It’s good you’re asking this question if you’re considering abortion. Knowing the difference between a side effect and a physical risk to your health is critical.
Like every other medical procedure, having an abortion has certain risks. A potential risk for both a medical and surgical abortion is infection.
What is a Medical Abortion?
A medical abortion (also called the abortion pill method) uses two drugs to end a pregnancy. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks progesterone, which is a much-needed hormone for a pregnancy to develop. Without progesterone, a pregnancy cannot survive.
Misoprostol is the second drug. This drug causes bleeding and contractions (which some women say are severe) to remove the pregnancy from the body.
The Risks of the Abortion Pill Method:
- Incomplete abortion, which means the pregnancy ended, but not all of the pregnancy tissue came out of your body
- An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work, which can happen the farther along you are in your pregnancy
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
Signs of Infection
- Heavy bleeding – soaking two or more pads an hour for two hours in a row
- Bad pain in the stomach area or pelvis
- Chills or body aches
- Fast heart rate
- Fever lasting more than four hours
- Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
What is a Surgical Abortion?
An abortion provider performs a surgical abortion procedure in a clinic or hospital. The provider uses suction if your pregnancy is still in the first trimester.
Later pregnancies require surgical instruments such as a curette (a sharp tool used for scraping) or forceps to remove larger parts.
The Risks of Surgical Abortion:
- Perforation of the uterus (poking a hole)
- Damage to the cervix
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall
- Infection
Signs of Infection
- Bleeding that’s heavy enough that you need to change pads every hour
- Lasting dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fever
- Cramps lasting more than 48 hours
- Pain that gets worse instead of better
- Foul-smelling discharge from the vagina
Set Up an Appointment for Free Pregnancy Services
Confirm your pregnancy first with free and confidential services at SouthWest Options for Women. We provide free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds. We can discuss your options, including abortion.
Schedule your appointment using our convenient online contact form or call (952) 938-4496. We’re excited to connect with you!
All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.