You may wonder whether contraception can be thought about later, while bleeding lessens and the body recovers. But the fact of being in recovery does not prevent pregnancy. The decision to start having sex again and preparing contraception need to be looked at separately.
Can I become pregnant even without a period?
A period is related to the hormone changes that follow ovulation. So ovulation can already occur before the first period is confirmed. Treating the bleeding right after a termination of pregnancy as the start of a new menstrual cycle, and calculating the app's safe days, is not a reliable method of contraception either.
If you do not want to become pregnant, it is important not to have sex without contraception. Do not judge that there is no possibility of pregnancy based only on how many days have passed since surgery. Once hormonal contraception is started, the pattern of bleeding afterward can also change, so a contraceptive effect cannot be confirmed from whether there is bleeding alone.
Which method do you start, and when?
Oral contraceptive pills, a subdermal contraceptive implant, an intrauterine device, and similar methods each have different conditions for starting. The plan is set according to the method of termination of pregnancy and whether it is complete, symptoms that suggest infection, medicines you currently take, and your state of health. It is not assumed that every method is started on the same date, or that an effect appears the moment it is started.
At the consultation, please ask specifically about these three things.
- When can I start? Confirm whether the method you chose may be started at this stage of recovery.
- From when can I expect a contraceptive effect? You are guided on the period of additional contraception according to the product and the time you start.
- What should I do if I miss using it or a problem occurs? Confirm how to get in touch and what to do for situations such as a missed dose, vomiting, a device problem, and similar events.
Do not apply, unchanged, a dosing schedule that was explained to someone else, or an internet standard based on the period start date. The guidance for each product and the prescription you received need to be checked together.
When choosing a method, are side effects checked as well?
Yes. The consultation checks whether you can keep up with taking it every day, your preferences about future plans for pregnancy and changes in bleeding, and whether there is a method you cannot use for health reasons. Some hormonal contraceptive methods can cause irregular bleeding, nausea, headache, and similar effects. Contraceptive pills that contain estrogen require a review of history related to the risk of blood clots, so please tell us about smoking, the pattern of your migraines, any history of blood clots, and similar points.
For inserted methods, the consultation covers pain, bruising, and infection during the procedure, and the method of removal. For an intrauterine device, risks such as expulsion and rare perforation also need to be checked. The choice is made after these differences are reviewed, and a specific product is not decided from this article alone.
Condoms are also used to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, but they do not completely prevent every infection. You should not think that contraceptive pills or inserted methods also prevent sexually transmitted infections.
What should I do if I have already had sex without contraception?
Contact a medical facility as soon as you can, rather than waiting to see whether a period comes. Telling them when you had sex, whether you currently use contraceptive pills or a device, and your recovery after the termination of pregnancy helps them judge whether emergency contraception is needed and the schedule of later tests. The time limits and conditions for emergency contraception differ by method, so also confirm a separate contraception plan for sex afterward.
You can look at the options in Contraception method counseling. The possibility of pregnancy during recovery was cross-checked with the NHS guidance after termination of pregnancy, and the differences in additional contraception according to the time of starting were cross-checked with the combined oral contraceptive pill guidance.