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Benefits, Risks & Alternatives

[Picture of flowers] Benefits

An early abortion is a very safe, simple procedure. Abortion is generally considered to be 10 times safer physically, than carrying a pregnancy to term.

Terminating a pregnancy early allows a woman to resume her normal routine quickly. If she decides that the time is not right due to circumstances in her life, she can postpone a pregnancy until she reaches a more suitable period in her life.

Risks

Abortion is considered minor surgery, and like any surgery there are risks involved. Complications very rarely occur, but if they should occur, please call our office immediately before going to an ER or a medical clinic:

  • Bleeding: Bleeding after an abortion is different for every woman. It can range from none to heavy. It can last from 2 days to six weeks. It may start and stop and go from light to heavy several times. Your bleeding may not even start for several days. You may pass clots that can range in size from a dime to the size of your fist. The clotting will usually stop in four to six days.

  • Infection: Infection can occur when bacteria are present in the vagina or uterus. The rate of infection is very low, but occurs in 1.5% of patients. There should be nothing in your vagina until you have had your follow up exam. This includes tampons, douching, tub baths, swimming and especially sexual intercourse. Anything that can get in your vagina can get into your uterus and cause an infection. You will be given a package of antibiotics to help prevent infections. Please take all this medication until it is completely gone, no matter how good you feel.

  • Laceration of the Cervix: This occurs when an instrument causes a tear, and may require suturing. It is very rare.

  • Perforation of the Uterus: This is also very rare and occurs in only about 1 in every 100,000 patients. It is simply a small hole in your uterus that usually heals itself. 98% of patients with this complication require nothing more than 24 hours of observation.

  • Incomplete Abortion: This occurs when the procedure fails to remove all the tissue of pregnancy. It occurs in about 1 in every 700-800 cases. A follow up exam 4 weeks after the procedure is necessary to make sure you are back to normal. A pregnancy test is part of this exam to be sure the pregnancy was terminated. The only treatment for an incomplete abortion is to repeat the procedure. Of course, this would be done at no additional charge to you.

  • Death: This is extremely rare. Less than 1 woman per 200,000 die due to an abortion. By comparison, about 8 women per every 100,000 live births in this country die each year. Therefore, abortion is considered a very safe procedure.

Alternatives

There are alternatives to ending your pregnancy. You may choose to continue it to term, give birth and then decide to become a parent or to give the infant up for adoption. Continuing the pregnancy has both medical and mental risks that are proven to be greater than those associated with abortion. Every woman needs to carefully consider her options before proceeding with an abortion.
 
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