How lengthy do you bleed after a medical abortion or surgical process, and what’s thought of extreme or extended bleeding
- You will possible expertise heavy bleeding for a number of hours following a medical or surgical abortion.
- Chances are you’ll proceed to identify for a few weeks after relying on what number of weeks you have been pregnant.
- However if you happen to’re passing giant clots and soaking via two or extra pads an hour, contact a health care provider.
Abortion is a secure and efficient strategy to finish a being pregnant when accomplished by a educated doctor who follows the strategies outlined by the World Well being Group.
However it may be useful to know what bodily signs to count on earlier than getting one.
In keeping with Dr. Lisa Masterson, an OB-GYN in personal observe, probably the most frequent unwanted side effects of each medical and surgical abortions is bleeding.
It is also frequent to expertise painful cramping after an abortion, says Dr. Monica Grover, a board-certified OB-GYN and chief medical officer of VSPOT.
Grover says that cramping could also be intermittent for the primary couple of days after which improve together with bleeding across the third to fifth day after the process.
The severity and length of those signs are totally different for everybody and may rely upon what sort of abortion you had and the way far into the being pregnant you have been.
Some individuals expertise gentle bleeding and spotting for two weeks following the procedure, while others experience one episode of heavy bleeding immediately after.
Below, OB-GYNs share exactly what to expect when it comes to bleeding and your period after an abortion.
Bleeding after an abortion
The amount and length of post-abortion bleeding can vary from person to person — it’s normal to experience a light, moderate, or heavy flow, as well as blood clots or blood-tinged vaginal discharge.
Moreover, the type of abortion you have will also be a factor:
- Medical abortions involve a combination of two medications that cause you to shed your uterine lining, which prevents the pregnancy from progressing.
- Surgical abortions, or in-clinic abortions, usually involve local anesthesia before a medical professional inserts a device through your vagina to empty your womb from any fetal or uterine tissue.
Here’s how much bleeding to expect from each procedure.
Medical abortion
A medical abortion usually involves taking two pills, called mifepristone and misoprostol, to induce an abortion. Using just misoprostol also works, though there is a different protocol for using only the one drug. According to Planned Parenthood, a medication abortion is generally effective until 11 weeks after the first day of your last missed period.
Following a medical abortion, the bleeding usually starts one to four hours after you take the second medication. For some, however, bleeding will begin in between taking the first and second medication.
Heavy bleeding should only last for a few hours shortly after taking the second pill, and you may experience clots, which can range from the size of a dime to the size of an orange. In rare cases, heavy bleeding may not start for a few days after taking the medication.
As your body passes the pregnancy tissue, bleeding will decrease but may last 10-18 days.
Surgical abortion
It’s common to bleed for up to a week after a surgical abortion, according to Dr. Kim Langdon, an OB-GYN with the digital health platform Medzino. She says the blood may be deep red to brownish, and can also sometimes include small clots that appear red to dark purple in color. Clots should be no larger than the size of a lemon.
After a week or so as the bleeding lightens up, you can expect to have a pink or brown-tinged discharge. However, how long you bleed depends on how long you’ve been pregnant.
The longer you’re pregnant, the more time the uterine lining has had to thicken, meaning there is more tissue to shed, Langdon says. So, for example, a surgical abortion done at 16 weeks of gestation may cause heavier bleeding than one done at 10 weeks.
Additionally, bleeding may decrease when you rest and increase when you exercise.
Sometimes, Langdon says your doctor may prescribe methylergometrine, a vasoconstrictor medication, to control the bleeding after a surgical abortion. In most cases, though, Grover says you’ll just have to wait it out.
Periods after abortion
Pregnancy hormones disrupt your menstrual cycle so you may not have your period at the regular time following the procedure, Langdon says.
Grover says you can expect your next period to begin anywhere between four to seven weeks after getting an abortion.
It may take some time for your hormones to regulate and your body to readjust, but according to Grover, your periods should become regular within two to three cycles.
When to see a doctor
If you experience any of the following symptoms, OB-GYNs say you should reach out to your doctor right away:
- Heavy bleeding that lasts for 12 hours or more
- Heavy bleeding that soaks more than two pads in one hour
- Severe cramps that do not improve with over-the-counter pain medication
- Fever and/or chills
- Foul-smelling discharge
You should also contact your doctor if you don’t bleed at all after a medical abortion, because that may mean the medications didn’t work and you are still pregnant.
According to Langdon, the most common cause of excessive bleeding is an incomplete abortion. If that’s the case, the bleeding will typically be accompanied by abdominal or pelvic pain.
An incomplete abortion means that pregnancy tissue is still left in your womb. In rare cases, an incomplete abortion may cause other complications, including:
- Sepsis: an immune response that can cause tissue damage and organ failure
- Hemorrhagic shock from severe blood loss
- Uterine rupture
Less frequently, excessive bleeding may also signal a uterine injury that happened during the abortion procedure.
Both an incomplete abortion and a uterine injury can increase your risk of infection — which, if left untreated can spread to the fallopian tubes and cause infertility.
Abortion recovery takeaway
“It’s normal and common to have some bleeding after an abortion,” Grover says.
The farther into your pregnancy you get an abortion, the more bleeding you’re likely to experience. Bleeding will typically be heaviest in the 24 hours after getting a medical abortion, and then you might experience light bleeding and/or spotting for up to 18 days.
Overall, bleeding tends to be lighter after a surgical abortion, but will typically last for several days to several weeks. The bleeding may also be accompanied by clotting as well as cramping.
If you’re ever concerned about the amount of blood or how long the bleeding has lasted, contact your doctor.
