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i think it has to do with vaginal haemorrhage rather than blood loss during surgery, because of the reference to toilet and sanitary wear (i.e. pads or towels)

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Note added at 6 mins (2004-12-10 01:21:34 GMT)
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obviously AFTER surgery

Abortion - What To Expect If You Choose Abortion
... Bleeding after An Abortion. Very often there is a dark, menstrual-like flow that occurs off and on for a couple of weeks after the abortion. ...
www.plannedparenthood.org/abortion/what-to-expect.htm

You need to understand the mechanics of any curettage of the uterus (not necessarily for abortion, this surgery - D&C - can be done for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes: tumors etc.). The curettage is done blindly, the upper layer is taken off the uterus, and the main idea is to do this cleanly, so that after the surgery is done all the blood vessels close tightly. If there is anything left (a piece of tissue still adhering) on the surface of the uterus, it can cause a more or less large blood vessel there to be still open and cause potentially life-threatening haemorrhage. The check for the blood loss is intended as a check for quantity and color of blood lost. Bright red color and a lot of blood can indicate an ongoing haemorrhage from an unclosed vessel.