Expert: Pat G - 3/6/2010

Question
QUESTION: hi Pat G,,can you help me...i had an abortion last feb.15, 2010...until now im still bleeding...but its lighter now...just a spotting unlike the first two days...i passed a small clots...is it normal for having a bleeding for two weeks now?..then we had sex with my partner last  last night, but he withdrawn it..is it safe?we had sex for my bleeding is just like spotting..is it still safe?im afraid..expecting for your reply

ANSWER: Hello, mae,

It isn't normal to have an abortion, so anything the abortion causes isn't normal either. However, prolonged bleeding like you are having is very common.

It is also not safe to have sex this early. As long as you are still bleeding, your uterus is open to the outside world, and it is possible for you to get a nasty infection. If you had a surgical abortion, then the surface of your uterus is raw, and any infection would have direct access to your bloodstream. In addition, withdrawal does not prevent pregnancy. A man will leave behind a few drops of fluid, and that's all it takes.

If you had a medical abortion, your uterus is still open to the outside world, and you are still at risk from infection. If your partner has ever had sex with someone else, you are especially at risk.

Unfortunately, some of the diseases you could catch won't produce symptoms right away. And some are incurable.

What you will need to do is have a doctor check you thoroughly, but you need to wait a couple of weeks at least. For some diseases, such as HIV, an ordinary blood test won't show anything for about six months. Getting your partner to be tested, if he has had sex with anyone else, might reveal a potential problem sooner.

You are taking risks with your life, and you really deserve better. I recommend that you stop having sex with him. It's not in your best interests. There are other ways to show affection without putting you at risk, but any time the man inserts himself into any opening of a woman's body, she is at risk. I wish I could tell you everything is OK, but I can't. Normally, they instruct a woman not to have sex for several weeks anyway.

Whether you are fertile yet and at risk for pregnancy for that reason is hard to say. It normally takes several weeks for a woman's cycle to return to some semblance of normal. It isn't desirable to have an abortion in the first place, because it's not safe, and having more than one is just asking for more trouble. So if you do become pregnant again, please don't have another abortion. There are so many ways it could harm you that it would be impossible to write them all here.

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

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

QUESTION: hi...thanks for the advice...im litlle bit scared...but i stopped bleeding ryt now..im happy..but m a sinner ryt...huhuh...may i know what are the symptoms of having an infection?

Answer
Hello, mae,

There isn't really a single set of symptoms of having an infection. The symptoms are different for different kinds of diseases. Sometimes there is a fever, but not always. Toxic shock syndrome doesn't cause a fever because a woman's body doesn't fight back. Toxic shock syndrome occurs when a woman uses pills in her vagina. Sometimes the only way to know whether you have an infection anytime soon is to find antibodies in the bloodstream, which requires tests. There may be an elevated white blood cell count. But again, this isn't always evident to begin with. Some diseases cause lesions (such as cold sores). In some cases, a woman will experience weakness or pain. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all for quite awhile, and there is a good chance you have a disease that you got before the abortion that you know nothing about. This would be the case if your partner has ever slept with anyone else, even if he hasn't told you about it. Some diseases are very widespread because of the amount of sleeping around people are doing. The only way you are going to have an answer is to see a doctor. For your own peace of mind, I recommend this. Please take care.