Expert: Pat G - 7/13/2010

Question
I ha an abortion on may 27, I started taking birth control the following sunday. -i had sex two weeks later. I use a condom. It been 5 weeks since I had an abortion and I haven't seen my period yet. Is it possibly that I am pregnant again?

Answer
Hello, tonaya,

Having sex that soon after an abortion is unlikely to make you pregnant. It takes awhile for a woman's hormones to calm down and return to the nonpregnant state. You may well become fertile before you have a period. Unfortunately, I cannot write for a long time, because I can't recharge my computer where I am. But watch for mucus from your vagina which is transparent, slippery, and stretches like a raw egg white. When you have this mucus, you are fertile. Your period will return about 14 days after you ovulate, which will be in the middle of the time you have this mucus. As long as you are taking birth control, however, you will probably not observe this symptom. Fertility detection doesn't work when you are on hormones. And the pill can also delay the return of your period.

Condoms don't protect women from pregnancy. They are prone to failure; it's only a matter of time. If you don't want to be pregnant again, you should not have sex. If you are married, the most reliable thing you can do is abstain and go off  birth control, and learn fertility awareness, and then watch your symptoms until you are familiar with them. You must chart faithfully.

For more information, go here:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

Please take care of yourself. You deserve for your man to respect you and not put you at risk, so please have a talk with him. You have already taken a terrible risk with your life, and possibly the lives of your future children. Please do not take any more chances, and stay safe. Let me know how you do, and feel free to write back.