Are you thinking about abortion?
Abortion providers talk about how easy abortion is, but you never hear about the side effects and potential risks. Abortion is a serious medical decision and should be discussed with a medical professional. Get the facts before you make your appointment. You owe it to yourself to make an informed decision.
What Do You Know About Your Pregnancy?
Did you know a positive pregnancy test isn’t all there is to know about your pregnancy? If you’re considering abortion, you’ve got more to learn.
The Mayo Clinic says up to 20% of known pregnancies end in a natural miscarriage. Miscarriages generally happen early in pregnancy, sometimes before a woman even knows she’s pregnant. If you’ve had a miscarriage, there’s no need to make an appointment with the abortion clinic.
Because your body needs time after a miscarriage to realize you’re no longer pregnant, you could get a false-positive test result. A positive result on a pregnancy test should be verified. The best way to confirm if you’re still pregnant or you’ve miscarried is with an ultrasound. The CPC offers free limited ultrasounds. It’s important to call for an appointment first.
What Are The Side Effects and Potential Risks?
There are two basic types of abortion, medical and surgical. Any form of abortion is a major decision with not only the potential for physical problems, but also for emotional and psychological consequences. It’s important to understand the procedures completely.
Medical Abortion
If you’ve been pregnant for 10 weeks or less, you qualify for medical abortion (RU-486). The abortion pill is a method of medical abortion. You take two powerful drugs over a 24-48 hour period. The first drug blocks the hormone progesterone, causing the lining of the uterus to thin and preventing the fetus from staying implanted and growing. The second drug causes the uterus to contract and expel the fetus.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these are the potential complications you could experience:
- Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
- An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
Surgical Abortion
Once your pregnancy goes past 10 weeks, you’ll need to have a surgical abortion. There are various methods depending on how far along your pregnancy is. The first method involves Dilation and Curettage (D & C). Your cervix is dilated (opened), and a spoon-shaped instrument with a sharp edge or a suction device is inserted to remove uterine tissue.
These are the potential risks of this type of surgical abortion:
- Perforation of the uterus
- Damage to the cervix
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall
- Infection
- Prolonged bleeding and cramping
The farther along your pregnancy is, the more invasive the procedures become, making the risks greater as well.
What’s Next?
As you can see, there’s a lot to know before you make a decision, and we’re here to help you every step of the way. At the CPC, we offer services that give you the information you need about your pregnancy before you make an abortion appointment. Schedule an appointment with us for medical services, options consultations, and medically accurate information about abortion.