Any pregnancy that ends in a miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) or is terminated out of choice (induced abortion), will still result in a number of hormonal changes in a woman’s body. Even weeks after the abortion, the residual effects of having been pregnant earlier will still be noticeable. Of these changes, many women are concerned as to when the menstrual cycle will return to a normal state. The periods may be irregular, heavy or light, or may not have started as yet (amenorrhea). Clots, period pain and PMS are other common symptoms reported by women. The changes in periods after pregnancy is usually temporary and should restore to the pre-pregnancy state within 6 weeks if not sooner. Periods after Spontaneous or Induced Abortion Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy which suppresses the pituitary gland. This prevents the gland from producing the hormones  luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) which cause ovulation. Depending on the type of abortion and stage of pregnancy when terminated, a dilation and curretage (D&C) may be necessary. After the D&C is done, the hCG level drops. For the menstrual cycle to start, hCG level must drop to zero, which usually takes about 2 weeks, but … Continue reading Changes in Menstruation after Miscarriage, Abortion