After getting an abortion, many women wonder what are the chances and risks for future pregnancies. But one thing to know is that pregnancy termination does not cause any problems with pregnancies later on in life. This is true for both medication and invasive methods to end a pregnancy. Only in rare cases, if the procedure is not done properly, complications can result giving rise to health issues, which may interfere with the person’s ability to conceive.
Which Factors Influence Pregnancy After an Abortion?
Be it abortion pills or removal of pregnancy through surgical equipment, the method chosen depends on personal preference and the gestation age of the pregnancy. For instance, you can only use pregnancy termination pills within 8 weeks of gestation. To avoid unintended pregnancy, you must always choose contraception and not be involved in unprotected intimacy.
Risks of infertility, infection, or injury are more in surgical abortion while abortion with pills is much safer, and can be done in early pregnancy duration of up to 56 days from the first day of the last menstrual cycle. But how soon should you resume birth control after ending a pregnancy? Remember that you can conceive soon after the termination procedure.
When to Look for Birth Control?
If you do not want an unintended pregnancy within weeks of emptying the uterus, then start with non-hormonal contraception within 3 to 9 days of the procedure. Also, it is better to wait for the bleeding to stop and menses to regularize before getting sexually active. For safety’s sake, wait for the menstrual cycle to get back to normalcy before planning for the next pregnancy.
When to Try and Conceive After Terminating a Pregnancy?
Several healthcare providers even suggest letting one menstrual period pass out before going in for unprotected intercourse. Give your body sufficient time to heal. As to get the pregnancy tissues out of the womb, you will experience bleeding from the vagina and the cervix also widens, it may take some time to heal your reproductive system. Thus, it is advisable not to use anything insertable in the post-abortion bleeding time in the vagina. For the bleeding as well, you must utilize large and absorbent sanitary pads.
The timing of ovulation at the time of pregnancy before the ending of the conception also has a say in how soon you can get pregnant after an abortion. If the termination happens later in the pregnancy, then your ovary may not release a mature egg for the next several weeks. So, you can expect the pregnancy hormones to still have some presence in the body.
To Conclude
If you think you are pregnant after an abortion, it is better to see a physician and determine the pregnancy with the help of an ultrasonographic image of the uterus. Using a pregnancy kit at home may not give accurate results as from the presence of lingering pregnancy hormones.
Safe Medical Abortion 