You may either want to wait before considering conceiving, or not want to get pregnant at all. In any case, knowing how soon a pregnancy can occur after a medication abortion, is important. If you wish to plan for your reproductive health and pregnancy, speak to your healthcare provider. The fact remains that if you are fertile, you can conceive soon after an abortion. Let us learn about how a pregnancy happens during an abortion and how to approach it.

When Can I Get Pregnant After a Medical Abortion?

Bleeding from a pregnancy-ending process is different from period bleeding. Just like after childbirth, a woman bleeds for a few weeks, it happens similarly for those who decide to discontinue an ongoing pregnancy. So, even if you bleed after the abortion, it is not your menstrual period. Your first period may happen anytime within 4 to 8 weeks from the procedure.

If menstrual bleeding is absent in this duration, get a pregnancy test done or a health check-up because there are chances you have conceived.  Some people think that since they have not got their period yet, there is no chance of pregnancy. However, this is a myth. Your ovaries may release an egg within 8-14 days after pregnancy termination.

So, you can become pregnant even before the next menstrual period. Is that a surprise? This is why more awareness about women’s healthcare, especially reproductive health, is needed. Consider unprotected sex again after an abortion if you want to conceive. If not, you may need to use birth control to prevent a pregnancy.

How to Prevent an Unplanned Pregnancy?

If you do not want to conceive immediately yet continue with intimacy, start using contraception as soon as you plan coupling activities. Your healthcare provider can guide you about birth control options i.e. long-acting, short-acting, or permanent ones. You can even use condoms as temporary barrier methods to avoid a pregnancy. These days, men's and women's condoms are quite effective.

You may consider NuvaRing and other hormonal vaginal ring alternatives as well. Then there is the LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) method such as an IUD (intrauterine device), injection, or implant, which frees you from worrying about birth control daily. If you have a good memory, birth control pills are a great choice. Popping a pill daily can help keep a pregnancy away.

Or you can practice abstinence for the time you want not to conceive. Talk with your partner regarding options for birth control and what you want to do about the next pregnancy. Also, monitor your health regularly whether you wish to conceive or not. Especially if you want to get pregnant, you may have to start preparing for it right from using prenatal vitamins, to changing your diet, and lifestyle.

How to Detect a Pregnancy Following an Abortion?

So, we can understand that a medication abortion does not affect your chances for future pregnancies. If you have unprotected intercourse after the procedure, unsure if you conceived, there are several ways to check for the pregnancy status. However, there is a risk of pregnancy tests giving false indications like a positive result up to 5 weeks following the pregnancy elimination.

This is true for pregnancy blood tests, which detect the presence of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). The hCG hormone may stay in your urine and blood for several weeks even if the pregnancy ends. It goes away with time. So, another sure way of checking for a pregnancy is an ultrasound scan of the uterus, abdomen, and pelvic region.

When Is it Safe to Conceive After Ending a Pregnancy?

The abortion bleeding lasts for 2 to 3 weeks after ending the pregnancy. It is advisable not to have vaginal intercourse for this duration. Otherwise, it may raise the risk of infections or vaginal injury if the cervix and the vaginal walls are healing. However, many people successfully and safely plan for pregnancy even during this period. It is a subjective decision as to how soon a pregnancy should occur after the pregnancy termination.

So, whenever you have sex again after an abortion, keep the above points in mind and then take a step ahead. People are known to not care about these facts and continue with intimacy according to their whims. However, doing that may have consequences. Rather, it is best to stay prepared and know what is to come if unprotected intercourse happens.

 

To Conclude

Pregnancy after an abortion can happen to fertile women. So, knowing how to approach a pregnancy and intimacy following the procedure will help overcome an accidental conception.