Physical Risks Of Abortion

Before you continue please read my "First things first, what is abortion?" post where I explain in detail about each type of abortion to provide a better understanding of the following.
Now, just like every medical procedure there are risks, mental and physical; and todays topic is of physical risks associated with each type of abortion.

Most Common Physical Risks Associated With Abortion

Medical Abortion

Medical abortion or the abortion pill, often causes severe pain and sometimes opiates are prescribed to relieve pain. Another very common physical side affect is uterine bleeding, women often must wear a pad or liner for sometimes up to six weeks due to the amount of blood flow. Allergic reactions may also occur.

Suction Aspiration Abortion

Though a local anesthetic is used some woman do experience pain during the procedure, the pain has been compared to the same pain intensity as a bone fracture. Bleeding is also a result due to the use of the curette that scrapes the inside of the uterus for any left over body parts of the fetus. Infertility is common in cases where the curette is overused or used to roughly thus scarring the uterus. 

Salt Poisoning (Saline Abortion)

After the injection a woman may develop a condition known as consumption coagulopathy, where she may experience blood clotting all over her body. In the event that the solution enters the blood stream, seizure, coma, or death could also be a possible result.

Prostaglandin Abortion

Due to the violent nature of this method cervical trauma is common. Infection is also possible along with hemorrhage caused by severe contraction of the muscles.

Now, you may have noticed the descriptions were very short but, that is because I tried to only state the risks without getting into the actual procedure which I have already posted here. 

Also, please remember my goal here is not to scare anyone. These types of things can be scary, but I am only trying to provide a resource.        

Thank you for reading!

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

            http://www.optionline.org
            http://www.prochoice.org
            http://www.nrlc.org

First things first, what is abortion?

Now, what is abortion?

A word that is either said with pride, regret or even anger. A touchy word for a lot of people but, a word to be shouted for others. But what is the definition of the word abortion? That is what I am here to tell you but, also of the procedure that is done to provide the abortion, due to the fact there is no abortion without the procedure, correct? We will start with the definition, taken from different sources on the internet and hand held dictionaries. 

The definition. 

From Dictionary.com:

a·bor·tion

  

noun

1.

Also called voluntary abortion. the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.

2.

any of various surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy, especially during the first six months.

3.

Also called spontaneous abortion. miscarriage.

4.

an immature and nonviable fetus.

5.

abortus

Websters dictionary states the definition of abortion as follows: 
1. the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus: as
A. spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation
B. induced expulsion of a human fetus
C. expulsion of a fetus by a domestic animal often due to infection at any time before completion of pregnancy
2. monstrosity
3. arrest of development (as of a part or process) resulting in imperfection; also : a result of such arrest

Now What Is The Procedure of Abortion?

There are several procedures of abortions, most depend on the term the pregnancy is in at the time. All result in the removal of the fetus, and ultimately its death. 

Medical Abortion

Usually done in the early stages of pregnancy, medical abortion is the use of medications also known as the abortion pill, to terminate a pregnancy. The pills work by blocking the hormone progesterone, which in doing so causes the lining in the uterus to break down, thus rendering the uterus incapable of continuing the pregnancy. Often times more than one pill is required to stop the pregnancy. The next medication required in a medical abortion is misoprostol. This medication is placed inside the vagina and causes the womb to contract, causing cramping and bleeding such as in a miscarriage. A second doctor appointment is often recommended to make sure the pregnancy has ended. Serious birth defects can follow a insufficient medical abortion, so in the event of a failure a surgical abortion would then be recommended.

Suction Aspiration Abortion

Common in the first trimester, suction aspiration is a procedure that a plastic tube is inserted inside a woman's uterus. The tube is connected to a vacuum pump that is about 30 times more powerful than your household vacuum cleaner. In some cases once the tube is in place, if the fetus is small enough it can be dislodged from the uterus and sucked up all in one piece from the womb. In other cases, forceps are inserted along with the tube to dislodge the baby and tear it into pieces for easier suction. A curette, which is a hook shaped knife, is then used to scrape the uterus for any remaining parts of the fetus. 

Salt Poisoning (Saline Abortion) 

This method of abortion is used after the 16th week of pregnancy (there has been cases as late as 7 months), where a saline injection is introduced into a woman's womb to kill the unborn baby. The saline is taken in by the fetus and burns them from the inside out. The fetus is usually dead within an hour, and is then given birth to within 24 hours.  

Prostaglandin Chemical Abortion 

A series of chemicals are injected into the womb, and prostaglandin in inserted into the vagina to create intense and violent contractions with the goal of crushing the unborn child, and sometimes even decapitating it. This often involves pain for the woman, and is not a preferred method among women and abortionists alike. 

Other Practices of Abortion Procedures

Often times if a baby is born still alive even after attempts to abort it, the abortionist either throws the baby away, suffocates or cuts the child to finish the abortion. 

Now that I have provided you a factual description of abortion, please take a look at "Physical Risks of Abortion".