One of the questions when terminating a pregnancy is: After an abortion, can I get pregnant? And the answer is yes. In Aya Contigo we will provide you with all the information you need to clear up these doubts.
What are the chances of getting pregnant after an abortion?
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 83% of women ovulate during the month following an abortion.
Your ovulation may return as soon as eight days after using Mifepristone and bleeding begins. This means that a new pregnancy can occur very soon after the abortion.
Should I Use Contraceptives After an Abortion?
Yes, if you want to prevent pregnancy, you must use a contraceptive method to prevent fertilization of the egg.
If you had an abortion with pills, you can start taking birth control pills the same day you start using Misoprostol.
According to the Médecins Sans Frontières guidelines, implants, plastillas, injections and condoms can be started the same day the first pill (both Mifepristone and Misoprostol) is used.
If you decide to have an intrauterine device (IUD), it can only be inserted after the abortion is completed and can only be done by health personnel, 7-10 days after using the pills.
Remember that you can use condoms while you decide which method works best for you.
Does Abortion Affect Fertility?
Studies have concluded that a safe, uncomplicated, medical abortion does not affect fertility.
You can have an abortion without affecting your ability to become pregnant and carry one or more pregnancies to term in the future.
What Complications of Abortion Can Affect My Fertility?
Complications from medical abortion are very rare, occurring in less than 2% of procedures, and of these, only a severe untreated infection could eventually affect your fertility.
The infection can be controlled with proper treatment. The problem arises if you do not receive the necessary medicines.
In that case, the infection can spread, affect your fallopian tubes and ovaries and be the beginning of pelvic inflammatory disease, which in turn can increase your risk of infertility or ectopic pregnancy.
That is why it is important that you count on support such as that provided by Aya Contigo before, during and after your abortion.
Medical abortion or abortion with pills is safe as long as it is performed according to the World Health Organization guidelines available here in our Aya Contigo application.
What Are the Risks of Surgical or Instrumental Abortion?
Surgical or instrumental abortion is performed by a specialist and consists of removing the embryo/fetus, the placenta and emptying the uterine cavity.
The risks are generally low, but are higher with the surgical curettage technique than with the vacuum or suction aspiration technique.
With curettage, sharp scrapings can lead to the formation of scar tissue in the uterus called Asherman's. This can lead to infertility. This can lead to infertility.
What to Take After an Abortion to Cleanse?
You should not take anything to clean your uterus or introduce anything into your vagina. The uterus does not have to be "cleaned", it is not dirty, but little by little it will expel all the remains of the pregnancy through bleeding.
In fact, by trying to insert something into your vagina to clean it, you run the risk of infecting it, so don't do it.
Remember also that taking teas or concoctions exposes you to adverse effects and are potentially dangerous without proper observations and recommendations, as their effects are not scientifically proven.
How do I Know if my Uterus is Empty After the Abortion?
Since medical abortion has been proven to be very safe and effective, most of the time you can tell that the abortion is complete and the uterus is empty by the decrease in bleeding over the week following the start of the abortion.
After two weeks, if the bleeding and cramping have stopped, and the pregnancy symptoms have subsided, it is safe to assume that the miscarriage is complete and the uterus is empty.
Aya Contigo can support you through a checklist with an algorithm to help you know if the abortion is complete. You can also talk to the trained counselors and they can support you.
Did you know that you don't need an ultrasound to confirm a successful abortion? Simply assess the symptoms with this checklist from Aya Contigo.
A follow-up ultrasound may be done to check, but if there is no fever, anemia, pain or infection you can expect the uterus to expel it at the next bleeding. Rarely, repeat medication or surgery is necessary to remove the remaining products of conception.
Curettage is a procedure with anesthesia in which the specialist removes the remains that have remained attached to your uterus, but aspiration is recommended because it is less painful, more modern and safer.
Are you looking for safe and confidential support and accompaniment?
Download the app Aya Contigo.