Expert: Pat G - 2/7/2010

Question
hi am jenny,
i had unprotected sex today which is the 7th of feb 2010 buh i had an abortion on the 29th of january 2010 whilst having sex ma bf came withdrew quickly when he sensed he was about to com. cud i get pregnant nd could i also take the morning after pill just incase to be on the safe side?.. i knwo this question sounds reali reali stupid and am sure if u were close to me i would get a slap in the head. thank you

Answer
Hello, jenny,

I'm not one to slap people in the head, so let's not go there.

You can get pregnant any time he enters your body, even if he withdraws. You can even get pregnant if he leaves fluid near the opening to your vagina, although that is relatively rare.

The morning after pill is dangerous, and you don't even know if you need it. I wouldn't consider taking it to be "on the safe side". Why take something you may not need?

It's not likely that you would be fertile this soon after your abortion. Normally, it takes longer for the pregnancy hormones to revert than that. Another thing to remember, though, is that "protection" doesn't work anyway. Here is what I suggest, though. It's not in your best interests to have sex when you're not married. There is too much risk that you will get pregnant again, even if you were to use the morning after pill (it doesn't always work). You also run the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease. In fact, the morning after pill would make you more susceptible. And you could get an STD from the abortion. Right now, the biggest danger isn't that you might get pregnant, but that you might get a nasty infection. It's not wise to have sex until after 3 weeks after an abortion.

Once your hormones have settled back into a pattern, you can learn to tell when you are fertile, provided you're not taking any hormones. You have to chart faithfully. To find out more, go to this web site:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

I recommend you have a talk with your boyfriend. He shouldn't be putting you at risk like this. You deserve better. Look for someone who is worthy of you, someone who will cherish you and put your needs first. That means someone who won't take advantage of you.

In the future, if you should become pregnant before you are ready, first have the doctor test to see if the pregnancy is viable before thinking of anything else. Then go talk to an organization that will tell you what your other options are, and will provide you with help. These organizations are all over the United States. You can locate one near you by going here:

http://www.pregnancycenters.org/

Please take care of yourself and stop taking chances. Let me know how you do.