When you are in this situation, an abortion may seem to be the only answer. Unexpected pregnancies are very difficult to handle and may make things very difficult for you. An abortion is a medical procedure that may involve a consequential change in your life.
If you decide to go in for an abortion, there are many products available. Each one of them has risks associated with them.
- Morning after pill (MAP) – This absorption technique comprises of a pregnancy test and two portions of pills. One portion of MAP is taken within 72 hours from the date of last intercourse even when the pregnancy test is negative. The second dose is taken 12 hours after the first dose. If you had conceived within the 72 hours frame, the life is expelled. This pill is also called “Emergency contraception”.
- RU486, Mifepristone – If the pregnancy is 28 to 49 days old, which means, it is 4 to 7 weeks after LMP, then this drug can be taken. These pills are taken in conjunction with the second medicine called misoprostol. The two medicines compel the uterus to throw out the fetus.
- Early Vacuum Aspiration – A surgical procedure to abort the baby is done when the pregnancy is less than or equal to 7 weeks of LMP. In this procedure, Dilators are used to stretch cervical muscles and abortion instruments are passed into the wide opening of the uterus. The fetus is sucked out of the uterus with the assistance of a syringe.
- Suction Curettage – This is carried out within 6 to 14 weeks after LMP. The doctor opens the cervix with a dilator and inserts tubing attached to a suction machine into the uterus. The suction machine pulls the fetus out of the uterus. A variation of this method is called “D & C “Dilations and Curettage. A loop shaped knife called a curette is used to take off the parts of the fetus out of the uterus.
- Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) – If the pregnancy continues till the second trimester the D & E procedure needs to be carried out. The fetus is now double the original size between the 13 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, the body of the fetus cannot be broken down with the help of suction methods. Here the cervix is opened quite wide and a laminaria is inserted two days before the abortion. When the cervix opens to the required width, the doctor pulls out the fetal parts using a force and the fetus skull is crushed to ease removal.
Abortion not only ends pregnancy but also pose serious long term physical and emotional risks. Generally there are no complications in a normal abortion. In case of early abortions there are 1 percent chances of complications and in later abortions the risk rate is 2 percent. The various complexities associated with abortions are –
- Heavy Bleeding – At times a uterine artery may erupt and cause a hemorrhage causing an alarm, otherwise bleeding after an abortion is normal.
- Infection – A major concern during an abortion is that the chances of the uterus catching a bacterial infection. A severe infection results in high fever persistent over several days.
- Allergic reaction to drugs – At times the patient may have allergy to the anesthesia used during the surgery. This may result in convulsion, heart attack or even death.
- Incomplete abortion – At times while carrying out the RU486 method of abortion there are chances that some fetal parts are left inside only resulting in bacteria and infection.
- Instrument Complications – Another danger is that abortion instruments may leave a life long scarring of the uterine lining and may also end up cutting the cervix.
- Perforation of the Uterus – When the pregnancy is of longer duration, there are chances that the abortion instruments may puncture or tear the uterus. When this happens, then there is the risk of damage in other internal organs like bladder or bowels also occur.
- Death- In a very extreme and unlucky case, due to all these complications or some of them happening at the same time, the patient may never recover and die. But such cases are very rare.
- Breast Cancer – Abortions increase the risk of Breast Cancer. It has been concluded after some research that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer because abortion causes a sudden drop in the estrogen level. This makes the breast cells more prone to cancer.
- Difficulty in conception – Any kind of physical injury during an abortion may prevent or make a future pregnancy difficult. Also women who have had their first pregnancies aborted face a greater chance of miscarriages the next time.