Post-Surgical Abortion Bleeding Concerns: What to Expect

Question
Hi there, i had a surgical (first trimester) abortion 17 days ago and am concerned with the bleeding pattern i'm experiencing.  They insisted i begin taking Microgynon 30ed the day of the abortion, which conflicted with the information in the instruction leaflet but i followed the advice anyway.  I bled lightly for 2 days post abortion, didn't bleed for a day, then bled consistently as a normal/heavy period for 12 days, didn't bleed for the next 3 days and then started bleeding again and once again its normal/heavy.  My periods are apparently not heavy compared to some, but it's certainly not light bleeding.  

Do you think i should be concerned as i've read from many sources that bleeding should be more like spotting or at least light for a few weeks following a surgical abortion and i really wouldn't describe my blood loss as light.  There are no clots and i'm getting a little more pain than i usually would during menstruation.  

Any advice would be appreciated.  

Thanks you

Answer
Hi, Erica,

It is my understanding that some women bleed for several weeks. That said, if you are worried about the amount of bleeding you are doing, you should check with your doctor (not the person who did the abortion). As long as you're not hemorrhaging, that's good, but hemorrhage is a possibility, and if it starts, you should go immediately to the emergency room.

Abortion causes a disruption of your hormones, so basically anything can happen, and there is always the possibility they didn't get it all, even though you haven't seen any clots.

It's not uncommon for a doctor to recommend you take a medication in a different manner than the literature says. As to the wisdom of that, it's anybody's guess. But according to the link below, the information needs to be updated.

Here is a link on Microgynon:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100001653.html

This appears to be basically the same information that would be in the leaflet you got. I would add one additional thing. Some contraceptives make you more vulnerable to HIV, because it changes the hormones, and for some reason, this is one of the consequences. Condoms aren't good protection, unfortunately.

Good luck with this. I am usually around pretty much all the time, so if you have additional questions, please feel free to ask.

Stay safe!