So, yeah, after the abortion, I kind of figured my body would just, you know, snap back. Like flipping a switch. Get the procedure done, a bit of recovery, and then boom, period shows up like clockwork, just like before. That’s what I was banking on, anyway.
But then, nothing. A few weeks went by. Okay, I told myself, bodies are weird, give it time. Then a whole month passed. Still nothing. That’s when the worry really started to kick in. Like, a knot in my stomach kind of worry. Did something go wrong? Was this normal? I had no idea.
I remember spending hours, and I mean hours, searching online. And let me tell you, that was a mistake. Just a rabbit hole of worst-case scenarios and conflicting advice. Some sites said “totally normal, can take months!” Others were like “DANGER! See a doctor NOW!” It just made me more anxious, honestly. I even called the clinic where I had it done. They were pretty chill, just said, “Oh, it varies. Can take a while.” Helpful, right? Not really when you’re freaking out.
So, I decided I couldn’t just sit there and spin out. I had to, like, do something. My own little project, I guess, to figure out what was going on with my own body.
First thing I did was start tracking. And I mean meticulously. I got a little notebook. Any tiny cramp, any weird discharge (sorry, TMI, but we’re being real here), any mood swing that felt even vaguely familiar to my old PMS days – I wrote it all down. With dates. I figured if I had data, maybe I’d see a pattern, or at least have something concrete to tell a doctor if it came to that.
Then, I really tried to clean up my act a bit. Not in a crazy way. But I thought, okay, maybe my body’s just super stressed from the whole ordeal. The emotional side of it, the physical side. So, I focused on getting more sleep. Tried to eat actual food, you know, vegetables and stuff, instead of just grabbing whatever was quick. Cut back on endless coffee. Just basic stuff, really. Stuff I probably should have been doing anyway.
And I tried, really tried, to just calm down. Easier said than done when you think your insides are broken, but I did meditations, went for walks. Anything to get out of my own head for a bit. Because the stress was making me feel worse, period or no period.
After about six weeks of this, and my notebook looking like a mad scientist’s diary, I decided enough was enough with the waiting and guessing. I made an appointment with my regular doctor, not the clinic. I just felt I needed someone to actually sit down and listen, not just give me a pat answer over the phone.
That visit was actually pretty good. She listened to my whole spiel, looked at my crazy notes. Did an exam. And basically said, “Look, everything seems fine physically. Sometimes it just takes your hormones a while to sort themselves out after something like this. Your body’s been through a lot.” She said to give it another month or so, and if nothing by then, we’d do more tests. Hearing that, from someone who actually checked me over, was a huge weight off my shoulders.
And wouldn’t you know it. About two weeks after that doctor’s visit – so, around the eight-week mark for me, post-abortion – it finally showed up. Never been so happy to get my period in my entire life, I swear. It wasn’t even that bad, just… normal.
Looking back on that whole mess, the biggest thing I learned was patience. Which I’m terrible at. And that my body has its own damn timetable. All the worrying and frantic Googling didn’t make it come any faster. What helped was actually taking care of myself and then, yeah, getting proper medical advice when I felt I really needed it.
It’s a tough spot to be in, that waiting game. You just want things to be okay again. But yeah, that was my journey with it. A lot of stress, a lot of note-taking, and eventually, relief. Just had to ride it out, I guess, and try to be kind to myself in the meantime. That’s my big takeaway: be kind to your body, it’s doing its best.
