While women of every social class seek terminations, the typical woman who ends her pregnancy is either young, white, unmarried, poor, or over the age of 40.
Abortion Preparation
History
Most abortions are performed after your health care provider takes a brief and targeted medical history. You will be asked questions about prior pregnancies and any treatment or care during the current pregnancy. You will be asked about any diseases or conditions that affect your reproductive organs, such as sexually transmitted infections.
The provider will ask whether you have a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, anemia, bleeding disorders, or surgery (on your ovaries or uterus, for example). If you have active medical problems, you may need to be stabilized before an abortion or have the procedure performed in a facility that can handle special medical problems.
If there are known problems with the fetus, such as severe brain abnormalities that will either not allow the fetus to live, and if these problems are known through diagnostic testing, the woman may choose to end the pregnancy with abortion.
The most common problems with the fetus encountered in abortion counseling include major system development failures and problems that cannot be repaired dealing with the heart, nervous system, spine, brain, abdomen, kidneys, and breathing and digestive systems.
Physical
A brief physical examination is usually performed before an abortion. The focus is on determining when your pregnancy began and checking for sexually transmitted disease and whether you are healthy enough to undergo the procedure.
Lab tests
Pregnancy tests are used to confirm that you are pregnant. Home tests are reliable, so providers will accept these results in some cases. Blood will be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and for hepatitis. Urine may be checked to see if you have a urinary tract infection.
Imaging studies
An ultrasound is virtually always dome for pregnancy confirmation and dating. Doctors are looking for how many fetuses may be developing, the size of the fetus or fetuses, a picture of the uterus and ovaries, and to rule out a problem such as an ectopic pregnancy (a life-threatening condition in which the fetus develops outside the uterus).
Medications
Your health care provider may give you antibiotics as a precaution against infection. Antibiotic use for the procedure is usually given the day of the procedure and for the next day or two.
Procedures
Once your pregnancy has been confirmed, and the doctor knows how many weeks along the pregnancy is, and you have decided to end the pregnancy, the procedure offered typically reflects your stage of gestation. Early abortions can be accomplished medically or surgically, but most facilities do not have the protocols established or personnel with the technical ability to offer medical abortions (with pills). Therefore, most abortions are performed surgically Also known as a D&C
During the first trimester of your pregnancy, abortion can be done through medical or surgical abortion procedure. Remember that medical abortion works efficiently only up to nine weeks of your pregnancy.
The medical abortion procedure is performed using drugs such as misoprostol alone, methotrexate and misoprostol, mifepristone and misoprostol.
The medical abortion procedure using the combination of methotrexate and misoprostol is generally prescribed till the first seven weeks of pregnancy.
However, the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol are prescribed till the seven to nine weeks of pregnancy. The medical abortion is 95% effective in terminating a pregnancy.
On the other hand, a surgical abortion procedure called Suction Aspiration, also known as vacuum aspiration, is used to empty the uterus during the first trimester of your pregnancy.
During second trimester, medical abortion procedure is ineffective to end your pregnancy.
Surgical abortion such as Dilation and Curettage (D&C), Dilation and Evacuation (D&E), and Induction Abortion are used during the second trimester. It is to be noted that surgical abortion procedure is usually done under local anesthesia.
Dilation and Curettage is also known as suction curettage. It is generally preferred between 13-15 weeks of pregnancy.
Dilation and Evacuation is also known as D&E. It is used to empty the uterus between 15-21 weeks of your pregnancy.
Induction Abortion is a rare surgical abortion procedure, which makes use of substances such as salt water (saline), urea, or potassium chloride to inject into the amniotic sac to start uterine contractions and terminate pregnancy.
Prostaglandins are introduced into the vagina for uterine contractions and to empty the uterus. On the other hand, Oxytocin (pitocin) is injected intravenously (in to the veins) to empty the uterus.
Medical abortion procedures are not used during third trimester. However, surgical abortion procedures such as Induction Abortion, Dilation and Extraction are used for terminating your pregnancy.
As said earlier, Induction Abortion terminates your pregnancy through medications. The medications make uterine contractions and eject the uterine contents through the cervix.
Dilation and Extraction (D&X), also known as partial birth abortion, is a third trimester surgical abortion procedure in which the fetus is removed from the uterus through the cervix. It is preferred between 24-36 weeks of pregnancy.
Know about the above facts of abortion and select the safe procedure.
Risk of Abortion
For most of the women abortion is not just medical procedure, but it is considered as life changing event, which can bring significant physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences.
Apart from being a simple medical procedure, it has considerable risks involved with it. Some of the significant abortion risks are discussed below.
Significant risks involved in abortion:
Heavy bleeding: Bleeding after the abortion procedure is quite common. But if your cervix is torn or punctured then it can lead to heavy, abnormal bleeding. This kind of severe bleeding after abortion is known as hemorrhaging. Only in some cases, this kind of abortion risk needs surgery.
Infections: Any fetal part left inside the womb (abnormal or incomplete abortion) can cause infections for your pelvic parts. These infections can also be caused due to the surgical instruments which are inserted into the uterus during the surgery. The pelvic infection can be identified with persistent fever.
Incomplete abortion: Some times the abortion can be incomplete with some unwanted fetal parts left inside the uterus. This can lead to severe complications after the abortion.
Perforation of the uterus:The major risk in abortion is puncturing or perforation of the uterus. This can be due to improper use of surgical instruments during the surgery. This kind of risks in abortion can lead to hysterectomy that is removal of uterus.
Damage to internal organs:
The surgical procedure involved in abortion has many complications. During the surgery, the surrounding organs near the uterus can be injured. This is also one of the major factors of abortion risks.
Scars on the uterus lining: Because of suction tubing, curettes and the use of other surgical instruments there is a chance for permanent scars on uterus lining.
Cervix injury: Cervix puncture is a considerable risk in abortion. Damage or injury to cervix can cause severe vaginal bleeding which in turn needs a surgical repair.
Anesthesia: There are several complications involved with the use of general anesthesia during the surgery. It can cause heart attack, convulsion in body functions and in some rare cases it can lead to death.
Other significant abortion risks:
Breast cancer: This is considered as major risk in abortion. About 50% of women are affected by this type of cancer after abortion.
Premature delivery: When you go through one or more induced abortion surgeries, there is a significantly increased risk of premature delivery in future. This kind of abortion risk is mainly associated with several complications like cerebral palsy, prematurity in brain, eye problems and several bowel diseases.
Infertility: This is a very rare case in the risks of abortion, where a woman might not get pregnancy in future.
Pelvic inflammatory diseases: This can be a life threatening risk for you after abortion, which can lead to infertility and ectopic pregnancy. About 5% of women suffer with pelvic inflammatory diseases.
Psychological effects of abortion:
Many women suffer with emotional and psychological problems after experiencing abortion. Some of these problems are depression, acute feeling of grief and fear of disclosure, eating disorders, suicide tendencies, anxiety and also increased consumption of alcohol and drugs.
These are some of the risks involved in abortion. So think before you go for an abortion surgery. Avoid abortion, unless and until it is obligatory in terms of your health.
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