You hear a lot about abortion these days. But do you actually know about the various abortion procedures, the side effects to expect, and potential risks? Abortion is a serious physical and mental decision, and you need to have the facts before you decide. That’s why we want to talk to you about abortion.
What Are The Different Abortion Procedures?
There are two types of abortion: medication and surgical. How far along you are in your pregnancy determines the procedure you will have.
Medication Abortion (also known as the abortion pill method)
The abortion pill is a medication abortion because it uses two drugs to terminate a pregnancy. You take the drugs over a 24 to 48-hour period. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks progesterone. All pregnancies need progesterone to grow. Without it, the pregnancy ends.
The second drug, misoprostol, causes contractions, so your body expels the pregnancy from your body through the vagina.
Surgical Abortion
Abortion providers perform a surgical abortion in a clinic or hospital. How many weeks you’ve been pregnant determines the type of surgical procedure. Earlier pregnancies often require vacuum or suction aspiration.
As the pregnancy progresses, the provider adds surgical instruments, including a curette (a sharp scraping tool) and forceps to remove larger parts. Most surgical procedures require dilating (opening) your cervix (which leads to the uterus) and either local or general anesthesia.
What Side Effects Can I Expect?
Every abortion involves a certain amount of bleeding and cramping. Other side effects of the abortion pill include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills.
Depending on the procedure and anesthesia used in a surgical abortion, you could experience dizziness, pain, a fever, and heavy bleeding.
What Are the Risks?
Like other major medical procedures, knowing the risks is critical. For the abortion pill method, you run the risk of a continuing pregnancy if the drugs don’t work. Or an incomplete abortion, which means some of the pregnancy tissue remains in your body.
With a surgical procedure, the provider can accidentally poke a hole through your uterus with a surgical instrument or leave scar tissue on the uterine wall.
Infection is also a possibility with both a medication and a surgical abortion. Experts recommend you not have an abortion if you can’t make follow-up visits to your provider or have access to emergency care.
How Can We Help You?
If you would like more information about abortion or your other options, please contact us. You can schedule an appointment online, call (803) 773-8858, or text (803) 464-1700.
If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Let us help you today.