Abortion Information
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, you may have questions about abortion. There are several abortion methods used to end a pregnancy, and you deserve all the information to make an informed decision. At Crystal Women’s Clinic, we provide medically accurate information to help you understand what you can expect from each type of abortion procedure and the risks involved.
How Does Abortion Work?
There are two main types of abortion: medical and surgical abortion. Both work to terminate an existing pregnancy, using two very different methods.
Medical abortion, also known as the abortion pill method, incorporates two drugs – Mifepristone and Misoprostol.
A surgical abortion includes dilation of the cervix and a small suction tube inserted into the uterus. The suction device is used to remove the pregnancy from the uterus. Surgical abortion requires anesthesia and varies on procedure type, depending on how far along you are.
Risks of Abortion
There are physical side effects to medical abortion including vaginal bleeding, nausea, abdominal cramping, and more. Common risks of medical abortion include:
- Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
- An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
Surgical abortion comes with serious potential risks like excessive bleeding and infection of the uterus. Other risks of surgical abortion include:
- Damage to the womb or cervix
- Uterine perforation (accidentally putting a hole in the uterus with one of the instruments used)
- Scarring of the inside of the uterus
- Reaction to the medicines or anesthesia, such as problems breathing
- Not removing all of the tissue, requiring another procedure
Mental Health Effects
Mental health professionals use the term post-abortion stress syndrome (PASS) to describe the mental health effects caused by abortion.
Studies have shown that a woman that has an abortion is 81% more likely to develop mental health problems. Abortion has been shown to increase a woman’s risk of the following mental health concerns…
- Substance use disorder
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal behaviors
Though abortion may seem like a quick fix to an unplanned pregnancy – it comes with serious and long-term effects to consider.