Trying to Conceive After Abortion: What to Expect & When to Seek Help

Question
i had an abortion in november of 2006, im now trying to get pregnant, and have been for about 5 months, and nothing. im scared  i cant get pregnant, and just to add i didnt have a surgical abortion, i took the pills at almost 3 months along. why cant i get pregnant? is there something wrong with me? what can i do?

Answer
There is nothing to worry about. Getting pregnant is a tricky process under the best of circumstances. It may seem strange to you because you got pregnant without wanting a baby or trying to have one, but this is the way it works for most couples.

It takes on average 6 months for couples who are trying to conceive. There are mny factors responsible for this: the timing of your intercourse, the regularity of your ovulation cycle, your age as well as your partner's age, the difficulty of implantation, etc. Many people who're trying to have a baby don't just have sex on the "right days of the month". They get charts to predict the exact dates, ovulation tests to be sure they are ovulating, basal body thermometers to better predict when ovulation might happen in the next day or two... they even try to have sex in the "right positions" so they maximise their chances. And they still take an average of six months!

Doctors will tell you there is nothing to worry about for one year. Though the average time taken to conceieve is 6 months, for half the people it takes more than that long to conceive. Only if you haven't become pregnant after one year oftrying should you see a doctor.

Even if you find that you cannot get pregnant now, there is almost no chance that your abortion is the cause of it. There may be changes in your body chemistry - or your partner's - from your diet, exercise, smoking, drinking, drug use, disrupted sleep cycles, etc. Hundreds of independent studies (purely scientific, not sponsored by religious institutions) have proved that medical and surgical abortions which take place in the first trimester and are uncomplicated do not affect women's fertility.

Further, abortions of the sort described above do not cause fetal deformities, low birthweight, premature labor or miscarriages either.

So don't worry. Take it easy, and you will conceive naturally!