QuestionQUESTION: I had a surgical abortion 3 wks ago and I am still bleeding! The bleeding is not very heavy but the color has changed. It started as the bright red and then changed into the brown indicating old blood but then 2 days ago it turned back into the red blood still not heavy though. I have no cramping and no fever, no side affects at all just the color change. I wanted to know is this normal or should I be concerned and how much longer will i bleed, i have read so many different answers to that. Also, what are the chances of having a infection and not having any symptoms at all. I am very concerned about anything affecting my ability to get pregnant in the future. I have a 2 yr old daughter already and would like to one day give her a sibling when the time is better. thanks.
ANSWER: Hello, Haven,
To begin with, having an abortion is not normal. You had the right to be told what the complications might be. That is called "informed consent". It is rare for them to tell a woman what she really needs to know to make a decent decision.
You didn't say what country you are from. I am more familiar with the problems in the abortion industry in some countries than others. For example, I am aware that in some countries, it is common for abortionists not to sterilize their instruments properly. This is probably a more widespread problem than we know about. Also, injury to the uterus is common. You shouldn't be having bright red blood at three weeks if they didn't injure you. However, injury is pretty much inevitable, because they have to scrape the lining away, and cut away the placenta, which is firmly attached. The question really isn't whether your uterus was injured, but actually how much it was injured. So yes, infection would be fairly common, and could be asymptomatic, and could cause infertility. It makes me angry that abortionists won't warn a woman about the possibility of infertility. About 10% of women who have one abortion will never conceive again. The other problem is scar tissue. This forms on the surface of the uterus as a result of the injury from scraping, and can cover the Fallopian tubes. If it covers them completely, the woman will be unable to get pregnant in the future. If it covers them partially, she could experience tubal pregnancy. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate surgery.
From what women have told me, bleeding after a surgical abortion, especially for a long time, is not especially common. If you were experiencing brown blood, and then had sex, and that seemed to set off the bright bleeding, that would seem to indicate that the sex physically caused it, and that you have been injured more than you "should" have been.
Please let me know what country you are from, and I'll see if I can find where you might be able to get medical help. Please take care of yourself.
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QUESTION: I am from the united states and a certified obgyn performed my procedure. They are very legal here and I did check the equipment used and everything was sterile. I have not had sex since before the procedure was done so that is not an issue. I have followed every instruction given to me to a t. I have not been swimming or in the tub, I have not worn any tampons, and I have not had sex. I took the antibiotics that were given to me. I am just very very scared about not being able to have future children, i know what i did was wrong but i hope that one day i can forgive myself for that as i know that god already has. I was just very scared and acted too soon. I was 10 wks when the procedure was done. This bleeding reminds me much of my period, not very heavy but getting a little heavier each day, no cramping or anything of that nature. I was just thrown off by the color changing back to red, which I have heard indicates an infection. I called the clinic where it was done and they said it all sounds normal so that led me to call my obgyn that delivered my daughter and the soonest they can get me in is august and i obviously can't wait that long so i was thinking about going to the emergency room before anything gets too serious.
AnswerHello, Haven,
Thank you for getting back to me. I am very familiar with the situation with abortion in the United States. There are some certified ob/gyn's who are doing abortions, and they're just as careless as the other people doing them. In fact, many of them were doing abortions while it was still illegal, and it has been admitted that these back alley abortionists are still practicing; most of the people who did abortions in those days WERE licensed doctors. Legal does NOT equal safe. These people are careless, and even if they sterilize their instruments properly, there are plenty of other ways they can be careless. For example, the mere fact they are using a sharp knife to cut away at some very soft tissue, part of which is your uterus, without being able to see what they are doing, is in and of itself carelessness. (Using ultrasound like some do doesn't help much.) Abortions are unethical, and all these people know it. Injury is pretty much inevitable. They have to scrape away the top lining of the uterus, and they have to cut away the placenta. By 10 weeks, cutting away the placenta is not a trivial thing.
Bright red blood doesn't necessarily mean infection. It does mean that you are having fresh blood when you shouldn't be. I wouldn't think of infection as my first thought. And even if you had an infection, it might not show itself in that way. For one thing, you could have pelvic inflammatory disease. This is usually caused by infection, and a woman may not be aware she has it (or it could cause her pain). My first concern is that you shouldn't be bleeding like that, and that it could become a serious problem. No, August is not soon enough for you to be checked out, and I sure wouldn't go back to them anyway. What they did is unethical, and thus, they committed malpractice on you.
I will tell you in a minute how to get help, but I want to address your comment about not being able to forgive yourself. This is common, and it's probably something that I would have a serious problem with. However, emotional and spiritual healing are possible. God wants you to trust in Him enough to forgive yourself. He has already paid the price, and His forgiveness is a free gift. Forgiveness is not an emotion. It is a decision. It is deciding to be willing not to hold the sin against the person who committed it, in this case, yourself. If you totally accept God's forgiveness, you know that He has cleansed you, and you can let go of this. But you will probably still have trouble doing it, and you may have to make this decision several times. Tell God that you are having trouble forgiving yourself, and that He will have to help you do it.
There were two people in the Bible I'd like to mention who received God's forgiveness after serious sin. David wanted Bathsheba, so he sent her husband to the front lines in battle so he would be killed. God forgave him, and even arranged for David to be in the lineage of Jesus. Saul was going around killing Christians. God appeared to him in a vision, forgave him, and caused him to become the apostle Paul. I owe my faith to Paul, because he preached to my ancestors. If God was willing to forgive them that thoroughly, He also will forgive you that thoroughly. It's a matter of trust. Put your trust in His promises.
You need some counseling. There are programs for women who have experienced abortion. These are usually available through an organization near you. They can also help you find the immediate medical care you need. Please contact one near you. To find it, go to this web site:
http://www.pregnancycenters.org/
Please do this right away.
Please take care, and let me know how you do.
