Unveil: Is Conceiving Baby After Abortion complicated? 

Unveil: Is Conceiving Baby After Abortion complicated?

One of the most common concerns all women have after their abortion is whether a future pregnancy is possible.

And,

It is very natural to think so!

Aborting an unborn baby now does not mean the woman does not desire to conceive & have a baby at all!

It may be because she is too focused on her career now that she wants to drop the pregnancy and plans to postpone the conception.

It may be the case that she & her partner are having some relationship issues and want to fix them before actually taking a baby.

It may be because the woman thinks it is too early to take responsibility for a baby, being young & unmarried, and waiting for a proper marital status and age to have a baby.

It may be that the woman has some financial issues and struggling to earn some money, so she intends to have a baby later in her life.

Well, there are myriads of other reasons for a woman to undergo an abortion. But, when she thinks of conceiving later, fear drops in!

It is the fear of having a complicated pregnancy after an abortion. She is concerned about her fertility! She is worried about the condition of the baby whom she wants to bring to this world in the near future!

That is when this question consistently comes up – Is conceiving a baby after an abortion complicated?

And,

Unveil: Is Conceiving Baby After Abortion complicated?

The answer to this is not always!

Perhaps, it is true that pregnancy termination is quite a safe process, and it is extremely rare to bring forth infertility, estimated at around only 2 percent, but it may have some complications.

I know you are eagerly waiting to discover the complications. And that is exactly what we are here to demonstrate! The article shall provide the answer to your question in detail and allow you to take proper initiative in refraining from such complications.

How?

Why not read the article till the end and see it yourself?

Signs of Complications Aftermath an Abortion: Can you see any of them?

Hi,

We are here to show you which situations may indicate that you have a complication because of your past abortion! If you can trace any of them, as given below, make sure you take medical advice from your doctor!

1. When you have heavy bleeding after an abortion, and such bleeding continues for a long span, soaking more than two pads an hour, remember it is an alarm! You need to talk to a medical professional as soon as possible!

2. After a few days of your abortion, are you witnessing severe abdominal & back pain? A pain that does not intend to leave! A pain that spoils your daily work schedule and keeps you in bed for more than a day or two! Please consult a doctor, because this is not a good sign!

3. If you have a high fever after a week or so of your abortion & it lasts for more than 24 to 42 hours, it is a signal that ordinary paracetamol or painkillers are not likely to work. There is something going on inside your body that is not visible to the human eye, and only your doctor can help!

4. Do you find difficulty in urinating? Or, did your urination frequency increase drastically for the last few days after you undertook an abortion? It is an alert! The alert of a growing complication within your body! You have to talk to your doctor about it immediately!

5. Is there a foul vaginal discharge all the time since you left the hospital after your abortion? Is such a scenario occurring for about a month or so? It is high time for you to be cautious and take medical support!

6. If you have chronic breast or chest pain for more than a week after you pursue an abortion and the pain does not let you sleep at night, beware! It is a red alert and not an ordinary symptom that is likely to go away on its own!

7. When you are back to your regular menstruation the next month after you have an abortion, be observant of your bleeding. Can you find any large blood clots resembling somewhat a lemon? It denotes the existence of a post-abortion complication, and you require medical aid at this very moment!

8. Are you vomiting frequently throughout the day & such a cycle continuing for a long after a few weeks of your abortion? It is, of course, alarming, especially if such a condition stands accompanied by extreme nausea day & night! It is no simple side effect that shall disappear by itself, but rather an indication. The indication of post-abortion complexity of your reproductive system!

9. In fact, if you have persistent diarrhea after a few weeks of abortion, that is also a negative signal, depicting an internal complication. You must waste no time consulting your doctor therein!

10. Any medical condition, or to be more precise, a complication after abortion, may show signs of extreme tiredness and lack of energy to perform the daily chores in your life. If you are wrapped with fatigue and cannot work for a week or more, alongside having chills all the time, you need to understand that medical advice is requisite here to confirm whether anything is happening inside you!

The signs and symptoms may vary depending on what the complication is! Now, to gather insight into what are those medical complexities, you have to continue reading with me!

Listing the Probable Complications after an abortion!

Before going to the list of post-abortion medical complexities, you need to know that all abortion procedures do not bring down health threats! While medical abortion does not leave any room for complications and only stimulates some minor side effects that are likely to disappear on their own, surgical abortion, on the other, is the method to bring into the picture a series of complications.

And,

They are as follows!

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

The most plausible complication to take the stage after an abortion is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, or in short, PID!

Do you know what a PID is?

Well,

A Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is an infection, typically a bacterial one, developing in your reproductive system!

PID is an inflammation that starts at the entrance of your womb, called the cervix, or the vagina, and spreads into the womb, the fallopian tube, & the ovaries. In fact, this infection can even spread to other parts of your body if not eliminated right at the early stage.

That is right!

You need to get over such a condition to refrain from serious health problems fibroids, tubal or ectopic pregnancy, or in other words, a pregnancy growing outside the main uterus cavity, mostly in the fallopian tube,  endometriosis, insomnia, and so forth.

According to the Department of Health & Human Services of the United States, around 5% of women gets affected by this condition!

And,

When such a condition stays for a long, infertility may take the stage!

Surgical abortion allows easy access to the entry of disease-causing germs into your reproductive system. It is because your cervix lay open during the surgical invasion and thereby is vulnerable to the germs!

Incomplete or Unsuccessful Abortion

When the products of pregnancy or placenta do not exit your body from the uterus and instead remain inside your reproductive system for long, your abortion stands incomplete or unsuccessful! Such a situation is harmful to your body and can cause severe effects. At that time, further medical treatment stands requisite!

This condition typically arises in the case of a labor-induced abortion method, amounting to about 36 percent of the total cases. It may cause uterine rupture, cervical damage, multisystem organ failure, infertility, and sometimes even death.

However,

Incomplete abortion is very rare and happens in about one out of a thousand women across the world. Whenever it comes, there appears a major indicator, i.e., heavy vaginal bleeding, and such a condition calls for emergency medical care.

Organ Damage

Another major complication that may pop up as an outcome of surgical abortion is organ damage.  Usually, during the surgical process, various abortion instruments are used to open up your pelvic area and remove the pregnancy product. One such instrument is the curettes! At this time, your pelvic organs lay exposed to threats.

What threats?

Well,

The inaccurate use of instruments may harm your pelvic & adjacent organs, like the ovaries, the uterus, the ureter, the urethra, bladder, bowel, and so forth. Sometimes, a surgical abortion, when executed with fallacy, may even end up damaging your kidneys.

That is precisely why you need to take medical aid from experienced doctors & surgeons practicing in some of the prestigious healthcare centers, subsequently avoiding all risks of post-abortion organ damage!

Organ damage, especially that of your uterus, occurs typically in later-term abortion cases. It means that if you terminate your pregnancy through operative intervention after the gestation week starts, you shall be more prone to such a risk or complication.

Endometrial or Uterine Perforation

Tell me,

Do you know what endometrium means?

Well,

The lining of your uterus is sometimes called the endometrium, and it contracts, expands, & changes its size, depending on which phase of pregnancy you are at! Normally it is 7 to 8mm thick, but during pregnancy, the thickness increases!

When this endometrium (or uterus wall) offers a passage of medical instruments inside your reproductive system during the onset of surgical abortion, it lay vulnerable to curettage! Yes, a hole may take place at this time, and that is what doctors call perforation.

Such a condition is uncommon, indeed! Records say it accounts for only 1 out of every 500 surgical abortion cases!

On the basis of the severity of the perforation, you may also have infections, extreme bleeding, or maybe both at the same time. That is when another round of surgery is necessary so that the medical caregivers can repair your uterine tissue!

Additionally, when the situation is worse & much more severe, it is a hysterectomy that can only serve! It means your uterus shall be removed via surgical operation when the uterine perforation is in its extreme stage and this, in turn, is likely to leave you with no scope of further conception!

Cervix Wear & Tear

When the pregnancy termination surgery is on, your cervix or opening of the uterus may experience cuts and torn, particularly when it is being stretched open to allow the easy passage of the medical instruments. The metal rod used for manually dilating the cervix is what causes such a setback.

In the case of first-trimester abortion, the rate of such a complication is only 1 percent. But, when the abortion takes place in the second trimester, or even later than that, cervix wear & tear can be largely possible.

If the tear is minimal, there aren’t many issues and can heal with medications. However, if the damage is huge, stitches shall stand required to stop heavy bleeding & limit infections from spreading!

So, after a few days of your surgical abortion, if you feel pain while having sex or if it bleeds on having intercourse; if you witness bleeding between your two menstruation periods, and face intense difficulty in urinating, cervix wear & tear lay confirmed! You need to talk to your doctor and get rid of it!

Hemorrhage

A hemorrhage is nothing but extensive bleeding appearing as a result of a ruptured or damaged blood vessel!

Now, you may say that blood loss after an abortion is common. Yes, it is! But, not acute loss of blood! Thus,  when the latter happens, you have to understand that it is not normal bleeding but the one that plausibly emerges as the outcome of a damaged blood vessel during the surgery.

It is the time when you need to consult your doctor and take the help of a repeat suction approach or medications to eliminate this complexity that is likely to bring forth a lot of other health complications. Perhaps, a hemorrhage can cause organ failure, shock, confusion, seizures, coma, & eventually death!

Wait!

Complications may also arise due to the anesthesia that is given during the time of surgery, and some of them are –

1. Anaphylaxis or the condition in which allergic reactions may end up taking your life, 
2. Paralysis or numbness anywhere in your body, starting from the area of anesthetic intervention, 
3. Hypertension, hypotension, & hemodynamic instability, 
4. Respiratory problems, 
5. Acute myocardial infarction, where your heart muscle cannot get enough blood to continue its functioning, and ordinarily called a heart attack, 
6. Ventricular fibrillation, where your heart rhythm turns abnormal, typically exceeding 400, 
7. Damage to the teeth, and myriad more! 

Can An Abortion affect your Future Pregnancies?

Who said abortion increases the risk of infertility? Whoever says so, perhaps that is a myth! The American College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (ACOG) reveals that abortion does not increase the risk of infertility. Yes, it is true that people who get pregnant after an abortion may have some pregnancy complications, but such a risk is also very low!

A study on 54911 abortion cases by some renowned medical researchers in the United States found that pregnancy complications aftermath of an abortion amounted to only 2.1 percent, and serious pregnancy complications covered only 0.23 percent of the total cases!

Yet again,

Your ability to get pregnant after an abortion may suffer in case if you have untreated scarring or infection for long after a surgical abortion, particularly if you suffer from a condition like Asherman syndrome.

What is it, are you wondering?

Well,

It is a condition of your uterus where the formation of scar tissues called adhesions takes place and subsequently, at times of severity can fuse the front & back walls of the uterus. During this situation, you may suffer from recurrent miscarriages, and even if the pregnancy occurs, the developing fetus may be prone to malformations and disorders. Mostly, elective abortion leads to this circumstance, as involving the process of dilation & curettage!

However, surgery can serve to cure Asherman syndrome, thereby increasing your chance of conceiving and enjoying a successful pregnancy in the near future. Doctors may recommend you to kindly wait for a year or so from the time of surgery to again try for conception! It is because your body needs some time to heal and come back stronger than ever before!

Moreover, complications to your future pregnancy may depend on the type of abortion you are up-taking. While medical abortion does not create any complexity as long as it is pursued under the guidance of medical experts, surgical & elective abortion may create complications, although on rare occasions.

Future Pregnancy After Abortion: Safety Vs Risk!

By now, we all know that abortion is a pretty safe procedure! But, the type of complication and the severity of your pregnancy depends on the type of abortion.

A medical abortion, where a combination of two significant medications, namely, mifepristone & prostaglandin, tends to work in successfully aborting your baby in the first trimester, is considered much safer in this context than the other methods. It is because medical abortion, the safest method, is only possible when you abort at an early stage and cannot be done after you enter the second trimester.

On the contrary, complications of a future pregnancy may hit the floor when the previous pregnancy is aborted at a later stage. During this time, the only reliable and successful method of execution is surgical abortion which is also known as dilation & curettage. Such a method involves the removal of the fetus via suction & a tool called a curette! On this note, a Cohort Study refers to the positive connection between a surgical termination & future pregnancy complications, like preterm or early delivery, placental retention, cervical insufficiency, and prolonged & heavy postpartum bleeding.

Besides, one of the latest studies has demonstrated how women who undertake surgical abortions in the first trimester are likely to have a miscarriage in the next term. It may also create lead to ectopic or tubal pregnancy and low birth weight of the child.

If and when complications arise in your future pregnancy, further treatment may stand necessary!

The problems in Conceiving: Consider 4 Underlying Factors over Abortion

Disclaimer!

There are some factors you need to consider for planning a future pregnancy after having an abortion. Here they go!

1. Your Age – Sometimes, you may lack the ability to become pregnant after an abortion, but it is needless to think that the abortion is the precise cause. It may not! The underlying factor playing a role in declining your fertility may be your age. Aging decreases the fertility rate, especially if you cross the mark of 35 years! This is an estimate given by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
2. Lifestyle & Habits – While you are thinking that abortion may cause the deterioration of your fertility rate, your lifestyle and habits may laugh from behind. Did not understand what it means? It means your lifestyle & habits determine your fertility rate. If you are a person smoking a lot and are addicted to drugs, your fertility may deteriorate. This goes the same for your partner!
3. Medical History – If you have a history of post-abortion complications, your future pregnancy may be at stake. Conditions, as stated in the previous segment, need to be treated as soon as you & your doctor discover them so that there stays no space for those post-abortion complexities to create a negative impact on your fertility. On the same note, if you are a diabetes or STD patient, such conditions may be the real cause of your conception problem.
4. Fertility of your partner – Conception does not depend on your fertility alone! The semen quality of your partner shall also matter in this regard. Even if the baby you aborted in the past belonged to the same partner, his age, lifestyle, & latest medical condition may affect the conception.

Is reducing the risk of complications in your future pregnancies possible after an abortion?

Why not?

There is a common idiom saying every problem comes with a solution. In recent times, when the advancement of medical science has opened up numerous ways to cope with & ultimately overcome severe disorders, it is certainly possible to reduce the risk of complications in your future pregnancies after undergoing an abortion!

Many medical professionals recommend waiting for sexual intercourse after the post-abortion bleeding ends. Many doctors advise waiting for one entire menstrual period to restart sexual intercourse. Some doctors may even ask you to wait for three months, and others may recommend a year gap.

The last one is considered particularly at times of later-term abortion and when the abortion procedure leaves certain complications in itself!

On top of this, there are some post-abortion cares that may help you avoid all sorts of complications for you and your future pregnancy. Do you want to know what they are? Then, discover just down the line!

1. You have to take antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor. 
2. You need to avoid perfumes, oils, or bubbles in the bath water at least for a month or so! 
3. You have to avoid douching for about a week. 
4. You have to measure your body temperature twice a day and inform your doctor when that goes as high as 101 degrees Fahrenheit! 
5. Additionally, if you had a surgical abortion, make sure you do not use tampons for one week and instead go for pads. 
6. Be wise in choosing the birth control pills you use when having sex after an abortion. If you are uncertain which one is less harmful, discuss it with your doctor. 

For more tips on reducing the complications of future pregnancy after having an abortion, book a free doctor’s appointment at www.healthfinder.in.

When can you get pregnant after an abortion & How?

You must be knowing how one becomes pregnant! It starts with a process called ovulation, where your ovaries release a mature egg that, on moving down the fallopian tube, resides there for about 12 to 24 hours. This wait is for the egg to get fertilized by your partner’s sperm, subsequently leading to conception.

So, this exact ovulation process restarts after 2 weeks of abortion, once the bleeding stops and all pregnancy products leave your body through your vaginal opening!

What does that mean?

Yes, here lies the answer to your question! You can get pregnant right after your post-abortion bleeding stop, and the new menstrual cycle starts! That is by 2 weeks or so! Yet again, the length of your menstrual cycle may vary, depending on multiple factors like – Body Mass Index, Genes, Age, Behaviours, Current Health Condition, Methods of Birth Control, etc. Hence, the arrival of your ovulatory period shall likewise vary from person to person. Usually, women who have a shorter menstrual cycle are likely to ovulate sooner.

On the same note,

There exists another factor that may influence your arrival in the ovulatory period. And that is the duration of the pregnancy your went through before up-taking the abortion. When an abortion stands performed in the later phase of pregnancy, you may take a longer time to ovulate. That may take several weeks, perhaps! It is because the pregnancy hormones still linger in your body, and you have no choice but to wait!

Well,

You need to start using contraceptives when you have sex after the abortion in order to avoid a further unwanted pregnancy. As per the researchers of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, in the post-abortion period, a woman can use any sort of contraceptive method, be it an intrauterine device or the basic condoms or contraceptive pills!

If you fail to do so and are bothered about whether you again became pregnant or not, you must take a pregnancy test to get assurance. When the test result is negative, you can just relax. However, if it turns positive, you certainly have to see a doctor. Hereafter, your doctor shall assess your condition and tell you whether it is just the leftover pregnancy hormones at work or whether it is a new pregnancy.

Now,

For those women who are ready to get pregnant again, after some months of your abortion, you are free to try a conception! Generally, there is no such medical cause to pause or delay a conception. But, you would have to follow all that your doctor says. So, if she asks you to wait for some more months, you would, of course, have to do so!

And,

There stands no extra step to getting pregnant after having an abortion! Only if your doctor predicts a complication and advice on trying it after a few months, do you have to follow it to the core! Otherwise, your doctor may ask you to wait until the next menstrual stage stops, taking you to the follicular stage. It is nothing but a technique to estimate the delivery date of your future pregnancy easily.

Conclusion:

Hey, are you still here, listening to the details of pregnancy after an abortion?

It is the end of our article, and I hope it served its purpose! If you are yet to clear your doubt, you can feel free to write us at [email protected]. or also get a consultation at HealthFinder

And,

For those women out there who want a full medical assessment before trying to conceive again, we may be of some help! We can help you avail of the best possible check-up from the top-rated doctors of Chandigarh, and that too at a discounted rate.

Do you want to try it out?