A medical abortion (also called the “abortion pill”) involves taking two different drugs to terminate your pregnancy. Meanwhile, a surgical abortion is a procedure that involves dilating the cervix so that medical instruments can enter the uterus to remove the pregnancy.
If you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy and thinking about having an abortion, it’s important to learn all you can to ensure you make a safe, confidential decision for yourself.
Medical Abortion
Medical abortion involves taking two powerful drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, and it’s only FDA-approved if your pregnancy is ten weeks gestation or less.
Mifepristone blocks progesterone. Without this essential pregnancy hormone, your uterine lining will thin, causing your pregnancy to detach and eventually end.
Misoprostol is taken next, and it causes your uterus to contract, expelling your pregnancy from your uterus and out through your vagina.
Risks of Medical Abortion
After taking the medical abortion drugs, you will experience vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping. Some women report that the pain they experience is unexpectedly severe.
However, you might also experience a risk, which, although rare, can be life-threatening and include:
- Incomplete abortion, which happens when parts of the terminated pregnancy remain in your uterus
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
Surgical Abortion
Surgical abortion is performed in a clinic or hospital setting, and it involves dilating your cervix so that medical instruments (like scraping tools, suction, and forceps) can enter your uterus to remove your pregnancy.
Risks of Surgical Abortion
One of the most serious risks of surgical abortion is uterine perforation, which is when one of the surgical instruments pokes a hole in your uterus. Other risks include:
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall (which can lead to painful periods and future infertility)
- Damage to the cervix
- Infection
Next Steps
Before making a pregnancy decision, it’s essential to learn all you can about your options and ensure all your questions have been answered. At First Choice Women’s Center, we’re here to help you through this.
Contact us today to schedule your free, confidential appointment. You’re not alone in this. We’re here for you.