Connect Safe Abortion Clinic in Pretoria, Gauteng.

You may bleed up to a week or off and on up to four weeks after the procedure. The flow may vary from very light to fairly heavy. It may increase with exercise and decrease with rest. Small blood clots are normal. Clots can appear red to dark purple. Use sanitary pads only, not tampons, for bleeding after the procedure.

You may experience cramps for a few days. Some women experience an episode of heavy bleeding and cramps four to six days after the procedure.

Call Connect Women’s Clinic if bleeding is prolonged or extremely heavy. Blood-tinged discharge is common as bleeding slows.

Discharge may appear as yellow or brown and may have a sour odor.

To relieve cramps, take ibuprofen (up to 800 mg every six hours) or Tylenol (up to 1,000 mg every four hours). Rest as well as a hot water bottle or heating pad on the abdomen can help.

Pregnancy symptoms of nausea, vomiting and weariness usually cease within three days.

Breast tenderness may take seven to 10 days to disappear. Your breasts may feel firm and tender and leak fluid after your procedure.

Your breasts will return to normal after three to four days of swelling. You will feel more comfortable if you wear a supportive bra and apply cold ice packs to your breasts.

Take ibuprofen or Tylenol, if necessary, for pain. If you still feel pregnant after a week, call Connect Women’s Clinic at to speak to one of our health care providers.

Your next menstrual period should begin four to seven weeks after the procedure.

You can get pregnant before then and should use birth control when you resume sexual intercourse.

Your first few cycles may be irregular. If you use a cyclic hormonal birth control method — such as the pill, patch or ring — you should start the method the same day as your procedure.

Your next period will occur during the fourth week of the contraceptive cycle. Get to know more facts about abortion pills today.