QuestionHi:
I don't want to call my doctor about this due to the dressing down I got from her when I decided to have an abortion.
I had an early (5-wk) termination of a pregnancy. I was consciously sedated and it was a medical abortion. There was no suction sounds heard so I believe it was aspirated. I was given a dose of antibiotics right then and there at the hospital. I did not experience much post-abortion bleeding at all.
About 2-weeks later I had my first shot of Depo Provera and the post-abortion check up and everything was fine. My question is I am having some pain now with deep intercourse. Is this normal? My urine output is good, no funny smells or colors and I am having no other effects.
Thank you for your time. I would call my doctor but again, I don't need another dressing down from her. This was a HIGH risk pregnancy to begin with.
AnswerHi, Tamara,
A doctor may not agree with abortion, but I don't believe that is cause for being abusive, frankly, and I'm sorry this happened to you. A doctor should be able to explain rationally why abortion is not wise. Some people who do abortions can be really nasty at times. I assume your doctor doesn't do them, though. No matter how legal it is, there is still a stigma attached to getting an abortion or doing them.
Some clarification of terms is important. The term "medical" abortion applies to pill abortions rather than aspiration. If you were sedated, you may not have noticed suction sounds, but aspiration does rely on suction as well. I have noticed that there is a tendency for the range of hearing to shut down when a person isn't fully alert (I hear sounds right next to me when I am in bed, but not necessarily sounds across the room.)
Can you tell me why your pregnancy was high risk? That might be relevant. But please know that there is nothing normal about abortion OR using Depo Provera. The question would be whether or not a thing was common, or whether it's something to worry about.
Given what you have told me, I wouldn't begin to guess. There could have been damage from the abortion. Even with an aspiration abortion, the cervix has to be forced open, and this causes micro-tears, and that could be a reason. Also, there could be adhesions within the uterus. This would also tend to cause pain.
It's also possible Depo could be figuring into it. Also, abortion tends to whack out a woman's hormones, and of course, adding Depo on top of that would have a further effect.
One final possibility is that if you are feeling negatively about having had an abortion, you could be tightening up. You might even want to ask if you want to take the risk of needing a repeat abortion. Obviously, if you are married, intercourse is reasonable, and you might want to learn to tell when you are fertile. Let me know if you do. If you're not married, it's more important to ask about taking such a risk.
If you're not afraid to go to another doctor, I can tell you where you might find one who is unlikely to dress you down. Believe it or not some of the crisis pregnancy agencies have such doctors. This is because they do a lot of work with abortion experienced women, and they really do have a different outlook on how to treat abortion experienced women.
You can find an organization near you by going here:
http://www.pregnancycenters.org/
I would recommend that you do have a doctor look into it. Good luck! Please let me know what you find out. And you're welcome.
