On going pregnancy after abortion

[Cheeseandpickle1]

Hi ladies, this is a very sensitive subject to me so please no negativity. I’m here for some advice.

4 weeks ago today I had a medical abortion, at 6+6, I bled heavily for a week then I stopped for a couple of days then I started bleeding lightly. I then stopped for 3 days and now I am bleeding again but this time it’s come with a lower backache, almost like what I experience during my periods or my previous pregnancies!

I was advised like everyone to take a pregnancy test on the third week, that I did and it came back with a strong positive. I was then advised by the nurse from Marie Stopes to take another test on the fourth week, which is today. I took a test this morning and again it has come back with a strong positive.

I must mention that my pregnancy symptoms stopped the day after the treatment. So this to me is all seeming quite odd.

Could this be a rare ongoing pregnancy? or maybe this could just be leftover pregnancy tissue that is causing a positive result.

What are the chances? I have called the nurse and I am on a waiting list for an appointment which I’m hoping won’t be long! For the meantime I am bugging out!

Hi can you give me some information on what the medical abortion is like thinking of going tho with it my self but want to hear over peoples experiences

I'm very surprised that didn't give you a scrape? That's certainly what they used to do.Also known as a D&C (Dilation and Curettage). My understanding is that they scrape away anything left behind. I thought it was dangerous to leave matter behind. Perhaps you could request this? I don't know if it's uncomfortable though, I'm guessing so.

Hi, I spoke with a doctor at the hospital and then I even got a second opinion from my local gp.
They both near enough said the same thing. They’d like to see if it would go away on its own before undergoing any procedures, incase of further problems. He actually said if you undergo a surgical procedure now it could run the risk of infertility and other problems.
That to me was enough for me to just “wait and see” I’m just hoping it goes on it’s own. Apparently it’s only a small amount.

Mammabear111

My experience has certainly been stressful. Only because it’s been ongoing and I’ve now got “retaining product” which is pregnancy tissue that has clung to my womb and had not flushed out with everything else.
I’ve had to take 2 pregnancy tests and I’m having to take another in 3 weeks. There’s nothing worse than seeing a positive pregnancy result and actually not being pregnant. It’s so heartbreaking.

Having said that I was emotional after the treatment in the first place but I had thought I’d gotten over it. There was a week of me feeling very down, but I kept myself busy.
It’s something I shall never forget but I cannot beat myself up about it.
I chose to have the abortion because I mentally and physically wasn’t ready for another baby yet. My youngest is only 1yro and is a handful to say the least! I still stick to the fact that I wasn’t ready. I tell myself “why make things harder for yourself when You have the choice to make them a little easier.”

Weigh out your options, and ask yourself why you are debating having one.
Maybe right down the pros and cons to having a baby. Think about it! Don’t rush it, I feel I rushed mine. I found out I was pregnant and within a week I had arranged and actually had an abortion. I didn’t give myself time to think about it properly, and I regret that now.

I really hope you have proper emotional support around you and I hope you pick the best option for yourself. Don’t let anyone pressure you, they don’t go through it, you do and only you!
Take care and don’t hesitate to ask me more.

I wish I had found a post like this before I had made my decision. X

Hi OP, I know this situation is not exactly the same, but I had to have a d&c for a miscarriage that did not complete. So same procedure, if you do need surgical intervention, just different sorts of emotions. I waited 6 weeks to see if things would happen on their own (that was my choice), but they were able to book me in within 48 hours once I finally decided.

It really was absolutely fine. I didn't want an operation. I wanted the whole thing to just be over with without having to go through anything more. But it was as straightforward and simple as it could have been (was under GA, so no memory of anything). The risk of fertility issues as a result is relatively small (still there, but small). The pregnancy was a very much planned one, so we were actively trying. My body was back to normal within a month and I was pregnant again the following month. I've had no problems from d&c at all and it couldn't have been simpler. I felt very well supported on the day and after.

It seems like you've had an awful time with all of this. I hope you find some peace with it and get some resolution soon. Take care of yourself, but don't let the operation itself worry you, if that's the best way to move forward.

mindutopia
Thank you for sharing your story with me.
I’m hoping this will go on it’s own but now at least my mind has been put at ease with your experience.
As far as I know the tissue is relatively small, I may have even already passed it, as I have started bleeding again.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Cheese and pickle I have a baby who is only 8 months old
I have give my self some time to think I don't think I will ever be sure about the decision I don't want to do it but no I have to :( if I give my self more time I think I will end up not going tho with it also is it painful and did you get a infection sorry for asking these questions just need to talk to someone who has went tho with it

@Mammabear111 I can give you my experience, of both medical termination, and a small age gap.

I recently fell pregnant after having sex once in 3 yrs. Took the morning after pill. I knew it wouldn't work (I read up, it stops ovulation, but I was sure I already would have ovulated). I've been separated 2 yrs but ended up having sex with my ex. I have 2 under 4 already. It took ages to go through the booking process with bpas. I made the call the day after my positive test, approx 4.5 weeks. Had the termination at 8wks 6 days. It's been very up and down. The day/day after itself was ok. Really no pain, a few hours of bleeding. In the 2 weeks after though I had several incidents of very very heavy flooding. As in, went through large pad, and clothes. I took the not very sensitive bpas test 2 weeks after. All ok. I took a cheapo standard test 4 weeks after. Quite a strong positive. Waiting to speak to someone tomorrow. I'd recommend surgical. It takes so the not knowing away.

With regard to continuing the pregnancy, I got pregnant when my first was 9 months old. I didn't think about terminating as I'd always wanted 2, so it was a happy accident. It has been hard work, my marriage ended (but would have done anyway) but a couple of years on, it's amazing. But hard. Do p.m. if you want to chat.

Confusion Thankyou for your reply I do want more kids in the future I just feel like with my little boy being so young I want to focus on him the dad will not be there so it will just be me It just feels so wrong to end a life when it has a heart beat but it feels the right thing for me and my baby I didn't want to go surgical has I hate the fact they suck the baby out like its a crumb it just feels more heartless :( I have always been against abortion never fort i would find my self in the perstion of needing one I need to book my appointment I have been once but left has I was still unsure it just feels like the right thing to do for me and my baby but at the same time I no I will regret it once I do it I am very worried about getting a infection has I no it can make you infertile if the infection spreads to your tubes It's just not the right time for us

I still had positives 6 weeks after my abortion. I'd just keep a dialogue with the clinic, they'll give you a scan if they see a risk factor.

It's possible they'll give you a low sensitivity test to see if your HCG is under a certain threshold.

Missed your updates- sorry OP. Hope all goes well.

OP- I hope you don’t mind me coming into your post at the last minute. I recently went through this exact same experience and feel like sharing what happened to me might help someone in the future who might come across this post. I wish I had stumbled across yours when you first posted! I remember searching the internet daily for a similar experience and struggling to find anything.

I had a medical termination 9 weeks ago. I stayed in hospital for the duration of the treatment and the pregnancy was confirmed as having been passed by a nurse. I was allowed to go home with absolutely no follow up advice - presumably as they were satisfied the pregnancy had been passed. I have bled for almost the entire 9 weeks since treatment, give or take a few days. Two weeks after treatment I took a pregnancy test and it was strongly positive - every bit as clear as the ones I took when I first discovered I was pregnant. I decided of my own volition to wait another week before contacting the EPU as I had read online that it can take up to 4 weeks after treatment for a negative test in some cases.

The following week I took another test and it was still positive so I phoned the EPU directly on the Friday to seek advice and they booked me in on the Monday for a scan. The scan showed a small amount of retain product of pregnancy. The nurse told me that they prefer to intervene as little as possible and since the amount of tissue was small and I was not unwell, they would leave me for another week and check things again. She gave me a test identical to the one a previous poster was given which she also said was less sensitive than a standard home pregnancy test and told me to take this the day before my next appointment the following week. On the Sunday evening following that appointment I had a gush of blood. It was random, heavy and sudden. I was concerned but they had told me not to worry unless I soaked through two pads in one hour and that didn’t happen. I went back to the hospital for a follow up on the Tuesday which was just over 4 weeks post treatment and the test I had taken the previous day was negative (but standard home pregnancy tests were still positive) and I was discharged without a further scan. She gave me another test with instructions to do it two days after this appointment and that test was again negative despite standard home pregnancy tests still showing positive. She told me to only pay attention to the one she had given me. She was satisfied things were “sorting themselves out”.

Fast forward 3 weeks so 7 weeks post treatment and the home pregnancy tests were still showing positive and I was still bleeding. I phoned the EPU again and was again told that the ideal scenario is that my body would deal with this on its own and while it’s a long, long process to adopt the “wait and see” approach, they’d rather that than intervene by way of surgery or antibiotics. Again I was showing no signs of infection and I didn’t feel unwell so they didn’t want to do anything. I understood and appreciated this. Personally I didn’t want any medical intervention if I could avoid it. Mentally I struggled seeing positive tests though. I felt the need to see a negative test result by this point. Waves of guilt started to consume me and I started to struggle mentally, more than I had at any stage since the day of treatment. I have no idea if I’ve had a period in the 9 weeks since treatment or if this has just been a protracted case of post-termination bleeding. It just goes to show how different this experience is for everyone. I last took a home pregnancy test a few days ago and it has finally started to show a very weak positive result and I have started to bleed less. In the last couple of days I have passed some tissue. I am hopeful that things are finally settling down.

It can be very worrying when things don’t happen the way the internet tells you they should. That is obviously the way they happen for the majority of people. My best advice to anyone is who finds themselves in a similar position is to just phone their clinic and ask for advice. While it has been a very long process for me, I really do appreciate the reasons for minimal medical intervention and allowing my body to try and do this by itself. It was helpful to me that I’d had a friend who had been through a miscarriage which although in some ways completely different, she had absolutely no medical management and it took her body 6 weeks to do things naturally and then a few weeks after for things to settle. She was amazingly helpful and understanding. Thanks to everyone on this thread for sharing their experiences. Even now I found it helpful and comforting to know that no two experiences are the same.