QuestionI had an abortion when i was 20 weeks pregnant and I had too much to drink and dont THINK i had sex with the guy I had been seeing but I can't remember. He says he's 90% sure we didn't and I woke up with my clothes on so I'm not thinking we did. With that said, this was only one week exactly after having my abortion. It is now a months since i've had my abortion and because of the slight chance I may have had sex with him I am freaking out wondering if i could possibly be pregnant again. Is there ANY possibility I could be with having a second trimester abortion and having sex 1 week after the procedure? When is the absolute earliest one can ovulate after a second trimester abortion? Please give me all the details. I've been scouring the internet but nothing seems to give me a 100% "I'm in the clear" answer. I'm afraid to take a HPT because I'm worried my pregnancy hormones are still in my body.
Also, some more information, after the (may have or may have not) sex incident, I have been consistently shedding my hair which is normal for after a pregnancy. Would I still shed my hair if I was pregnant again? My breasts are not tender which they were during my first month of pregnancy the 1st time around...and i havent had any uterine cramping which was quite painful the first time around.
Please just give me all the details i need to know to set my mind at ease! I just worry because I haven't gotten my period yet and I know that it's normal but the chance of having sex again and getting pregnant again worries me to no end. Thanks for the help!
AnswerHi, Laura,
You're asking some pretty tough questions. But I'll do the best I can.
I had a personal experience that may or may not shed some light on your situation. I was pregnant, but the baby was very ill, apparently, because she didn't live. However, I ovulated while I was pregnant (apparently low hormones was part of the problem). And got pregnant from that ovulation. The second baby was born healthy a year after I first got pregnant. There was no sign of the other one. But we know she was there because I felt movement, and there were other symptoms. Now obviously, your situation is somewhat different, and I'm only telling you this to point out that a person can ovulate at some very strange times.
Obviously, the first rule of thumb for you is, don't get into situations like the one you were in, in the first place, no matter how much fun it might have been at the time. If you always stay in a place where you will be in control, and you are around other people, not isolated where rape is a possibility, then you greatly reduce the chances of having this happen to you. Also, don't go into an isolated place with your boyfriend, either; in other words, don't go somewhere where it would be convenient to have sex.
You didn't say when you had your abortion. That's important information. That would tell me more about how likely you are to still have pregnancy hormones. As for having your clothes on, you didn't tell me what kind of clothes you were wearing. If it would have been easy for a person to simply move your clothes a little and rape you, that could have happened. You would still be clothed. Also, did you notice any leaking of fluid afterward, as happens after intercourse?
Abortion causes a serious disruption of the delicately balanced hormones of a woman's body, so anything is possible, but it's unlikely you ovulated so soon after such a late-term abortion. Of course, it makes me wonder if you really wanted an abortion, because often women who don't want one will wait as long as they can. Was that the case with you?
As for shedding your hair, this isn't normally a symptom of pregnancy, and there could be another reason. I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Given that you had a late term abortion, I wouldn't expect your breasts to be tender.
Worry can cause a delayed period, and so can malnutrition. You haven't said what your nutritional status is like. If you fill me in on more details there, I may be able to help more.
I recommend you go to a doctor and have him test your hormones. In fact, if he tests them twice about a week apart, they should be dropping if you're not pregnant. But again, unless it has been at least two weeks, and preferably three, since the incident, any test of hormones might not tell you much.
Other than that, let me have some more information, and keep telling me what is happening. In your case, patience may be a requirement. Try to take it easy. If you do become pregnant again, I'll be here to help with any problems you might face. But please don't hurt yourself again. Abortion is always dangerous, and second trimester abortions are very dangerous. Obviously, you don't want to experience a repeat abortion, and you do deserve better. Take care.
