Signs of pregnancy after abortion pills

What is a continuing pregnancy?

A continuing pregnancy is a pregnancy that continues to develop even after the use of Mifepristone and Misoprostol abortion pills. In the case of a continuing pregnancy, the abortion has failed and the woman remains pregnant.

How do you know if you have a continuing pregnancy?

You may have a continuing pregnancy if you still have symptoms of pregnancy, such as sore breasts or nausea, after taking abortion pills. Even if you bleed, you can still have a continuing pregnancy because bleeding does not mean that you have had a successful abortion.

What should you do if you show signs of pregnancy after abortion?

You should have an ultrasound within a week or do a pregnancy test 3 weeks later to confirm that the pregnancy has ended. Most pregnancy tests that are done 3 weeks after the abortion are reliable. It is necessary to wait 3 weeks after the abortion because the pregnancy hormones can remain in the body and can make the pregnancy test falsely positive.  

If the pregnancy test is still positive after 3 weeks, it is important to get a medical evaluation right away as you may have an ectopic pregnancy, which can be dangerous.

What are the risks of a continuing pregnancy after abortion pills?

Although the risk is very low and only slightly higher than that of a normal pregnancy, Misoprostol can increase the risk of fetal malformations.[1] If possible, we advise women with continuing pregnancies to undergo surgical or medical abortion to terminate the pregnancy.

If you have a continuing pregnancy after abortion pills, you can:

^{[1] “Continuation of pregnancy after first-trimester exposure to mifepristone: an observational prospective study.”Bernard N, Elefant E, Carlier P, Tebacher M, Barjhoux C, Bos-Thompson M, Amar E, Descotes J, Vial T. BJOG 2013;120:568–575. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-0528.12147/full}