Females: Your Period / Question
Published: September 21, 2007
Dear TeenHealthFX,
In June I found out that I was pregnant. I had medical abortion in July. I went in, for my two week follow up and I still had tissue in my uterus. I had to do the medical abortion again,(basically take the meds again.) 1 week after that, I went in for a follow up, and I still had tissue in my uterus. The doctor told me, that I had to schedule a surgical procedure. So I did. I had a follow up (for the surgical) a week later and everything was cleared, and my uterus was back to normal. This was probably the third week in July. The second week of August, I had some light spotting and thats it, no normal period. Now it is the second week in September and, I have not had my period. I have been sexually active (using condoms,) so I took a pregnancy test and it came out negative. I have scheduled an appointment, but would like to know what you think may be happening? and if I should be concerned? Could I be pregnant again? I really appreciate, the time taken to read this and look forward to your response. Thanks!
Signed: Periods After A Surgical Abortion
Dear Periods After A Surgical Abortion,
TeenHealthFX would like to start by explaining that different women have different experiences when it comes to spotting, bleeding, and menstruating following an abortion – and all can be perfectly normal. It can be very normal for a woman to bleed for a couple of days following an abortion. This bleeding tends to decrease for a couple of weeks following the abortion, and, in most cases, menstruation occurs after 5-6 weeks. Other women may not experience any bleeding immediately following an abortion and may take more than the average 5-6 weeks to start menstruating again. One case where an examination by a medical professional would be advisable is if a woman bleeds more heavily than usual following an abortion, as this could mean that her uterus has not been completely emptied.
As you experienced, it is possible for a medical abortion (which entails taking medications to end a pregnancy) not to be successful. However, this is rarely the case with a surgical abortion (which involves emptying the uterus with surgical instruments). Since you ultimately had a surgical abortion, you have been using condoms since that time, and you had a negative result on your pregnancy test, FX thinks that it is unlikely that you are pregnant right now. Most likely, your body may just take some time for your period to come following the abortion.
However, if you are concerned, FX does recommend that you speak with a healthcare provider who can accurately determine whether or not you are pregnant, since FX obviously cannot make that diagnosis over the web. FX also suggests that you speak with a healthcare professional about a back-up method of birth control, such as the pill or patch, so that you can better protect yourself from unwanted pregnancies and feel more at ease that you are well-protected when it comes to practicing safer sex.
If you don't have a doctor and live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds overall. 
