Abortion Aftercare Instruction
Be sure to “listen to your body” for the next few days after today’s surgery. What you are experiencing could be normal. If you have questions, be sure to call our office at (913) 491-6878 and ask us. Failure to call us may lead to a delay in the proper treatment, and could cause further complications. You may not hold us responsible for problems or other medical expenses if you obtain treatment elsewhere, without our prior instruction to do so. Patients are often given wrong information by well-meaning friends, an emergency room doctor, or other health care sources. Please call our office first if you have any questions or problems.
KEEP ACTIVE following the procedure! DO NOT GO HOME AND GO TO BED! Resume your normal activities immediately. If you have a long car ride home, plan to stop and walk every hour. To eliminate uterine clots, it will help if you massage or rub your uterus from time to time.
Complications after D&C’s are very rare. You can prevent infection or other problems by following the instructions we gave you and by using good common sense. Do not use tampons, and change your pads frequently.
In order to prevent infection, do not use tampons, douche, take tub baths, swim or have sex (even sex with condoms) until your 2-3 week post-op check-up. In addition, take all of the antibiotics (doxycycline) that you were given. Do not take the antibiotic with dairy products. The antibiotic can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so use caution. If you have been given Methergine, take it every 4-6 hours, as directed.
It is important to make an appointment for a post-procedure check-up. There is a nominal charge for the exam. You should schedule this 2 to 3 weeks from today. We have just done a surgical procedure on you, so it is desirable that you have the exam here in our office for continuity of care and to be sure that all is back to normal. If you plan going elsewhere for that exam, please tell us.
Our full-service Ob-Gyn office is here to provide COMPLETE Ob-Gyn care for you, your family and friends; and we welcome your referrals.
If you would like to continue the birth control method we started you on today, you need to have a current Pap smear. You can bring a copy of your most recent Pap smear to your post-op check up, or we can do a Pap smear then. You may sign a release with our receptionist today, and we will obtain a copy from your doctor’s office. We are using the newest type of liquid-based Pap smear that can also do a reflex test for HPV–the virus known to cause abnormal cells and cervical cancer.
It is common to have light bleeding or spotting on and off for a week or two after the procedure. This is NOT a menstrual period, but the effects of your uterus going back to its normal size and the hormone changes. The bleeding may be red to brown to almost black. It can occur daily, or stop for a day or two, then start up again unpredictably—ALL of this is NORMAL. If you have started a birth control method, keep using it as directed. However, if the bleeding is heavy (soaking through a regular Kotex pad every hour) IMMEDIATELY CALL THE OFFICE at (913) 491-6878!
If you experience any of the following problems, CALL the Office At ONCE:
- Heavy bright red bleeding (over 1 regular Kotex pad/hour)
- Severe cramps not relieved by rubbing and massaging your uterus, and taking 800mg of ibuprofen (Motrin) (4 tablets) or 2 Aleve tablets, (especially if you are not bleeding at all)
►Tylenol, Midol, or Pamprin do not work nearly as well◄
- Passage of bright red blood clots larger than an egg.
- A foul-smelling, or greenish vaginal discharge.
- Fever of over 100.6°F Don’t guess– Use a thermometer.
Make sure you properly enter your phone number as prompted by our answering service. Turn off your answering machine and/or call blocking. DO NOT GO to an Emergency Room without calling our office first!
If we do not return your call in 10 to 15 minutes, be sure to call back. When you call the office, make sure that you already have the phone number of a pharmacy that is open, in case we need to call in a prescription for you.
Remember that it is possible to get pregnant almost immediately following today’s surgery, so it is important to use a reliable contraceptive method. Follow ALL of the instructions, including abstaining from sex until you have been seen for your post-op appointment. Start your contraceptive method on the date you were instructed, even if you are still bleeding. Call our office if you have any questions.