Question: Thank you for your very informative site. I had an aspiration abortion 4 weeks ago and I started working out this past week. The doctor told me to wait 2-3 weeks so I thought 4 weeks should be fine to start my excercise routine. Although I did sit ups and crunches and now I have cramping. Have I done anything to harm my cervix or uterus?

Answer:  You can start exercising within days of getting an MVA (Manual Vacuum Aspiration) procedure.  The procedure is not invasive – there is no scraping and no strong suction – so your uterus does not need to heal from the procedure.  The cramping you are experiencing is probably from the exercise itself.  However, if you have continued cramping and bleeding, it may be that the exercise stimulated your uterus to contract, and there may be residual blood or tissue that is being expelled.  This is common and normal after abortion, and nothing to be afraid of.  If the cramps do not respond to ibuprofen (800mg) or keep getting worse, you should contact the doctor who did the procedure. 

I hope this is helpful,
Doctor Joan

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