Abortion Pill Aftercare: What to Expect and When to Contact the Clinic

What to expect:

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Cramping and bleeding

Misoprostol is a medication that causes cramping and bleeding, often with clots. The cramping and bleeding may be more than what you experience with a period. Cramping can start as soon as you take misoprostol and may last up to 6 hours. Cramping and bleeding means that the treatment is working. Bleeding may last up to 6 weeks and it may stop and start from time to time.

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Your Next Period

You can expect a period in 4 to 8 weeks. This period may be lighter or heavier than normal; it varies from person to person.

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Call the clinic if:

Your bleeding is so heavy that you soak through 2 maxi pads in an hour for 2 hours.
You do not bleed within 24 hours after taking misoprostol.
You start to feel very ill after the heavy cramping and bleeding is over.
You have a temperature over 100.4 degrees.
You have pain not relieved by pain medication taken as directed routinely for 24 hours or by other measures we suggest (heating pad, rest).
You have an unusual vaginal discharge that is yellow or foul-smelling.

Contraception

It is possible to get pregnant as soon as your pregnancy ends. Do not have vaginal intercourse for at least 7 days after taking mifepristone. If you are interested in using contraceptives, you must begin your chosen method within 5 days of passing the pregnancy.

Birth Control Pill

If you are interested in birth control pills, then you can start taking them the day after taking misoprostol. If the birth control pills were not started within 5 days from the abortion, then be sure to use a back-up method, like condoms, throughout the first week.

Patch

If you would like to use this method, you can apply the patch within the first 5 days after the completion of the procedure.

IUD and Implant

A device can be placed once we have confirmed that the medication abortion was successful at an in-clinic follow-up appointment. It is recommended to use a backup method (condoms) or avoid intercourse until the follow-up visit.

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Follow-up

In order to make sure the treatment was successful, we will call you after a week of taking the medications. A healthcare professional will review your health status by asking you questions and will instruct you to take a pregnancy test in 5 to 6 weeks. Pregnancy hormones leave the body at varying rates based on diet, activity level, and other lifestyle factors. Therefore, a pregnancy test may still show a slight positive result at that time. Please call us if you have a positive pregnancy test and are still feeling pregnant after 6 weeks.

An in-person follow-up examination is generally not required, but you may request an appointment for no additional cost at any time.

Contact Albuquerque Office

Abortion Pill Aftercare