The menstrual cycle after a pregnancy termination with pills depends on several factors, including the previous pattern of your period. In layman’s terms, ending a pregnancy with a combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol pills resets your periods. You should experience the return of the normal menstrual cycle within 4 to 6 weeks of the procedure. Also, how many pregnancy weeks passed before you had an abortion determines the first period later.
Due to pregnancy hormones lingering for a few weeks, it takes time for menstruation to restart. However, if 4 to 6 weeks are over, and you still do not get the bleeding, you should visit a healthcare provider to understand if you are pregnant. You can even check pregnancy at home using a pregnancy test kit or an ultrasound scan of the whole abdomen.
Let us know more about the first period following a pregnancy termination with a combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol tablets.
Characteristics of Menstrual Cycle After a Medical Abortion
With a medication termination, the first period may be longer than your previous one. The pregnancy hormones may cause some irregularity in the bleeding duration and its flow. Here are other distinctions to note:
· Since your body works to eliminate additional uterine tissues, the first period after ending a pregnancy may contain small blood clots or a heavier flow.
· Cramps are more frequent than usual in the initial few periods of the procedure. Other symptoms include headaches, tiredness, bloating, breast tenderness, mood swings, muscle pain, etc.
· Following ending a pregnancy, do not use menstrual cups or tampons at least for 2 to 3 weeks when abortion bleeding lasts. You can switch to menstrual pads instead.
· After the first menstrual period, the cycle should semi-return to your normal expected periods. However, some irregularity is expected in the initial few months of using a combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for ending a pregnancy.
· Do check if the discharge or flow is foul-smelling or not. If it does smell unusual, there is a chance that you have an infection.
Bleeding That Follows an Abortion Pill Procedure
When you start an abortion with a combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol, the uterus empties the pregnancy portions. These are let out through heavy vaginal bleeding. This flow is heavier than periods, but not a part of your menstrual cycle. Similarly, even after the abortion is successful, the bleeding amount reduces but is heavier initially for a few days. It gradually reduces and takes around 2 to 3 weeks to normalize and end.
The bleeding after a pregnancy termination for this duration is again, not your period. Even after childbirth, a woman bleeds. So, you can relate both to be similar. Before your menstruation starts, you still bleed, and it may look like your monthly period, yet this is not the same as the menstrual cycle period. It is the outcome of the pregnancy exiting your body and the conception tissues. Some women may not bleed after the pregnancy ends and shall not bleed until the menstrual cycle returns.
A Brief About Abortion with Mifepristone and Misoprostol
You can depend on aborting your pregnancy with the combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol pills, at home. Take 200mg of Mifepristone on the first day. Have the pill with water. This synthetic progesterone medication detaches the fetus from the uterus and stops the pregnancy permanently. Then you wait for 24 to 48 hours. During this duration, you may not experience any side effects. Now initiate Misoprostol 200mcg x 4 dosage either buccally or vaginally, whichever you are comfortable with.
· You may encounter abdominal cramps within a couple of hours and heavy bleeding thereafter after another two hours. The outcome is because of the prostaglandin mechanism, which leads to uterine contractions.
· It pushes out the pregnancy tissues, the fetus, the sac, the endometrial lining, and other conception products from the womb and the vagina. This bleeding should contain particles and blood clots (sometimes bigger than a lemon).
· There is no need to get alarmed as such bleeding from medical abortion is normal. If you bleed too much, you may consider a medication to reduce the flow.
· However, do not use the usual menstrual pads but the maxi ones to soak the blood. Do not insert your fingers or douche, or utilize vaginal products.
· The flow may increase when you are between the procedure, and decrease once all the portions are out of the uterus. Now that you know what the bleeding is like during and immediately after the abortion, hopefully, there is no confusion between this and period bleeding.
Appearance of Bleeding Ensuing the Abortion
As discussed, on using a combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol, there is heavy bleeding during the abortion, which tapers off in a couple of weeks or more. So, what exactly does the bleeding look like after the procedure? It may appear the same as your period. However, the difference is in the color, which looks brownish and less red. Also, the flow is perhaps heavier than expected.
You may pass blood clots frequently, the size of which varies between small and large. Plus, mucus-like discharge with some blood in it is possible. However, it should not be green, yellow, or of bad odor. If you do see any of these unusual colors or smells, it could be an infection. Seek medical help in this situation.
Does Birth Control Affect Abortion and Period Bleeding?
If you use a combi pack of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for an abortion, opt for a non-hormonal contraception for the initial two to three weeks. Or, you can abstain from intimacy at this time. You can choose a condom instead.
· Until the bleeding subsides, do not go for an intrauterine device or implants. Similarly, avoid the cervical cap or diaphragm. Once the bleeding reduces, you can start with hormonal birth control like pills, a skin patch, a shot, etc.
· Hormonal contraception may change the blood flow during menstruation. It can make you bleed less and even change the number of days you get the period after a pregnancy ends. Remember that you may start ovulation 8 to 14 days after the abortion.
· Most healthcare providers may advise you to wait until the bleeding immediately after the abortion stops (a couple of weeks) before you engage in vaginal penetration. So, you may not have to use any birth control, yet avoid a pregnancy.
Final Words
Bleeding after an abortion and period bleeding are two different things. You must understand the differences and keep the expectation of menstrual cycle changes and its normalization. While you are at it, equally important is knowing about the impact of birth control choices on the menstrual cycle and bleeding following a medication abortion, and how soon you can conceive after a pregnancy termination.
