not provide.  I felt how could I give life to this child when I had already ended the life of the one before???  So, we went and had the medical abortion done.  And, I think I've tried to push it all away, but it's coming to me.  Missing what was in me... even though it was early and there was only a yoke sac.  It's still there about what I've done again.

Not emotionally stable am I...  I know, but I am coping.  I understand what you go through and the different levels you work through.  And, so, I keep moving...

And, here I am again.  I'm unsure if I'm not pregnant again.  Stupid?  Maybe, to some people I suppose.  But, I won't make the same mistakes again.  If I am... it will be by the father of the first aborted pregnancy.  

Ahhh...so, past all the emotional stuff.  I took a pregnancy test on I think about Sep. 3.  It was mostly all negative.  Much lighter than the one I had taken to confirm the pregnancy I just aborted.  I had unprotected sex on August 20th, August 29th, and September 1st.  He came in me every time.  He knew what had just happened, and he was very aware.  Sometimes other circumstances make you do intentional things I suppose.  

Either way it does not bother me.  If I am I want this child more than life.  My pregnancy symptoms from the aborted pregnancy went away around Sep 3rd or 4th I suppose.  No pressure, no breast soreness, no sickness, no cramping.  So, I know I ovulate every 13th day from the start of my period.  And from the 20th of August, Sep 3rd would put it at that exact time.  How soon can I take an at home pregnancy test to confirm or deny a pregnancy?  Are my chances of conceiving again much higher or lower after an abortion...especially a medical one?  My cycles usually run every 27-28 days--which I don't know if this info has any use now considering **that I had a medical abortion**.  My breast are the littlest bit sore, but maybe its just soreness I have overlooked.  But, the pressure is definitely there, and it wasn't after I passed the last pregnancy.  

I know it doesn't seem like that much time to just wait and see, but I think Ima bout driving myself half way crazy with worry to figure out what my condition is.  By the way, I didn't go back for a 2week follow up to the clinic.  My medical abortion was slight considering what I've read.  I did have quite a bit of vomiting, but feel very confident it was complete, and made sure to take the test to see if it was negative.  Also, I took another test on September 9th, and this one was completely negative.  If I did conceive on Sep 1st taking the pregnancy test on Sep 9th would not have showed this right???

Please, help and guide me along here....

Thanks so much,
Amaria

Answer
Hi Amaria,

The grayish tissue you passed definitely sounds like the gestational sac. I feel that you needed somebody to talk to and that is fine, I felt completely the same after my abortion and I want you to know that I understand how you feel. In life we make mistakes, sometimes big ones that we regret but unfortunately we can't take them back. You can take a pregnancy test right when your period is due. Your chances of conceiving are no different than a woman that did not have an abortion. And no the pregnancy test you took on September 9th would not have revealed if you are pregnant or not as it is too early to tell. I wish you the best of luck!