Expert: Pat G - 9/27/2009

Question
I've had and abortion 3 yrs. ago and I've been trying to get pregnant ever since and it hasn't happen. Does this mean i will never get pregnant again?

Answer
Hello, Lee,

It is entirely possible you will never get pregnant again. About 10% of women who have one abortion never do. After three years, it is time to see a doctor about fertility issues.

There are several possible things that can go wrong that might prevent it. One is if a woman gets pelvic inflammatory disease. This creates huge fertility problems. A woman can get this by having an abortion, among other things. Another is if there is scar tissue blocking the entrance of both Fallopian tubes. The doctor should check for sexually transmitted diseases as well. A woman can get one either from abortion or from her partner. The problem with abortion is that many abortionists do not sterilize their instruments properly, or re-use disposable instruments, or have a generally non-sterile environment. If your partner has ever slept with anyone else, it is also a possibility, or if you ever did, it could simply be that it manifested itself in this way. Abortion is a huge assault on a woman's body, and can lower resistance to disease. So all of this will need to be checked out. If there is a small opening in scar tissue over either Fallopian tube, this can lead to tubal pregnancy. This is a very serious and dangerous condition. It requires emergency surgery. If you were to become pregnant and then started to feel pain several weeks in, and especially if the pain suddenly stopped, the woman should seek immediate medical attention. It requires an operation, and the baby cannot live.

You can learn to tell when you are fertile. You must chart faithfully, and you cannot be using any kind of hormones. To find out more, go here:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

Please let me know what you find out, and how things go. Take care.