Is Abortion Recovery Difficult?

No one can predict how you will recover physically and mentally from an abortion. Every abortion experience, just like every woman, is unique.  Every woman should expect bleeding and cramping, but there are other symptoms to watch out for. Let’s take a closer look.

A woman may experience various symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, chills, or discharge, which vary in length from woman to woman. Doctors recommend using pads instead of tampons and resting for a day or two.

How Does Someone Recover From the Abortion Pill?

The abortion pill method is also known as a medical, medication, or chemical abortion because it uses two drugs to end a pregnancy. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks the hormone progesterone from reaching the uterus. Without progesterone, a pregnancy cannot survive.

Misoprostol, the second drug, causes bleeding and contractions to remove the pregnancy from the body through the vagina. The Cleveland Clinic reports the heaviest bleeding occurs in the first one to two days, and a woman may continue light to moderate bleeding for several weeks.

There are some physical risks to be aware of:

• Heavy bleeding – soaking two or more pads an hour for two hours in a row
• Bad pain in the stomach or pelvis
• Chills or body aches
• Fast heart rate
• Fever that lasts more than four hours or that starts in the days after you take misoprostol
• Foul-smelling vaginal discharge

How Does Someone Recover From a Surgical Procedure?

How far along a woman is in her pregnancy determines the type of surgical procedure she has. It can range anywhere from vacuum or suction aspiration to removing the pregnancy with forceps.

Usually, a woman does not bleed initially as much with a surgical procedure as she does with the abortion pill method. Still, she may begin to bleed 3 to 5 days later. Light bleeding may last for a few days to a couple of weeks.

Cramping may also increase in the days following a surgical abortion. These are some of the physical risks to be aware of:

• Bleeding that’s heavy enough that you need to change pads every hour
• Lasting dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fever
• Cramps lasting more than 48 hours
• Pain that gets worse instead of better
• Foul-smelling discharge from the vagina

How Does Someone Recover Emotionally?

There is no way to determine how someone will respond emotionally following an abortion. Many women report feeling relieved afterward, only to deal with sadness and guilt later on.

At Care Net Pregnancy Center, we encourage women who struggle with a previous abortion decision to talk with us. Our staff understands the emotional consequences and can help with referrals for counseling.

Schedule an Appointment to Learn More

If you or someone you know is considering abortion, we want to give you the facts first about abortion procedures, side effects to expect, and potential risks. Although we do not perform or refer for abortion, we want you to be fully informed beforehand.

Please fill out our confidential online contact form to schedule an appointment at one of our two locations. We’re here for you.

All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.