Reviewing your pregnancy options can create uncertainty, especially if you don’t know much information about options like abortion. Understanding what could happen after an abortion procedure and exploring adoption and parenting are important.
Every woman will react differently to an abortion procedure. Some may also experience varying emotional effects like depression, anxiety, or even relief. But there are side effects that will likely occur, as well as risks to consider.
Will I Be in Pain After the Procedure?
How much discomfort you experience depends on your pain level. Prepare yourself by learning the facts about both methods.
With a medical abortion, you take mifepristone and misoprostol, which block progesterone and cause uterine contractions that expel the pregnancy tissue. This method is FDA-approved for pregnancies through ten weeks. If you have a medical abortion, you will experience abdominal cramping and vaginal bleeding.
Some women experience risks of it, including:
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- An ongoing pregnancy (if the abortion doesn’t work)
- Incomplete abortion (which may need to be surgically treated)
If you are farther along, you may need to have a surgical abortion procedure. This method uses medication, surgical instruments, or suctioning to remove the pregnancy from the uterus.
This also causes vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping, but the risks are quite severe:
- Uterine perforation
- Infection
- Damage to the cervix
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall
Protecting Yourself Before Abortion
Regardless of your pregnancy decision, you’ll want an obstetric ultrasound. Women’s Resource Center of Hancock County provides free, confidential, limited ultrasounds to determine viability, gestational age, and location of the pregnancy. Knowing these details will help you sort through your options and identify whether you have any medical needs that need treatment.
We’ll also help you review your pregnancy options and answer any questions. You deserve to receive the facts in a trustworthy, nonjudgmental environment.
We Are Here to Support You
Contact us today to make an appointment. An unexpected pregnancy doesn’t mean you need to go through this alone. We’re here to help.