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Post D&C: Brown Discharge & Potential Pregnancy - What to Do


Question
QUESTION: I had unprotected sex 2 weeks after my D&C, and now I am 4 weeks out of the D&C. and i have a brown discharge coming out with no period. Am I pregnet again? Is this normal cycle after my D&C?

ANSWER: Hello, Heather,

To begin with, having a D&C is very much not normal. It disrupts a woman's hormones so anything is possible. It can be a long time before a normal period occurs, or a woman can become fertile very quickly. What you should do is wait a week and test for pregnancy.

Brown discharge sounds like it might be old blood. Old blood can be left over from the abortion, or can indicate some kind of injury. Apparently, your cervix opened enough so that you are experiencing this. The cervix normally opens for the time of ovulation, and for the period. Obviously, if you are having sex again, you're running the risk of getting pregnant again. And if your partner has had sex with anyone else, you are also running the risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease. At least you are aware that your sex was not protected, because "protection" doesn't work. You might want to give some serious thought to the fact that you have resumed the activity that led to your abortion in the first place. Is it worth the risk for the pleasure you experience?

Go ahead and take a pregnancy test immediately, and then in another week. The reason I am suggesting this is because you may well still have hormones left over from your previous pregnancy. If the second test is less "positive" than the one you take right away, this may indicate that the thing that is preventing a normal period is that the pregnancy hormones have not subsided enough for you to have a period yet.

If at this point, you have more questions, you should see a doctor and let him test your hormones and do other kinds of examination. Don't go to the person who performed the D&C.

As long as you aren't taking any hormones, you can learn to tell when you are fertile. You have to chart faithfully. You can learn more here: http://www.fertilityuk.org/

Then if you want to avoid another abortion, either don't have sex, or only have it when you're not fertile. But remember, you can catch an STD any time. If you are at risk, I recommend you get tested for STDs.

Abortion is dangerous and can cause serious problems or even death. If this was your first pregnancy, this has increased the chance you will get breast cancer while you are still young. If you have a history of breast cancer in your near relatives, it is a virtual certainty. I don't recommend mammograms; there is a new test called thermography that is safe and much more accurate. There is some information that taking an adequate dose of Vitamin D3 can protect a woman from breast cancer.

I hope things go well for you. Please let me know how you are doing. If it turns out you ARE pregnant again, I can point you to some resources so you don't have to risk your life again. Stay safe!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: After my miscarriage I had the D%26C don't and felt great. Last week a started with the brown discharge so i took a pregnancy test and it was neg. So I did take another one this week, and again it was neg. Would this brown discharge be my period for for the first time after my D%26C?
I haven't had a normal cycle sine July. I have had no cramping or any thing?

Answer
Hello, Heather,

I definitely misunderstood you. I apologize. I thought you had an abortion. If you had a D&C after a miscarriage, there was already an abnormal situation. Since you had the D&C for medical reasons, you really should ask your doctor about your brown discharge.

If you have taken pregnancy tests and they have been negative, you should take another in a week.

In the meantime, given the situation, you should make sure you don't take any risks for the moment. Ask your doctor about whether and when you can have sex. I can't tell you over the internet whether the brown discharge is a period, and neither can a doctor.

So please ask your doctor these questions. Given that there was a medical situation, he will need to know that things aren't straightened out. Brown discharge isn't the same thing as a period.

Good luck! Take care, and let me know what you find out.