Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : October 6, 2017 7:44 PM IST
Complications post a clinical abortion is rare, but it does happen to some woman. Post-abortion care is necessary. Some complications that arise after an abortion could be life-threatening. While the hospital staff might tell you how to take care of yourself post an abortion to avoid complications at times some subtle signs might indicate you need immediate help to keep problems at bay. This is why it is essential to know what can indicate trouble after an abortion. Here are four signs that one should not experience post an abortion. If you know anyone suffering from these signs or you are undergoing the same post an abortion, reach out for help. The signs are:
Heavy vaginal bleeding: Some amount of bleeding is normal post an abortion and it can continue up to two weeks. But if you are bleeding beyond that period and soaking about two to three pads within an hour s time, this is a red flag. This can indicate that your uterus might have sustained some kind of injury or it relaxes too much contracting and shutting the blood vessels or probably there is still some fetal or placental tissue retained in the uterus leading to incomplete abortion. This issue might not get solved on its own and you might need medical help. Here are six things that happen after an abortion and nobody told you.
Severe back pain: This is not the usual back pain that happens due to fatigue or lethargy, but something that makes you bedridden. This could indicate that there are clots in the uterus that are unable to get out of the body and hence the pain or it could also be due to an internal infection. Most common are bacterial infections post an abortion that can lead to this. Here are six facts of getting pregnant after an abortion that you should know.
Fever: Fever alone might not be a sign of danger. But if you have a fever along with back pain and it refuses to budge despite having paracetamol doses, it could be indicative of internal infections. Call your doctor or meet your gynaecologist to know if you have an infection due to the abortion.
Nausea/bloating: Pregnancy like symptoms of nausea, bloating, breast tenderness remains for a while after abortion. But if they persist beyond a fortnight it could be indicative of an infection or suggest that you are still pregnant. Don t ignore these signs as this could also suggest that you are experiencing an incomplete abortion.
References:
Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance for Health Systems. 2nd edition.
Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
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