Expert: Pat G - 6/26/2011

Question
So i had an abortion on Dec 23 2009. i have had 2 periods since :[[ and now my boyfriend and i are trying to get pregnant and i am wondering will i be able too :[ we dont use protection because we really want this please help me understand.

Answer
Hello, Lauren,

What kind of abortion did you have? A certain percentage of women who have an abortion will never conceive again. Also, it is not uncommon for a woman not to get pregnant immediately when she starts trying. We know that about 10% of women who have a surgical abortion will never conceive again. How a pill abortion affects fertility is not known.

There are several things you should consider. First, a baby deserves and needs two parents who are committed to each other, and since you are not yet married, there is no formal commitment. The formal commitment IS important. Second, if you are not prepared to care for a baby, you may find yourself back where you were when you decided to have an abortion the first time.

Some people seek to have what we call a replacement baby. This isn't necessarily a good thing.

Having said all that, I will tell you that generally, if a woman isn't pregnant after trying earnestly for a year, it may be time to look into the reasons why. Other than that, you just have to be patient. Make sure you are really ready to raise a child. Even having a conflict about it, the advisability of it, and so forth, could have an effect. If you are suffering from regret, it would be wise to deal with the emotions and the spiritual problems involved. If you need to talk about this, I am here for you. There is also help available to help you both work through this. Let me know if you would welcome this kind of help. Please take care, and let me know what happens.