Bleeding during abortion
Use sanitary towels (maternity pads or thick overnight pads) to monitor your bleeding during abortion pill treatment. The amount and type of bleeding can vary for each person and each abortion. Bleeding is usually moderate to heavy but for some women it can be light.
You should telephone MALAIKA WOMEN'S HEALTH on 0845898063 for advice if:
-24 hours after taking the misoprostol, you do not bleed at all, have spotting / only see blood on a tissue when wiping (see Minimal image 1)
-You experience flooding or heavy bleeding soaking 2 maternity pads or thick overnight pads for 2 hours in a row (see Heavy image 4)
Call 999 if you experience very heavy bleeding (see Flooding image 5) and feel unwell
Prolonged moderate to heavy bleeding can lead to significant blood loss and anaemia so please get in touch if this occurs.
Not everyone will pass blood clots during a medical abortion, but for those who do, the clots should be no larger than a lemon. You may see other tissue when you pass the pregnancy. This is larger and more recognisable at higher gestations, but in most cases the fetus cannot be seen without magnification.
Once the pregnancy passes, the amount of bleeding and pain should noticeably reduce. It is likely you will feel cramping on and off for a week or so but this should be easily managed with ibuprofen or paracetamol. Most women have light bleeding for about 2 weeks, but you may have spotting up to your next period. Sometimes you may have a short episode of pain with a gush of blood or a clot several weeks after the abortion - contact us 0845898063 if this continues.
