Post-Abortion Pregnancy Test: Reliability & Concerns - Medical Advice Needed

Question
I had a termination on the 29th dec )I had blood clot in my lungs and leg so they did it at the hospital) I have had sex since then but been extrememly cautious using condoms and none have broken or anything but I just did a pregnancy test because im terrified of falling pregnant again and its positive! How reliable are condoms and could this be from the last pregnancy?

Answer
Hi, Vanessa,

Your question can really only be answered by a doctor. The doctor must examine you to determine if you are pregnant. Since it has been two months, it seems unlikely to me that you could still have hormones from the abortion, but I certainly wouldn't be able to rule it out. A sudden disruption of pregnancy DOES cause a corresponding disruption in hormones. Unfortunately, condoms are not all that reliable. It may be that only, say, 30% of the women who rely on one to prevent pregnancy, will experience pregnancy from one sexual encounter. Or it may be only 10%. The problem is, if a person is using a condom reliably, that exposure occurs repeatedly. Eventually, there will be that exposure that leads to pregnancy. The condom doesn't have to break. If there is a defect, there can be a hole large enough to admit sperm. It is known that defective condoms were even sometimes deliberately being handed out. I do suggest you find a more reliable method of preventing pregnancy. The best method I know about, the most reliable, least dangerous, and safest for the woman, is natural family planning. You can learn the symptoms of fertility and plan your sexual activity around it.  Here is a good site about natural family planning: http://www.fertilityuk.org/ Using natural family planning doesn't mean you can never have sex. But you can know your body and be much more assured that you can avoid pregnancy. If for some reason you are pregnant, please check out all the resources in your area, and learn all your options, and what kind of help is available to you. Any woman who has problems with blood clots, should try to to avoid having another abortion, since abortions can cause blood clots. In any case, it is not uncommon for a woman who has one abortion to end up having a string of abortions, and nothing ever changes, so it is good to figure out a way to break out of such a pattern. Good luck with this! We'll be here if you need any further help.