Almost three months after my abortion I began bleeding heavily and passing large clots. It started out like a period and then gradually got heavier and heavier to where I was soaking pads in about 30 minutes.
Everything seemed to be normal post-abortion up until this point. I didn’t understand why three months later I was having complications. I was given some information at the clinic about the risks of an abortion, but the literature did not mention complications occurring three months later.
The bleeding became so heavy over the course of the day that I knew I needed help. I began to feel light-headed and weak, so I took myself to the ER. They were very busy that day and I didn’t get treatment immediately. Once the triage nurse saw that blood was soaking through my sweatpants onto the pads of the bed, things started moving faster. They did bloodwork, a transvaginal ultrasound and got an IV started to give me fluids. The gynecologist came in and told me she needed to take me back to surgery. I was scared that if she couldn’t get the bleeding to stop, I would need a hysterectomy.
Surgery went well but with the amount of blood loss, I needed a blood transfusion. In surgery they found retained “products of conception” e.g. part of the placenta, and a valve where the bleeding was coming from. Thankfully they did not have to take my uterus out.
They admitted me overnight for observation and I went home the next day. I never imagined that three months later I would end up in the hospital, and all my regrets of having an abortion in the first place would surface again.
