Your chances of getting pregnant after an abortion are essentially the same as they were before. Abortion, whether medical or surgical, does not reduce fertility for the vast majority of people. In fact, fertility returns so quickly that 83% of women ovulate within the first month after the procedure, and you can conceive before your next period even arrives.
How Quickly Fertility Returns
Ovulation typically resumes about three weeks after an abortion. One study in Fertility and Sterility found that ovulation returned an average of 20.6 days after a medical abortion, with some women ovulating as early as 8 days later. This timeline is similar for surgical abortion. Your period generally comes back within four to six weeks, but because ovulation happens before that first period, there is a window where you are fertile without any obvious sign of it.
This rapid return to fertility catches many people off guard. In one large study, 51% of participants reported having sex within two weeks of their abortion. If you are not trying to conceive, contraception can be started immediately after the procedure. All standard methods, including IUDs, implants, pills, and injections, are considered safe to begin right away, though IUD placement after a medical abortion is typically done once the process is confirmed complete.
Long-Term Fertility After Medical Abortion
Medical abortion (using pills) does not appear to raise the risk of fertility problems or complications in future pregnancies. The Mayo Clinic notes that it does not increase the chances of miscarriage, preterm birth, or low birth weight. Your uterine lining recovers fully, and there is no lasting effect on your ability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term.
Long-Term Fertility After Surgical Abortion
Surgical abortion also has little measurable impact on future pregnancies for most people. Some studies have found a slightly elevated risk of preterm birth or low birth weight in later pregnancies, but other studies of equal quality found no such increase. The overall picture is reassuring: the procedure does not cause infertility.
The one rare complication worth knowing about is Asherman syndrome, a condition where scar tissue forms inside the uterus after a dilation and curettage (D&C). Over 90% of Asherman syndrome cases are linked to pregnancy-related D&C procedures. It can interfere with future conception and implantation. However, it remains uncommon, and when it does occur, it is often treatable. If your periods become unusually light or stop entirely after a surgical abortion, that is a reason to follow up.
Does Having Multiple Abortions Change the Odds?
Having more than one abortion does not appear to cause cumulative fertility damage. The same reassurances apply: medical abortions carry no demonstrated increase in future pregnancy complications regardless of how many you have had. For surgical abortions, each D&C carries a small individual risk of scarring, so multiple procedures could theoretically raise the overall chance of Asherman syndrome, but this remains rare.
Infection Risk and Its Effect on Fertility
The one post-abortion complication that can genuinely harm future fertility is infection. Pelvic inflammatory disease occurs after roughly 4% of induced abortions. If an infection spreads to the fallopian tubes and goes untreated, it can cause scarring that blocks the egg’s path and makes natural conception difficult. This is why post-abortion care includes watching for signs of infection: fever, worsening pain, or unusual discharge in the days following the procedure. Caught early, infections are treatable and unlikely to cause lasting damage.
Pregnancy Testing After an Abortion
If you are trying to conceive shortly after an abortion, or if you are worried about whether the procedure was complete, home pregnancy tests can be misleading. The pregnancy hormone hCG can remain detectable in your system for up to two months after an abortion, even when you are no longer pregnant. A standard store-bought test may show a positive result during this window. Specialized low-sensitivity tests or a blood test that tracks whether hCG levels are dropping can give you a more accurate answer.
Trying to Conceive Again
There is no standard medical recommendation to wait a specific number of months before trying to get pregnant again. Physically, your body can support a new pregnancy as soon as ovulation returns, which for most people is within a few weeks. Some providers suggest waiting until after your first normal period simply to make dating a new pregnancy easier with ultrasound, but this is a practical consideration rather than a safety one.
Your emotional readiness matters just as much as your physical recovery. Some people feel ready to try again quickly, while others need more time. Neither timeline is wrong, and the reassuring takeaway is that the abortion itself is very unlikely to stand in the way when you are ready.