I am spotting randomly after an abortion. Please advise.

Question

Hello doctor,

I had an abortion four months back. My period returned seven weeks later, and ever since then I have been spotting randomly every few days. I was 13 weeks pregnant at the time of the procedure. Is this normal? If not, what could it be? There are no other symptoms aside from very, very light cramping. Previous history of the same issue: I did have the Nuvaring before I got pregnant and was taken off of it due to an estrogen-induced stroke. I then tried the mini pill and am currently taking Sertraline.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Please ensure that you have had a complete abortion or that there are still bits of retained products of conception in your uterus by doing a transvaginal scan. Since it was a second-trimester pregnancy, there may be chances of RPOC, which can lead to irregular spotting or bleeding. In such a case, you may need a D&C (dilatation and curettage) to remove the RPOC. Secondly, sertraline reduced the efficacy of birth control pills, and hence the failure rate increased. So be sure to take additional precautions using condoms, if possible.

I hope this helps.