Caring for your body and mind after your abortion

Abortions can be hard on your body and your mind. Below are some suggestions of food, herbal support, and self-care to help with the healing process after your abortion.

Food to help support your body after your abortion

Eating foods that support the body after an abortion is important to help replenish nutrients, support the liver, and balance hormones

Protein

Foods high in protein help with physical healing by creating new hormones and blood clotting. Try eating:

• Meats (ideally grass-fed)

• Wild-caught fish

• Beans and lentils

• Eggs

• Tofu

High-quality fats

Eating essential fatty acids supports hormone production and hormone balance. Try eating:

• Coconut oil

• Avocado oil

• Grass-fed meats and fats

• Try to avoid processed foods, which often contain rancid oils

Bone Broth

This “superfood” has a wide array of the amino acids our bodies need in order to make proteins, hormones, and components of a well-functioning immune system. Bone broth is incredibly healing to the gut and deeply nourishing. It is very easy to make yourself, and much cheaper. Recipes can be found online. If you want to purchase it at a store, bone broth is in the freezer section of many grocery stores. Avoid the shelf-stable "bone broth" in the soup section.

Probiotics

Usually, people are prescribed antibiotics after an abortion to stave off infection. It is a good idea to take a high-quality probiotic 2 hours before or after the antibiotics for the duration of their use. This is because antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria in your digestive system, and probiotics help to replace them.

Nutritives

These are nutrient-dense herbs that help replenish our vitamin and mineral stores and support healing.

• Nettles: has one of the highest vitamin and mineral contents of any herb

• Red Raspberry Leaf: lovely uterine tonic

• Oatstraw: long term use can be very supportive of nervous system health

How to use: Make a calming tea by placing 2-3 tablespoons of herbs into a tea strainer and immersing it in boiling water. Don't forget to cover the tea cup while it steeps to get the strongest healing benefits from the herbs!

Nausea

One of the side effects of misoprostol is nausea and vomiting. Some remedies for nausea include:

How to use:

• Peppermint

• Spearmint

• Ginger

• How to use: Smelling Peppermint essential oil is helpful for many people. You can also make a strong tea with any of the above herbs.

Antispasmodics

Antispasmodic herbs may help alleviate some cramping and pain.

• Cramp Bark

• Black Haw

• Wild Yam

• Peony Root

How to use: These are best taken in tincture form. Follow the dosage instructions on the bottle.

Nervous system-supportive herbs

Similar to full-term labor, being relaxed can help facilitate the passing of fetal tissue. These herbs can reduce stress and anxiety, and can also be helpful for grief.

• Chamomile

• Skullcap

• Lemon Balm

• Catnip

• Peppermint

• Oatstraw

• Lavender will help relax the nervous system

How to use: Make a calming tea by placing herbs into a tea strainer and immersing them in boiling water. Don't forget to cover the tea cup while it steeps to get the strongest healing benefits from the herbs!

Iron

Eating foods rich in iron is necessary to create certain hormones and hemoglobin, which is a part of red blood cells. Try eating:

• Red meat

• Liver

• Molasses

• Eggs

• Lentils

• Dark, leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collard greens, etc.

Hormone balancers

There is often a crash of hormones after a miscarriage or abortion, so eating foods or taking supplements or vitamins that support the production of hormones is helpful for mitigating this. The cofactors necessary to create hormones include:

• Dietary protein (meats, fish, eggs, tofu, etc.)

• "Good" cholesterol (olive oil, salmon, berries, avocado, nuts, and seeds)

• Essential fatty acids (fish, tofu, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts)

• Zinc (shellfish, eggs, meat, nuts, and seeds, dairy, whole grains)

• Vitamin C (citrus fruits, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries)

• All of the B vitamins (red meat, leafy greens, eggs, dairy, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast)

• Magnesium (pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, soy milk, edamame)

Herbal supplements for physical and emotional healing

Herbs can be helpful in supporting the body to feel its best after an abortion. Ideally, one should consult an herbalist, alternative health care practitioner, or other trusted sources for proper dosing instructions and safety considerations around herbs. Be careful. People with heart, liver, or kidney issues should consult a medical or herbal practitioner before taking any herbs.

Liver supportive herbs

These help support our body’s hormone balance during this time.

• Burdock

• Dandelion Root

• Calendula

• Turmeric

• Milk Thistle: This is best taken either in capsules or in a tincture form. Follow the instructions on the bottle

How to use: Any of these may be taken as tinctures or made as tea. Use approximately 2-3 tablespoons of herb in 2 cups of water.

Liver supportive herbs

These help support our body’s hormone balance during this time.

• Burdock

• Dandelion Root

• Calendula

• Turmeric

• Milk Thistle: This is best taken either in capsules or in a tincture form. Follow the instructions on the bottle

How to use: Any of these may be taken as tinctures or made as tea. Use approximately 2-3 tablespoons of herb in 2 cups of water.

Grief herbs

Certain herbs can help with grief by nourishing the heart, both physically and emotionally.

• Hawthorn berries: nourish the heart and uplift the spirit, toning the spiritual heart as well as the physical cardiovascular system

• Rose: supportive to the heart

• Motherwort: supportive to the heart

• Devil’s Club: amazing medicinal for helping nourish and protect the spiritual heart, helping to create boundaries

• Hyssop: helpful to process and release grief

• Marjoram: helpful to process and release grief

• Tulsi (Holy Basil): helpful to process and release grief

How to use: These can be teas 2-3 tbsps or tinctures

Self-Care and Aftercare

During times of high-stress, we can forget to make time for self-care. It can be helpful to start some of these suggestions 3-7 days before your abortion to make the recovery period easier.

• Get plenty of rest. Give yourself permission to take time off of your responsibilities and take time off work if possible. Allow yourself plenty of sleep, take naps, and be gentle with yourself.

• Drink plenty of water and fluids. Herbal teas can often be drying or diuretic (increase urination), so be sure to replace the water you lose. Drink more water than you think you need. Stay hydrated.

• Make a plan for aftercare. Call upon friends, abortion doulas, or other support people to help in the weeks after the event. Having loved ones bring you food, or even just having food made and prepared, can take a lot of weight off your shoulders – it’s similar to postpartum care requirements.

• Have a person on call to support you in case of a (rare) complication. Consider what support you’d like, whether that’s emotional support, logistical, having someone physically present, etc.

• If this is a spiritual experience for you, think about what you need and what that may mean for you. Find spiritual leaders, guides, or support people to talk through your experience with.

• Find people to talk to. It is often helpful to have someone to hold space for you so that you can process and share your feelings if need be. Find a support group, and reach out to your community.