Expert: Pat G - 3/4/2010

Question
QUESTION: I had a termination in July 2009, my doctor said it was normal not to bleed straight away but it has been 6 months now. What should i do?

ANSWER: Hello, kelly,

Your question was in the question pool rather than addressed specifically to me, and I just saw it.

The only way you are going to find out what is wrong is to go to the doctor and have him examine you. For example, it may well be that scar tissue has formed over the opening to your cervix so that blood cannot get out. And there may be other possibilities. Another that comes to mind is the possibility you had a pill abortion, and your hormones have never returned to normal. Obviously, six months later, you would know it if the abortion failed. Another possibility is that if you are taking birth control, it could have stopped your period.

Please don't go back to the person who provided the abortion. You may not get decent answers, because they won't want to admit they hurt you. Find a decent doctor, and let him know what you have been through and ask him to test your hormones and do other kinds of examination. Please let me know what you find out, and take care of yourself.

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

QUESTION: Thank you for getting back to me so quick. I am planning to see my GP next week but I wanted to stop myself from worrying so much- hence my posted question.
I had a medical termination in Milton Keynes after being referred from a GP I no longer have (He is now retired), the whole procedure was absolutley fine, When i woke up I saw women in other beds crying, screaming, and I felt nothing, mentally and Physically- not one hint of any type of pain. I did not bleed once and my GP told me I should take the tablets provided by the Hospital for the set time after the termination then I should resume with the contraceptive pill (Cilest) as usual.(Which I have done) The GP did say on the phone after 2 months I shouldnt worry and that my periods will probably return to normal if a hormone is present it would stop my period. I think I have just started to let my imagination run away with me and started to believe if my periods do not return to normal I will be unable to have children in the future which is upsetting, stressful and probably doiesnt help my body return to normal either! I really appreciate your thoughts/comments on this. Kindest regards

ANSWER: Hello, kelly,

You're welcome.

If you were asleep while they did the abortion, you had a surgical abortion. "Medical termination" refers to a pill abortion, which takes several days.

There may be more than one reason women were crying and screaming. Pain could be one reason, but emotions also will often cause a woman to react that way. She is suddenly sorry she had an abortion, or she regrets it.

It seems likely, given the drugs you are taking, that this is the reason why you aren't having your period. Also, stress can cause a woman's period to stop. If you are very upset about your concern about not being able to have children in the future, this could cause sufficient stress.

Nobody can tell you that you will be able to have children in the future. Some women who have abortions never do. I will give you some specifics, that may help. First, with a surgical abortion, scar tissue can form over the openings to the Fallopian tubes, and this can prevent pregnancy. If the openings are not completely covered, a woman can have a tubal pregnancy. This requires emergency surgery. If you get pregnant, and about 4 to 6 weeks into the pregnancy (from last menstrual period), you start to feel pain, this should be checked out, particularly if the pain suddenly stops.

Another problem you may face is that the abortionist may have damaged your cervix. In that case, you may be prone to miscarriage or very early birth. Very early birth can cause a number of serious birth defects, so you will want to make sure your doctor takes steps to protect your baby. Usually, this is done by fastening the cervix shut so it can carry the weight of a full term baby.

Abortion can also cause problems with birth, so you will need to be prepared; you won't be able to have a homebirth.

However, the damage usually happens to about 1/3 of the women who have a surgical abortion, so we can hope that you will be OK. At this point, the best thing to do is take good care of yourself, and let your gynecologist check you out. Good luck!

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for that response, it has given me a really good in sight into what I may expect in the future. It is a shame no one explained all this before, but maybe with all the literature I was given I just didnt remember reading it!
Also yes it was a surgical abortion, when i went for my scan i was 8 weeks and they told me I could not have a enduced miscarriage as it was over the time limit.
Any way thank you again I really appreciate your advice.
Kelly

Answer
Hello, Kelly,

Thank you for the very kind rating and the wonderful words! I am very happy that my answer was helpful. And you're very welcome.

They usually don't tell you about the things I shared with you. They are supposed to obtain informed consent, but if they did, very few women would ever get abortions, so they do whatever they can get away with. So it may or may not have been in the literature. Usually when it's there, it's because it's mandated by law.

Feel free to write back any time. Please take care of yourself and stay safe!