There is no medical consensus on when it’s safe to have sex after abortion, whether it’s surgical or medication-based. However, the general guideline is to wait until vaginal bleeding has stopped.
It is possible to become pregnant right away, so women who choose abortion pills should consider using birth control immediately.
Vaginal Bleeding and Cramping
After an abortion, you might experience bleeding and cramping. This can last for a few days or longer, depending on the procedure you had. Your doctor may give you medicines that reduce the amount of bleeding and the risk of infection. Take them as prescribed.
Bleeding after an abortion is normal and can be a dark red to purple color. It might also have a sour smell. You can use menstrual cups or tampons to control the bleeding. It’s important to change your pad or menstrual cup every 4-6 hours. You might be able to skip pads when you are no longer bleeding.
Even if you’re not bleeding, you can still get pregnant after an abortion. Women can ovulate as early as 5 days after an abortion, meaning that if you have unprotected sex during this time, it’s possible for the sperm to fertilize the egg and cause an unwanted pregnancy.
Whether you have a surgical abortion or a medical abortion, there’s no specific waiting period to have sex again. However, you should be careful to use contraception and to protect yourself from STDs. If you’re not sure which method of birth control to use, ask your doctor at the abortion clinic in London for advice. Your libido might take some time to recover from an abortion, but you should feel emotionally ready for sex before you resume it.
Physical Recovery
Physical recovery from an abortion may take some time, but it will differ for each person. Your doctor will give you written instructions about how to care for yourself after your procedure, including a list of possible symptoms that may indicate an infection or other complications. These include intense pelvic and lower abdominal pain, fever, severe bleeding, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, and more.
If you have a surgical abortion, it can take two weeks for your body to recover after the procedure. In addition, you might experience a lot of discomfort during that period, which can impact your sexual pleasure.
It takes less time to recover from a medication abortion, but you should also wait until you feel physically and emotionally ready for sex again, an OBGYN told Insider. Generally, it takes between two and six weeks for the bleeding to stop after either a surgical or medication abortion.
Surgical abortions require your doctor to open your cervix, but you can have a medication abortion by taking the pill mifepristone and misoprostol on your own at home. Medication abortions account for 25 percent of all legal abortions in the United States. However, you should still use effective birth control even after a medication abortion. That includes using a barrier method like a condom or diaphragm, as well as switching to a hormonal form of birth control if you need to.
Emotional Recovery
There’s a wide range of emotional effects that women can experience after an abortion. Depending on the severity of those emotions, it may not be desirable to engage in sexual activity at all, or it may take time to recover emotionally enough to enjoy sex again.
If you choose to use a medical abortion method, you’ll have to wait until you stop bleeding for any type of intercourse. However, there’s no medical reason you can’t start oral sex after that period of time. In fact, it’s a good idea to do so to avoid any future infections.
Regardless of the method you choose, your clinic will provide you with a list of after-care instructions that you should follow carefully. This is especially important to avoid infection, which can occur if you don’t properly clean yourself after an abortion. You should also be careful not to engage in activities like bathing, swimming or douching until you’re sure your bleeding is finished.
While it’s normal to have some spotting and bleeding after an abortion, it’s important to listen to your body and make decisions that are best for you. As long as you have the support you need, your libido will return within a short amount of time and you’ll be able to resume your sexual life with no problems.
Mental Health
Whether you had a surgical abortion at a clinic or a medication abortion with the pills mifepristone and misoprostol, it is important to pay attention to your body. If you are bleeding and have cramping, you may need to delay sexual activity until your uterus has returned to its normal size. In fact, a doctor can usually determine the length of time it will take for your menstrual cycle to return to normal by doing an ultrasound and measuring the cervix.
It’s also a good idea to start using pregnancy prevention right away — either with short-acting methods that need to be used every time you have sex or with long-acting reversible contraceptives like hormonal implants (like Implanon), injections, or intrauterine devices (IUDs). Most abortion providers and Planned Parenthood health centers will offer an IUD placement during the same appointment as your abortion if that’s what you want.
You should never attempt to cause your own abortion by buying pills online or at a drugstore. The risk of infection is too high, and it’s against the law. Abortion clinics have trained nurses who can safely prescribe abortion pills if you need them. They can also talk to you about your birth control options and help you find one that works best for you. If you are struggling emotionally after your abortion, consider getting support from All-Options or Exhale.
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