Expert: Pat G - 8/24/2010

Question
I had a surgical abortion 4.5 weeks ago. Have been bleeding lightly for the past few days. I was wondering if this was my period. I would also like to ask if i can start taking the pill immediately or if i mst wait

Answer
Hello, Star,

After an abortion, all bets are off. Nobody knows what a woman's body will do. Abortion seriously disrupts a woman's hormones. The only way you will be able to find out if this is your period is to have your hormones tested. You can also wait and see if the flow gets heavier. Chances are, you still have pregnancy hormones in your body.

As for the pill, I don't recommend it. It's not really that safe to begin with, and it's not that reliable, either, especially if the woman isn't married. "Protection" really doesn't work, either. If you aren't married, the only way you can really reliably prevent a future pregnancy is to abstain from sex. Sex is for making babies. In an unmarried relationship, the man owes it to the woman to respect her body and integrity and not to put her at risk. You should never have had to face this decision in the first place. Also, please be warned that a surgical abortion greatly increases your chance of having a very premature baby in the future, and this can cause some fairly serious birth defects. It also makes a woman much more prone to tubal pregnancy, miscarriage, complications at birth, and breast cancer, so you will have to be vigilant. If you are married, the wisest course is to learn fertility awareness, but you can't do fertility awareness when you are on the pill.

If I were to advise you when to start taking the pill, I would be practicing medicine without a license, and could get into a lot of trouble. This is a question you should ask your doctor. Don't go back to whoever did your surgical abortion. Also, please keep in mind that the pill makes it much more likely you will be vulnerable to a sexually transmitted disease, because it changes the pH of your body's fluids. You can get a sexually transmitted disease from an abortion, because a lot of abortionists don't sterilize their instruments properly. And if your partner has ever slept with anyone else, you're vulnerable, even if he hasn't told you about it. I would recommend you be tested for various diseases as well. The pill is also more dangerous if you are a smoker.

I wish I could help you more, but unfortunately, I can't determine what is going on with your body over the internet, and neither can anybody else. Please take care of yourself and don't take any more chances!