Expert: Pat G - 9/29/2010

Question
hi.

i had a surgical abortion 8wks ago and have now got my first period since.

I am qutie concerned at the amount of blood i am losing. its is extremely heavy and i am changing my dressing (tampon or pad) almost hourly. it is bright red which i consider to be clean looking. there are only very very small clots. how long should i wait before seeing my gp? is this normal?

Answer
G'day, casey jane,

Having an abortion is not normal. Whatever happens afterwards isn't either.

It is hard to know at what point a woman will change her dressing; some will use heavier dressings, or change less often, than others. Nevertheless, it is cause for concern. Bright red blood is fresh blood. I'm wondering if you may have had an injury of some kind that requires attention. I would see a doctor who knows abortion is bad medicine. He is more likely to have good medical judgment, while a person who does abortions won't want to admit abortion hurts women. Please go right away.

To help keep the bleeding under some kind of control in the meantime, please get some cayenne into your body. Cayenne is red hot peppers. You can get it as a supplement, or you can get it in some spicy food (but not in Vegemite, I imagine. Just kidding). Do this regularly as long as you are bleeding heavily.

There are organizations in Oz that offer help to women who have had abortions. They can provide you with a referral to a doctor who can look at you. To find an organization near you, go to this web site:

http://heartbeatservices.org/connections/worldwide-directory

Please let me know how you do, and let me know if you have anything else you need to discuss. Please take care, and stay away from abortion. You deserve better. I will keep you in my prayers.