Abortion
Day 5 after abortion: how many pads a day is normal?
Day 5 · Recovery after abortion
By day five, counting pads may have become a habit. The number means something: our clinic's doctor describes the usual limit of bleeding in terms of pads. Today we look at where that limit lies and where it is exceeded.
This page puts two figures side by side: the daily amount considered normal and the hourly amount that means calling the clinic straight away. You can compare your own pad with these two measures.
Short answer
How many pads a day is it normal to change after an abortion, and how much is too much?
According to the SoftCare Clinic doctor, a total of 2–3 full pads a day is normal after an abortion. If bleeding soaks 2–3 pads within one hour, call the clinic straight away. In between the two, the measure is the direction of the bleeding: if it is not easing or is increasing, call the clinic for advice. The clinic's patients can reach a nurse or the doctor's assistant 24 hours a day.
How much bleeding is normal?
A total of 2–3 full pads a day is normal; 2–3 pads filling in one hour means calling the clinic straight away.
Two rows of pad icons; the top row shows three pads spread over a day, the bottom row pads filling one after another in a short time.How many pads a day is normal after an abortion?
For women whose bleeding starts after the procedure, the measure our doctor gives is a total of 2–3 full pads a day. This amount is normal.
What counts here are full pads. Pads you change for hygiene, with only a little blood on them, are not part of this count.
How much bleeding counts as too much?
Our clinic's emergency measure is per hour: 2–3 pads filling within one hour. With bleeding like this you do not wait, you call the clinic straight away; even at night you can reach a nurse or the doctor's assistant.
The two measures count different things: one the total for a day, the other a single hour. Because the numbers look the same, it is important not to mix them up.
What should I do if I am using more than 2–3 pads a day?
If your bleeding is above 2–3 full pads a day but below the hourly measure, what matters is the trend. If your bleeding is not easing or is increasing, call the clinic for advice; tell them how many pads fill in how long.
What can bleeding be like on day five?
According to our clinic, spotting can continue for 5–10 days after the procedure; period-like bleeding that stops for 1–2 days and comes back can also happen. Your pad being fuller or emptier today than yesterday can be part of this fluctuation.
In women who have no bleeding at all, or only spotting, the number of pads is low anyway; this is also one of the patterns seen.
Do today
- Count the full pads; keep the lightly stained ones separate.
- Pay attention to how long it takes for a pad to fill.
- If your bleeding is easing, note that as well.
Don't do today
- Do not switch to tampons without asking your doctor.
- Do not go into a pool or a bath; the 15-day period is not over.
- Do not swim in the sea; for the sea you wait until day 10 at the earliest.
Special note
If you want to use a tampon instead of a pad
Our clinic describes the tampon for the sea: from day 10 at the earliest, with the tampon left in for no more than 30 minutes. During your first period a tampon can be used if you change it often. For everyday bleeding before then, ask your doctor about tampons; use pads in these days.
When should you call?
Call 112 first (if you are abroad, that country's emergency number)
- Fainting: If you faint, call 112 first; if you are abroad, call the emergency number of the country you are in.
Call the clinic straight away
- Heavy bleeding: Soaking 2–3 pads within one hour. A total of 2–3 pads over the whole day is normal.
- Fever: A temperature of 38 °C or higher, or fever together with weakness.
- Severe pain: Severe abdominal or back pain that does not ease with painkillers.
- Foul-smelling discharge: Unusual, foul-smelling vaginal discharge.
- Large clot: Passing a clot the size of a golf ball.
Call the clinic
- If you are going beyond 2–3 full pads a day and your bleeding is not easing, call the clinic and ask what to do.
- If your bleeding has not eased at all for five days, or is increasing, let your doctor know.
- Dizziness or shivering: Dizziness, chills and shivering that do not pass.
- Hard abdomen: The abdomen becoming hard, or clear tenderness when touched.
- Burning on urination: Burning or stinging when passing urine.
SoftCare Clinic patients can reach the doctor's assistant or a nurse 24 hours a day; when needed, they contact the doctor. Call whenever you are unsure; what your own doctor tells you always comes first.
Frequently asked questions
How much should you bleed after an abortion?
Bleeding after an abortion is not the same in every woman. According to the SoftCare Clinic doctor, in women who bleed after the procedure a total of 2–3 full pads a day is normal. In some women bleeding starts late, stays as spotting or does not come at all; these are not considered abnormal either.
Is it normal to change one pad an hour after an abortion?
By SoftCare Clinic's measure, 2–3 pads filling within one hour means calling the clinic straight away. One pad filling per hour is below this measure but above a total of 2–3 full pads a day; in this in-between situation, if the bleeding is not easing or is increasing, call the clinic for advice.
Can you use a tampon after an abortion?
SoftCare Clinic's rule describes the tampon for the sea: you can swim in the sea from day 10 at the earliest, with a vaginal tampon; the tampon stays in for no more than 30 minutes, and after 3 changes you take a 1-hour break. During the first period a tampon can be used if changed often; it is not recommended if it will not be changed for a long time.
Sources
SoftCare Clinic for your questions
Our patients can reach a nurse and the doctor's assistant 24 hours a day.
This page is for general information; it does not replace an examination or your doctor's advice. Every woman recovers differently. The times and rules your doctor gives you always take priority over those on this page.
Medically reviewed by Op. Dr. Şükrü Sanus, Obstetrician & Gynecologist · Last medical review: