How Long Do Pregnancy Hormones Last After Abortion?

The pregnancy hormone, hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is produced naturally in the body during conception. This hormone is vital in development and maintenance of the uterine lining where the fertilized egg implants. It also helps in the fetal growth, staying at peak levels especially in the first trimester of the pregnancy. If you recently had an abortion, you may wonder how long hCG hormone would stay in your system.

Whether you undergo a surgical or medical abortion, hCG remains in your system for a few weeks. However, the duration this pregnancy hormone remains high in the body varies from person to person, pregnancy weeks, and type of pregnancy termination method used.

Let us understand more about how long do pregnancy hormones last after abortion, and how to detect the pregnancy termination results.

Why You May Test Positive for a Pregnancy After an Abortion?

Usually, hCG levels will start to decline following a pregnancy termination (almost by 50%). However, it can take a few days to weeks for this pregnancy hormone to get eliminated from your system. The duration of stay for this hormone depends on how far along you are into the pregnancy and type of abortion you experienced.

The period for how long do pregnancy hormones last after abortion varies depending on a few factors. These include how far along you were in your pregnancy and the type of abortion you had. Generally, hCG levels will start to decrease after an abortion, but it can take several days or even weeks for the hormone to be eliminated from your body.

• Since hCG may remain in small amounts in the body after an abortion, if you take a urine or blood test to detect pregnancy shortly afterward, the test may show as positive.
• This pregnancy hormone is detectable in the system for 4 to 6 weeks. Thus, a pregnancy test via urine or blood may indicate an ongoing pregnancy even after a successful abortion.
• Medication abortion has a longer timeline for completion, making it longer for pregnancy hormones to exit from the system. In a surgical abortion, the pregnancy tissues are removed with tools, letting the hCG levels decrease faster.
• A follow-up regarding pregnancy tests at a doctor after the abortion would involve an ultrasound scan. This gives a clear view of the uterus and the whole abdomen to confirm if the abortion was a success.

Pregnancy Symptoms Following an Abortion

Do you still feel pregnant after a successful abortion? Perhaps you feel queasy, nauseous, tired, bleed slightly, experience headaches, and other pregnancy symptoms, which are also abortion symptoms. This is the reason behind such episodes:

• After a pregnancy termination, the symptoms may resemble that of an early pregnancy. These include breast tenderness, fatigue, and nausea.
• Hormonal fluctuations and the physical process of abortion are the major reasons for such an occurrence.
• The duration of these symptoms differs from an individual to another as well as the type of abortion one underwent.
• Recovery after abortion happens within a few days or a week. Constant care with attention to nutritional diet and rest helps in symptoms to go away faster.

How Early Can You Take a Pregnancy Test After Abortion?

The earliest you can get tested for pregnancy is 10 to 14 days after the procedure. However, ultrasound scan is advisable over the hCG hormone levels detection. Now how long do pregnancy hormones last after abortion may not share a direct relationship with if abortion worked or not.

• An ultrasound scan of the whole abdomen gives a more accurate result for pregnancy status than blood or urine-related pregnancy tests.
• If you want to check for the hCG hormone instead, it is safe to get tested after 4 to 6 weeks.
• But a follow-up after a couple of weeks is mandatory without delay to assess abortion outcome. A home pregnancy test kit is not sufficient to give you the exact result of the abortion.
• Without a follow-up after an abortion, it is hard to know if the pregnancy termination happened successfully or if you require additional medical attention.

Final Thoughts: Keeping a Track of hCG Levels

An abortion with pills can be self-initiated at home or provided by healthcare professionals at a clinic. But a surgical abortion is performed under medical supervision at a facility. The abortion method you choose depends on several factors, along with pregnancy location and number of conception weeks.

• For your body to return to a non-pregnancy state after an abortion, it may take a few days to a few weeks. The recovery time is influenced by several factors, along with personal health.
• Keeping a check on your health and hCG levels help you understand how soon the body normalizes. It is also a sign of a continued or discontinued pregnancy.
• While the pregnancy hormones may remain elevated for 4 to 6 weeks, the levels gradually go down.
• You can rely on a home pregnancy kit or a lab blood or urine test to diagnose the hCG hormone levels in your system, while testing for pregnancy through an ultrasound scan after two weeks of an abortion.