Every medical procedure has the potential for complications. Asking about the risks of abortion is an excellent question before moving forward. Since you take the drugs for the abortion pill method at home, you need to be aware of how much bleeding or cramping is too much. Being prepared is essential.
The Risks of the Abortion Pill Method
The abortion pill is also known as a medical or chemical abortion. A woman takes two drugs over a 24 to 48-hour period to terminate a pregnancy. The FDA highly regulates the first drug, mifepristone. Only certified providers can prescribe it.
Although the FDA approves the drugs through the tenth week of pregnancy, Georgia banned abortion after 6 weeks (when a fetal heartbeat can be detected). There are exceptions, like rape or incest, where a woman can obtain an abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The Mayo Clinic and the mifepristone drug label list the following as risks of medical abortion:
- An incomplete abortion. When the abortion is incomplete, the pregnancy ends, but not all of the pregnancy tissue leaves the body. This may require a surgical procedure.
- An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work. The drugs are less effective the farther along you are in your pregnancy.
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding. According to the drug label, bleeding can last for 9 to 16 days. If the bleeding continues to be heavy, it could be a sign of an incomplete abortion.
- Infection. An infection could be the result of an incomplete abortion.
- Fever. According to the FDA, a sustained fever for more than 4 hours of 100.4°F or higher could indicate an infection.
- Severe abdominal pain. The label warning indicates abdominal pain or discomfort or general malaise (including weakness, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea) for more than 24 hours after taking the second drug, misoprostol is possible.
The Risks of Surgical Abortion
Abortion providers may use a combination of suction or vacuum aspiration and a curette (scraping tool) for a first-trimester abortion. A woman may also receive local or general anesthesia, and depending on how far along she is, the provider may need to dilate (open) the cervix, which leads to the uterus.
The Mayo Clinic lists the following potential risks of surgical abortion:
- Perforation of the uterus. Perforation means the provider poked a hole with a medical instrument through the uterus.
- Damage to the cervix. Because the cervix leads to the uterus, it is possible to be torn in the abortion procedure.
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall. Although rare, it is possible.
- Infection.
How Can Coweta Pregnancy Services Assist Me?
Coweta offers free pregnancy services. You can receive no-cost pregnancy testing followed by a free ultrasound if your test is positive. You need an ultrasound to determine if there is a fetal heartbeat and how far along you are in your pregnancy.
Although we do not perform or refer for abortion, we can provide medically accurate information about the various procedures, side effects, and other potential risks. In addition to physical risks, research suggests that some women also suffer negative mental health effects from abortion. You need to be aware of those risks as well.
Contact Coweta Pregnancy Services to schedule a no-cost appointment. We can discuss your situation, run tests, and get you the information you need to make a confident decision. We’re here for you.
All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.