What is an abortion?

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy and can be induced or spontaneous (miscarriage).  There two types of induced abortion: medical and surgical.

What are some of the possible side effects of abortion?

• Cramping of the uterus or pelvic pain
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Emotional or psychological distress
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Nausea
• Vomiting  

What are the risks of abortion?

The risks for any anesthesia are:

• Allergic reactions to medications
• Problems breathing

The risks for any surgery are:

• Hemorrhaging (bleeding)
• Infection

Additional risks of surgical abortion include:

• Excessive bleeding
• Infection of the uterus
• Infection of the fallopian tubes (which can cause scarring and cause infertility)
• Puncture (perforation) of the uterus
• Scarring of the uterine lining (suction tubing, curettes, and other abortion instruments may cause permanent scarring of the uterine lining)
• Damage to the cervix (creating complications with future pregnancies)
• Death, in rare circumstances

Other risks include:

• Hemorrhaging requiring treatment with an operation
• Incomplete removal of the fetus, placenta or contents of the uterus; death.

In cases when a medical abortion fails to terminate the pregnancy, a surgical abortion will become necessary to complete the abortion

The information on this page is provided for educational purposes only.

RealOptions provides peer counsel and accurate information on all pregnancy options; however we do not provide or refer for abortions.