Abortion - Treatment, Procedure And Side Effects

When a pregnancy is deliberately eliminated at an early stage it is known an abortion. On occasion an abortion may take pace by itself, that is, naturally. In this case, it is called a miscarriage, also known as spontaneous abortion. Abortion is a type of service offered to women who do not want to go ahead with their pregnancy. In this case, they may end their pregnancy either through medication or surgery.

If you think you are pregnant or have confirmed your pregnancy through a home test, make sure to consult a doctor immediately. If you want to eliminate the pregnancy, it is best to do it during the early stages of pregnancy. Thus, make sure to discuss all your options with a doctor. Early termination of pregnancy also reduces the risks involved.

Terminating a pregnancy is a big decision and one that is very difficult to make. Thus, it should be carefully considered. In the case of any type of confusion, counselling may be opted for. One can either speak to their doctor about the implications of an abortion or discuss it with a close family member or friend. Only after serious thought should an abortion be considered.

These are the types of abortion procedure:

1. Early non-surgical abortion (medical): Time 2-10 weeks of pregnancy.
2. Vacuum aspiration: Time 2-12 weeks of pregnancy.
3. Dilation and Evacuation: Time 13-21/22 weeks of pregnancy.
4. Induction Abortion: Time 13-21/22 weeks of pregnancy.
5. Labor induction: Time 22 to 29 weeks of pregnancy.
6. Hysterotomy (similar to C-section) Abortion: Time 22 to 38 weeks of pregnancy.

Here is the process of abortion and how it is done:

• Early non-surgical abortion:

  This abortion is performed in the 2-10 weeks of pregnancy and is based on the medical process. In this process, the drug is prescribed so as to stop the process of pregnancy. With the consumption of this drug, there may be crampings, bleeding or pelvic pain, clotting and often women pass the unborn child within a few hours.

• Vacuum aspiration:

  This abortion is performed in 2-12 weeks of pregnancy. In this near or in the cervix local anesthetic is injected thus helping in stretching over of the cervix to insert a tube into it. After this, the unborn child and the placenta is suctioned out through the tube. Though the process gets completed here sometimes after this procedure the walls of the uterus are scraped to make sure that the unborn child and placenta are washed out.

• Dilation and evacuation:

  This Abortion process is performed in the 13-21/22 weeks of pregnancy. In this, a sponge-like material is placed in the cervix of the woman thus helping to open the cervix slowly. She is given medication in order to cure the pain and prevent infection. The mother and the child are given general anesthesia. After which with the help of suction curettage and forceps, the unborn child and placenta are removed from the womb. At times dismembering the child is necessary.

• Induction abortion:

  This Abortion procedure is performed in 13-21/22 weeks of pregnancy. During this process, you may require to go to the hospital and the mother is given drugs in order to terminate the pregnancy thus beginning the labor which usually starts in 2-4 hours. In this procedure, the placenta cannot be removed completely during the labor and the cervix is kept open for the doctor to perform suction curettage.

• Labor induction:

  This Abortion procedure is performed in 22-29 weeks of pregnancy. During this process, you may require to go to the hospital and the mother is given drugs in order to terminate the pregnancy thus beginning the labor which usually starts in 2-4 hours. In this Abortion procedure, the placenta cannot be removed completely during the labor and the cervix is kept open for the doctor to perform suction curettage. But in this abortion, it is possible that the child is delivered alive and if this happens then the baby will be taken care of by the doctors.

• Hysterotomy (similar to C-section):

  This Abortion procedure is performed in the 22-38 weeks of pregnancy and needs clinical setting. Mostly it is done when there are no possibilities left or labor induction or it is failed. In this Abortion process, the unborn child is removed by cutting the abdomen and uterus and after the removal, the unborn child is killed.

Abortion is a method of terminating the pregnancy through medical ways. It may be painful but the extent of the pain varies depending upon the type of abortion a woman undergoes. Basically, there are three types of abortion procedures:

• Medical abortions
• Vacuum aspiration
• Dilation and evacuation

In the case of medical abortions, abortion pills are prescribed to terminate the pregnancy. Some women face heavy periods or cramps during this while some may experience intense cramping. The second one i.e vacuum aspiration method involves surgical removal of fetal mass using gentle suction.

Pain relief medications are used in this procedure, hence it does not hurt. Mild to moderate cramping for a few days may be experienced in such an abortion method. The last one i.e Dilation and evacuation method is recommended to be used in cases where the woman has crossed thirteen weeks of pregnancy.

This is done under general anesthesia, hence no pain is felt during the procedure. However, after that, the woman may feel some cramps or bleed for one to two days.

Summary: The amount of pain that a woman may experience during abortion mainly depends upon the type of abortion procedure. The pain may be mild to moderate in some cases while it may also be severe in certain cases.

While both the medical and surgical abortion procedures are quite safe, every procedure and treatment does involve some risks. Abortion risks include -

• Development of infection in the womb.
• Excessive bleeding may result after termination
• The cervix may be damaged
• The womb may be damaged

Abortion is safest if it is done at the earliest. In the case of any complications, a doctor should be consulted immediately and relevant treatment should be opted for. Opting for an abortion does not reduce the chance of a future pregnancy.

The abortion procedure takes about two days to complete and the recovery period may take about 2 weeks depending on complications.

In India, an abortion may cost from Rs 5000- to Rs 30,000 depending on the kind of procedure that is undergone.

Yes, the results of the treatment are permanent

An alternative way of abortion includes the use of herbs to trigger a miscarriage. This is known as herbal abortion. Although not entirely an alternative to abortion, having the baby and giving it up for adoption may also be considered.