Abdominal pain after abortion

Nowadays, there are many people who have unexpected pregnancies. Some of them are not expected for married life, and some are pregnant before marriage. In most cases, these people will choose abortion. Another part is that there are problems with the development of the fetus in the mother's body, such as deformity or stillbirth, or the expectant mother is sick and needs to take medication. These situations also require abortion or induced labor. No matter what surgery it is, there are risks. Many people experience stomach pain after having an abortion. So what is going on?

There may be slight lower abdominal pain on the day of operation, which will disappear later or may occasionally occur. If the patient has significant abdominal pain after surgery, it is abnormal and may be caused by the following reasons:

(1) Incomplete abortion: Unsafe abortion procedures often fail. Incomplete abortion means that the chorionic and decidual tissue in the uterine cavity cannot be completely removed during surgery. After the operation, the uterus undergoes paroxysmal contractions in order to expel the remaining embryonic tissue from the uterus. At this time, the patient has paroxysmal attacks of abdominal pain, which are unbearable, and there is increased vaginal bleeding, which is bright red in color and contains large blood clots. The abdominal pain is relieved after the blood clots are discharged, and the attacks recur repeatedly. When an incomplete miscarriage occurs, a curettage is usually required to scrape out the remaining embryonic tissue in the uterine cavity, and the abdominal pain will disappear naturally. Strengthen anti-inflammatory treatment after surgery to prevent infection.

(2) Postoperative infection: This is one of the possible complications after improper abortion surgery. Postoperative infection often occurs within two weeks after surgery. It can be caused directly by the surgical operation or by the patient's failure to pay attention to hygiene after surgery, such as having sexual intercourse, swimming, etc. It usually leads to acute pelvic inflammatory disease, with severe abdominal pain that is persistent and may worsen in paroxysmal forms, accompanied by fever, chills, and vaginal bleeding that is bright red, fishy, ​​or mixed with yellow discharge. During physical examination, there is abdominal pain that is resistant to pressure, tenderness, and rebound tenderness. Gynecological examination shows cervical motion tenderness, uterine body tenderness, and both adnexa may have flake-like or cord-like thickening with obvious tenderness. If chronic pelvic inflammatory disease occurs, there will be dull abdominal pain, a small amount of vaginal bleeding, an odor, and yellow discharge.

(3) Uterine perforation: This is a very serious complication that may occur during improper abortion surgery. Most patients experience sudden and severe abdominal pain during perforation, but a small number of people may not feel any obvious pain. The abdominal pain caused by uterine perforation is continuous, with a small amount of vaginal bleeding. If combined with internal bleeding, it may cause peritoneal irritation signs: abdominal pain that is resistant to pressure, tenderness, and rebound pain. Uterine perforation is rare, but it is more likely to occur in women who have an excessively tilted uterus or who become pregnant again within one year of a caesarean section, or who have undergone multiple abortions.

(4) Intrauterine hemorrhage: This usually occurs within a few hours after surgery. The patient suffers from unbearable abdominal pain, as if cut by a knife, and a small amount of blood and fluid flows out of the vagina. Gynecological examination reveals that the uterus is significantly enlarged, soft, and tender. The number of people who develop intrauterine hematoma is also very small, but it is more likely to occur in women with an overly tilted uterus and a tight cervix.