What Are the Risks of Abortion?
Facing the decision of whether to have an abortion is a deeply personal and often challenging one. As you stand at this crossroads, it’s crucial to arm yourself with knowledge and understanding. Abortion isn’t just about making a choice; it’s about making an informed choice that aligns with your health, well-being, and future.
We’ll go through the different abortion procedures and their risks.
Two Types of Abortion Procedures
Early in a pregnancy, medical abortion is one option open to you. This process is FDA-approved through 10 weeks gestation (how far along you are). It’s also known as the abortion pill despite being a series of two drugs used to end a pregnancy: mifepristone and misoprostol.
Later in pregnancy, abortion providers perform a surgical procedure. Surgical abortions use dilation, small scraping instruments, vacuum/suction, and sometimes forceps. As opposed to a medical abortion administered at home, abortion providers perform surgeries in a hospital or clinic setting.
Risks of A Medical Abortion
Although a medical abortion uses drugs to terminate a pregnancy, it is still considered a serious medical procedure. The risks of a medical abortion include:
- Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion.
- An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work.
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding.
- Infection.
- Fever.
- Digestive system discomfort.
Risks of A Surgical Abortion
A surgical abortion is a little more complicated. Because you may need anesthesia, you will likely wait in a recovery room for a few hours to wait for it to wear off and check for complications like heavy bleeding. Some of the other risks are:
- Uterine perforation (a small tear in your uterus) may happen if one of the surgical instruments passes through your uterine wall.
- Infection.
- Bleeding.
In rare cases, you could develop Asherman’s Syndrome, which can cause painful and absent menstrual cycles or infertility. In many cases, it can be treated.
Protect Your Health
Alpha Women’s Resource Center provides support to women with unexpected pregnancies.
Whether you want to talk to a compassionate team member for an options consultation or take advantage of our no-cost pregnancy services, we’re here for you.
Ultrasounds
Ultrasound is the key to determining if your pregnancy is viable (growing with a detectable heartbeat). We offer no-cost limited ultrasounds to give you answers.
Pregnancy Testing
Do you wonder if you’re pregnant? Even if you’ve taken a home pregnancy test, getting a second opinion is essential. Start with one of our no-cost pregnancy tests.
Options Counseling
There are three options for an unplanned pregnancy. It’s essential to learn the pros and cons of each one to make an empowered and educated choice for your future.
Ultrasounds
Ultrasound is the key to determining if your pregnancy is viable (growing with a detectable heartbeat). We offer no-cost limited ultrasounds to give you answers.
Pregnancy Testing
Do you wonder if you’re pregnant? Even if you’ve taken a home pregnancy test, getting a second opinion is essential. Start with one of our no-cost pregnancy tests.
Options Counseling
There are three options for an unplanned pregnancy. It’s essential to learn the pros and cons of each one to make an empowered and educated choice for your future.
