There is no association between either abortion or early miscarriage and subsequent change in fertility. Either you misunderstood the doctor, or he intentionally misleading you. I know it is a difficult situation to be in, but only you and your gf can decide what is best for yourselves, your families and your future. Any couple faces a small possibility of conception problems. You are over that hurtle. All early pregnancies have about a 30% chance of miscarriage and that number drops as the pregnancy advances. Risk of miscarriage is less than 5% by six weeks from the last menstrual period if the heartbeat is present on ultrasound. There is a background risk of a fetal demise of about .01% by term, and of course none of us have a 100% chance of making it to the next day, but the longer we live, the longer we are likely to live out a full life expectancy (in to the 90s for today s babies). Any procedure-medical or surgical abortion has a small risk of complications. The risks of complications are far less the risks associated with a term birth, delivery and postpartum course. That is the time of greatest health vulnerability for all women of reproductive age.The surgeon general under president Reagan, C. Everett Koop got into a great deal of political hot water for pointing this out. Papaya doesn t help to avoid pregnancy unless your girlfriend keeps it between he knees at all times. Reliable, safe contraception is available and the small risks associated with contraception is far less than those associated with pregnancy. The most common problem associated with medical AB is heavy bleeding. If your girl friend is anemic she is safer going for a surgical abortion (a ten minute procedure). Bleeding is expected to be heavy for a period of 1/2-several days. A return to the clinic or ER is usually not recommended unless she is soaking 2 maxi pads/hour for over 4 consecutive hours. Pain is treated with medication and antibiotics are given to prevent infection. The antibiotics are tremendously important and their use has dropped the rate of serious infection from 1/10000 to 1/1,000,000. There have been no infection related maternal deaths associated with medical AB in the US since preventive antibiotics were added to the standard treatment regime. Medical AB is a several day process of inducing a miscarriage. Many women find that they prefer the discomfort and inconvenience of this method in order to not have to be in a hospital or clinic for a procedure. They feel more in control and autonomous. Others prefer a quick minor surgical procedure. Either way risks are very very low, far less than risks associated with a term pregnancy, and neither procedure has any impact on your future fertility. I hope this information helps you and your gf.