An abortion restarts your menstrual cycle, which means your periods should come back within 4-6 weeks of your abortion. However, to know the exact timing really depends on other factors, including how far in the pregnancy you were before terminating as it will determine the levels of remaining pregnancy hormones in your body.

What should you expect from your first post-abortion period?

The first period after your abortion depends on the type of abortion you had. If you had a procedural abortion, your period may be shorter and lighter than usual. However, if you had a medication abortion, the first period could be longer and heavier as the body expels remaining uterine tissues.

What are the common characteristics you may notice in your first post-abortion period?

Heavier bleeding, especially with a medication abortion, may include passing small blood clots.

A lighter flow is more common after a procedural abortion, normalizing over a few months.

Bleeding or discharge should not have a foul smell; if it does, it may signal an infection.

Are there other symptoms?

Yes. You may also experience more intense cramping than usual. Your symptoms may also resemble pre-abortion menstrual cycles, including bloating, tender breasts, mood swings, headaches, and fatigue.

Bleeding Immediately After Abortion

While it is true that you bleed immediately after abortion, it should not be confused with your period. This bleeding is actually from the uterus expelling pregnancy-related tissue. The color may also be more brown than red and the blood flow is also typically heavier, especially if it is a medication abortion. You might also see some blood clots in your bleeding.

Bleeding can persist for 1–2 weeks post-abortion, sometimes stopping and starting again. It usually becomes lighter over time and transitions into spotting before your next period.

You might also want to consider a switch from your regular period products. After an abortion, healthcare professionals recommend avoiding tampons or menstrual cups for at least 2 weeks to reduce infection risks. Stick to pads or period underwear during this time. Once the 2-week mark passes, it is recommended that you go have a checkup, and once every thing is okayed by your doctor, you may go back to your preferred menstrual products.

When Should You See A Doctor?

You must go and see a doctor if you:

Soak through two or more pads per hour for over 2 hours.

Pass clots larger than a lemon.

Experience foul-smelling discharge or severe pain.

When Will Your Cycle Normalize?

Your second period and subsequent cycles should return to a semi-regular schedule, although irregularities are normal for the first few months. Cycles may be shorter, longer, or heavier than before, particularly after a medication abortion.

Resuming Birth Control

Most birth control methods can be started immediately after an abortion, including pills, patches, and condoms. In some cases, like second-trimester abortions, certain methods may require a 4-week wait. Hormonal contraceptives can help regulate bleeding and hasten cycle normalization.

When Is Pregnancy Possible Again?

Ovulation resumes approximately 2 weeks after an abortion, meaning pregnancy can occur before your first post-abortion period. Discuss contraception options with your healthcare provider to avoid unintended pregnancy if you're not ready.

Lyme disease is often described as a medical puzzle. Many patients expect recovery after treatment, but for some, lingering symptoms like fatigue, sweats, palpitations, or breathing difficulties, continue to disrupt daily life. Increasingly, researchers and practitioners are recognizing that a hidden co-infection may be responsible: Babesia.

Though transmitted by the same ticks that spread Lyme disease, Babesia is a parasite rather than a bacterium. This means that while standard antibiotics for Lyme may clear Borrelia burgdorferi (the Lyme-causing bacteria), they do not affect Babesia. If left untreated, the infection can stall or even derail recovery.

What Is Babesia?

Alexis Chesney, MS, ND, LAc, who is also a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, author, and educator specializing in Lyme and vector-borne disease, writes that Babesia is a malaria-like parasite that invades red blood cells, belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa.

First described in the late 19th century, it has since been identified in multiple species, with Babesia microti and Babesia duncani being most common in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported a rise in cases across the Northeast and upper Midwest, even declaring Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine as endemic states.

The parasite is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the East and Midwest, and Ixodes pacificus in the West. Transmission can occur within 36 hours of tick attachment, making timely removal critical.

How Babesia Blocks Lyme Recovery

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria, while Babesia is a protozoan parasite. The difference is crucial: antibiotics like doxycycline or ceftriaxone, typically prescribed for Lyme, have no effect on Babesia. When this parasitic infection is overlooked, patients often remain sick despite completing Lyme treatment.

This overlap of infections is common in regions where both pathogens circulate. Patients coinfected with Babesia and Lyme may experience a tougher, more prolonged illness, with night sweats, air hunger (difficulty breathing at rest), and palpitations serving as hallmark clues that Lyme alone isn’t to blame.

Symptoms to Watch

Babesia symptoms can vary widely, from mild to life-threatening. Common complaints include:

• Excessive sweating or night sweats
• Crushing fatigue
• Shortness of breath or “air hunger”
• Heart palpitations or chest pain
• Headaches and joint aches

In severe cases, particularly in older adults, immunocompromised individuals, or those without a spleen, Babesia may cause hemolytic anemia, kidney problems, and organ stress.

Diagnosis

Because symptoms overlap with Lyme disease, Babesia often goes undiagnosed without specific testing. Traditional options include:

Blood smear (Giemsa-stained): A classic but limited method, as only a tiny fraction of red blood cells may show parasites in early or chronic cases.

PCR testing: Detects Babesia DNA with high sensitivity in acute infections.

FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization): A more advanced method that detects Babesia RNA, distinguishing between live and dead parasites and proving especially valuable in chronic disease.

Accurate testing is critical, as untreated Babesia can persist and block progress against Lyme.

Treatment Approaches

Conventional treatment generally involves a combination of atovaquone and azithromycin for 7–10 days in mild to moderate cases. More severe or persistent infections may require longer regimens, sometimes with alternative drugs like clindamycin and quinine. However, treatment failures and drug resistance have been reported.

Naturopathic and integrative therapies are increasingly used alongside pharmaceuticals. Herbs such as Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, Artemisia annua (Sweet Annie), Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese Knotweed), and Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap) have shown anti-Babesia activity in laboratory studies. These botanicals not only target parasites but also support the immune system, reduce inflammation, and protect red blood cells.

Some practitioners also use anti-biofilm agents like serrapeptase or lumbrokinase to break down protective barriers that Babesia forms, making antimicrobial treatment more effective.

Why Awareness Matters

As Babesia spreads to new geographic regions, it is critical for healthcare providers to recognize its role in chronic illness. Ignoring Babesia may leave patients trapped in a cycle of incomplete Lyme recovery, chasing symptoms without lasting relief. A thorough approach that screens for co-infections and treats them comprehensively is essential.

For patients struggling with ongoing fatigue, sweats, or unexplained heart and lung symptoms after Lyme treatment, the missing piece could be Babesia. Recognizing and addressing this stealth parasite may be the key to finally breaking through to recovery.

Smoking is one of the leading causes for lung diseases for people, but did you know a simple hygiene habit could actually be worse than that? While cleaning is a necessary part of your home and living, could cleaning be the reason behind your declining lung health?

A 2018 study from Norway published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, suggests that the answer is yes, especially for women. Scientists followed over 6,000 people for 20 years and found that regular exposure to common cleaning products can be very harmful to their lungs.

The study compared the decline in lung function among women who cleaned regularly—at least once a week—to that of women who did not. The results were shocking: the damage was so significant that it was like smoking a pack of cigarettes every day for 20 years. Interestingly, the researchers did not find the same negative effects on men in the study.

What Cleaning Products Are Causing Harm To Your Lungs?

The study found that women who regularly cleaned, whether at home or as a job, had a faster decline in their lung function compared to women who didn't clean. This decline was measured by how much air they could breathe out in one second.

The main culprits are harsh cleaning chemicals like ammonia and bleach. These chemicals can irritate and damage the delicate lining inside your airways. Over time, this damage can lead to serious health problems such as asthma, chronic airway obstruction (which makes it hard to breathe), and long-term inflammation.

According to cancer experts at Moffitt Cancer Center, this type of continuous inflammation could even cause changes in your cells that might increase your risk for cancer.

Scientists believe the decline in lung function is caused by the irritation that most cleaning chemicals create in the airways. Over time, this constant irritation can lead to permanent changes in the lungs. The study also found that women who cleaned regularly were more likely to have asthma. Interestingly, this negative effect was not seen in men who participated in the study.

Simple Changes for Safer Cleaning

The good news is that you can protect yourself by making a few simple changes to how you clean. According to the Moffitt Cancer Center, you can incorporate these tips while cleaning.

Go Natural

Whenever you can, choose natural cleaning products instead of harsh chemicals. A simple mix of vinegar and water works great for many surfaces. For tough scrubbing jobs, use everyday items you already have, like salt or a steel wool pad, to get the job done safely.

Wear a Mask

Protect your lungs from harmful fumes by wearing a mask while you clean. A mask helps filter out tiny particles from cleaning sprays and powders, so you don’t breathe them in. This is a simple but very effective step to keep your airways healthy.

Ventilate the Area

Always make sure to open windows and doors when you're cleaning. Letting fresh air in helps push chemical fumes and other pollutants out of your home. This prevents them from building up in the air you're breathing and reduces the health risks associated with them.

Sometimes body pain can be quite difficult to figure out. ‘Is it my shoulder muscle, or is it shoulder joint that’s causing me pain?’ We have all had these questions and struggled while answering them at the doctor’s office. This is a common experience that we all go through, and it can make things like finding what medication will help elevate the pain difficult.

So how do doctors figure this out? Explaining this in a video, Dr Pooja Chopra MD, shares a post on Instagram. Posted on 8th September, in the video caption Dr Chopra explained, “As a PM&R and Pain specialist, my first job is to be a detective. Tracing pain back to its precise source is the most critical step, because each source requires a completely different treatment plan.” She further goes on to give a simplified guide to help people understand their pain better. Understanding where the pain comes from can help people feel more at ease as well as figure out how serious the problem could be.

How To Tell Whether Your Muscle Is Causing Pain, Your Joint Or Nerve?

Muscle Pain

Muscle pain, also called myofascial pain, feels like a dull, deep ache. When you press on the sore spot, you'll feel tenderness and might even find what feel like tight knots or bands. This kind of pain gets worse when you use the muscle that's hurt, but it often feels better with simple things like resting, putting a heating pad on it, or doing some gentle stretches. You can usually point with one finger to exactly where it hurts.

Joint Pain

Joint pain, or articular pain, is a deep, internal ache that feels very stiff. It's not on the surface; it feels like it's coming from inside the joint itself. You might feel a sharp pain when you make a specific movement, like reaching high above your head. This type of pain is often at its worst when you first wake up in the morning, but it tends to get better as you start moving around and warm up the joint. Because the pain is deep, it can be hard to say exactly where it is.

Nerve Pain

Nerve pain, also known as neuropathic pain, is the most distinct kind of pain. It feels like sharp, shooting, burning, or "electric" shocks. People often describe it as a tingling sensation, like "pins and needles," or even numbness. A key sign of nerve pain is that it travels along a clear path, for example, from your neck all the way down your arm. This pain can come on unexpectedly, even when you're completely still and not moving the body part.

It's important to remember that these types of pain can be linked. For example, a problem with a joint could make the muscles around it tense up in a protective spasm, which could then pinch a nearby nerve. This is why a proper diagnosis from a specialist is so important. They use advanced tools like diagnostic ultrasound, which lets them see exactly what's happening inside your body, so they can treat the root cause of the pain precisely.