Delayed Period After Abortion: Causes & What to Expect

Question
"Hello,
I received a surgical abortion(first trimester) in mid January 2007. It
is now June 2007. My doc prescribed me birth control
pills to give me a jumpstart in April but I still have not had a cycle.
Although I did have a little brownish discharge some time after taking
the pills in April. I recently went back to visit my doc, she
prescribed me another type of BC pills. I'm so worried. My doc wants to watch
and wait.She says if these Birth Controls do not work,she will proceed to
do further testing.I know that your body must rid the pregnancy
hormones before the body goes back to normal.I have also read that it
typically takes 4-6 weeks to receive a normal cycle again.Has it been reported
that it could take longer? What could be the problem? Let me also add
that I feel perfectly normal. No chills, fever, cramps or heavy
bleeding. Thank you in advance.  "


Answer
It's very rare for your menstrual cycle to take more than three months to return, but that said, it's not unheard of. It's good that your doctor is monitoring the situation, but it seems to me that you are not comfortable with her reassurances. What does she say is the problem? My immediate recommendation to you is that you get a second opinion. Ask your regular physician, or better still, a gynaecologist what the matter may be.

If yours was an uncomplicated abortion, it is likely not the cause of this delay in returning to fertility. Most probably, the hormones in the birth control you're on are the culprit. I personally don't take hormonal birth control - convenient though it is, I find it messes with my body way too much. Instead of switching to a new BC pill, I'd recommend you stick with condoms or diaphragms used with a spermicide. Tell your doctor you're uncomfortable with hormonal birth control. She will understand. This may be less applicable to you if you had been on hormonal BC before your pregnancy with no such problems in your menstrual cycle, but in my personal experience, a pregnancy permanently alters the chemical balances in your body so I'd still recommend going off hormones for a while just to see what happens.

One last possibility: you're not pregnant again, are you? (Had to ask, just to rule it out.)

Caveat: I am not a healthcare professional. This should not be taken as medical advice.