QuestionHi
I had a medical abortion on May 11, 2007. I didn't have any complications (like fever, more than two pads an hour, etc) and at my two-week follow-up my doctor said that my uterus was cleared. I got my period about 3 weeks later and bled for the next three weeks (but didn't go through more than 2-3 pads a day). The bleeding finally cleared up on June 18 and I was supposed to get my period on Sunday (yesterday) but didn't. Is this sort of pattern normal--bledding for weeks and then missing a period?
A month after having the procedure I had sex with my boyfriend. I had been using the birth control regularly since I had the medical abortion, but we did not use a condom. I took one pregnancy test yesterday and it came out negative. (I plan on taking another in four days just to double check). I'm scared that the missed period may mean that I'm either A) pregnant or B) my ovaries have failed. I know it sounds stupid, but is it possible for RU-486 to cause your ovaries to become detached? Because I passed two clots that were the size of large grapes that were reddish-purple and more solid than a normal clot. Thank you for any information you can give me...
AnswerDear Lauren,
Please don't worry about your ovaries becoming detached. I assure you that is quite impossible, and the clots you passed were definitely NOT your ovaries. The bleeding during your period, as you probably know, is caused by your uterine lining breaking down. The clots you passed were most probably bits of the lining that were not completely broken down into liquid form. It's common, it happens to everyone, and especially when you are undergoing a medical abortion.
Your ovaries have not failed either. It's extremely common for your menstrual cycle to be very off-whack in the first few months after your abortion. Periods can be very light and spotty, or very heavy, or very early or even very late. It's quite common to completely skip periods. This is a natural result of the hormonal imbalance in your body right now. You still have leftover pregnancy hormones coursing through your body (they can take up to 6 months to be fully removed from your system), but since you're not pregnant any more your body has also begun to make hormones not usually manufactured when you are pregnant. Because of this, you may continue to experience many symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness, food aversions and cravings, bloating, frequent urination, headaches, fatigue, breast tenderness etc. even though you are not pregnant. In the first couple of months following an abortion, you may even test positive on a home pregnancy test purely because of the leftover hormones.
But the fact that you tested negative means that you are definitely not pregnant. So no need to worry on that count either.
Keep using birth control, stay safe and try not to stress out. The months following an abortion can be difficult emotionally, and you shouldn't add needless worry to all that you may already be feeling.
