Abdomen after abortion
Abortion is an artificial termination of pregnancy by surgery or medication.
Modern techniques make it possible to carry out abortion with the least possible consequences for a woman's health. Some complications, such as abdominal pain after an abortion, cannot be avoided. Why does my stomach hurt after an abortion? What symptoms after abortion are normal? With the development of what symptoms do you need to see a doctor urgently?
Abdomen after abortion: what is the norm and deviation
Feelings of patients after an abortion vary depending on the method of termination of pregnancy. So, currently there are two main methods of carrying out an abortion:
- Surgical intervention, consisting in the introduction of the necessary instruments into the uterine cavity, rejection and extraction of the ovum. In most cases, dilatation (expansion) of the cervical canal is performed to access the uterine cavity. The vacuum aspiration procedure is also rarely performed with forced dilatation (in nulliparous women in particular);
- Medical interruption of gestation, which consists in the sequential administration of drugs that stimulate the rejection of the fetus from the uterine wall and the contractile activity of the uterine muscles to expel the embryo from the cavity.
The abdomen after an abortion performed by one of these methods is painful. The nature of the pain is moderate. Most patients do without pain medications. The norm is pain of a cramping, aching, pulling character for 3-5 days after an abortion. Abdominal pain after an abortion is often accompanied by bloody discharge. In this case, the amount of blood will vary. Many patients note the discharge of blood clots and a dull, moderate pain in the abdomen, which stops 2-3 days after the procedure.
The normal state of a woman is:
- Moderate pains of pulling, aching, cramping character for 3-5 days. This condition is due to the contraction of the uterus to its original size. Rarely, abdominal pain after an abortion is given to the lumbar region;
- Bloody discharge for 3-5 days after an abortion, which is explained by mechanical damage to the walls and cervix of the uterus, as well as rejection and extraction / expulsion of the embryo from its cavity;
- Slight discomfort in the vagina and lower abdomen after an abortion for 3-5 days.
Deviations from the normal state of a woman after artificial termination of pregnancy are:
- Prolonged unbearable abdominal pain after an abortion;
- Profuse, persistent bleeding;
- Lack of bleeding after the procedure;
- Foul-smelling vaginal discharge;
- Fever;
- Heart palpitations;
- Loss of consciousness;
- Signs of developing pregnancy (tenderness and swelling of the mammary glands, nausea, etc.).
After termination of pregnancy, a woman should be under the supervision of doctors, passing examinations in a timely manner and conducting additional examinations in order to avoid the development of complications. If one of these symptoms occurs, the patient should urgently seek medical attention.
After an abortion, stomach aches: the main causes of pain after surgery
Many women note that after an abortion, their stomach hurts. The main causes of pain after an abortion performed by traditional curettage (dilatation and curettage), or using a vacuum aspirator, are mechanical damage to the inner lining of the uterus and cervical canal. After an abortion, a wound surface remains on the inner wall of the uterus, favorable for planting microbes from the vaginal flora, which in turn provoke the development of the inflammatory process. If after an abortion the pain persists for a long time, it is necessary to exclude the development of acute endometritis - infection and inflammation of the uterus. Infections are the most common causes of post-abortion pain.
Another cause of abdominal pain after a surgical abortion is a small amount of blood entering the abdominal cavity. During the procedure, blood splashes out not only through the vaginal cavity, but also backwards through the fallopian tubes, causing pain in the abdomen and forming an adhesion process that interferes with the patency of the fallopian tubes.
The cause of intense abdominal pain after an abortion can be significant mechanical damage to the uterine wall during the procedure. In rare cases, perforation is possible - rupture of the uterine wall, followed by damage to the abdominal organs.
Another cause of abdominal pain after an abortion is an early spasm of the cervix and the retention of blood and the remains of the ovum in the uterine cavity, which can lead to the development of inflammation or aggravate it. Lack of discharge after an abortion is a potentially dangerous symptom that requires urgent medical attention.
It should be noted that it is not advisable to stop abdominal pain after an abortion with anesthetics. For an accurate determination of the cause of pain, the intensity and severity of pain and the frequency of its manifestations are important parameters. If painful sensations of any type arise, women are advised to see a doctor.
Lower abdominal pain after drug abortion: causes of pain
Medical termination of pregnancy is fundamentally different in the abortion mechanism. Medical abortion is positioned as the safest and most optimal method for terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Pain in the lower abdomen after an abortion with medications are stabbing, pulling cramping in nature. The first pain occurs 2-4 hours after taking a dose of the drug, which provokes the death of the fetus and stimulates the contraction of the myometrium, which leads to termination of pregnancy.
In the next 36-48 hours, the woman receives a second dose of the drug containing substances similar to prostaglandins, which stimulate the contractile activity of the uterine muscles and the expulsion of the fetus from the cavity.
Abdominal pain after a medical abortion persists over the next 3-5 days, which is also explained by the contraction of the uterus to its original parameters.
What do intense pain after a pharmaceutical abortion say? The main cause of severe abdominal pain after a medical abortion is an ongoing pregnancy as well as incomplete abortion.
Up to 5% of cases of medical abortion result in full preservation of a live pregnancy. In 7% of cases, abortion with drugs can end with an interrupted pregnancy without expulsion of the fetus from the uterine cavity, which can provoke the development of inflammation and sepsis.
Pain of any nature after an abortion is an alarming symptom and a reason for an urgent visit to the doctor. A large number of abortions result in chronic endometritis, which is one of the most common causes of infertility. Its development can be prevented by a timely visit to a doctor, but it is extremely difficult to completely cure its chronic form.
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