All about Abortion
What is Abortion?
Abortion known is a process where pregnancy is ended using medication and sometimes through surgery with the approval of the pregnant woman. The medicines referred by the doctor should be either taken orally or through the vagina. Most abortions are done before thirteen weeks or else it’s difficult to abort a fetus because it starts developing body parts. So, if you want an abortion as soon as you do it, it’s better.
What are the Types of Abortion?
There are two types of abortion including:
Medical abortions: This type of abortion is carried out when the duration of pregnancy is nine weeks or less. The doctor will provide two medicines which should be taken over a period of forty-eight hours. Before taking the medicines make sure that you are taking them only after consulting with a doctor and the doctor prescribed them. Specific instructions will be prescribed about when and how to take them and you have to follow the instructions religiously.
Surgical abortions: Surgical abortion is done when abortion is not possible through medicines and here a surgeon removes the embryo from the uterus through surgery. During the surgery you will be given mild sedation, local anesthesia to numb a particular area, or general anesthesia to get you fully asleep. These things are given because during surgery you won’t feel pain.
What are the Symptoms of Abortion?
The general symptoms of abortion are:
- Bleeding in vagina
- Pain or cramp in the lower abdomen.
- Tissue and some type of fluid will pass through the vagina
- Feeling sick and tenderness in the breast.
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Chills
- In some cases, diarrhea can also happen
What are the Causes of Abortion?
Abortion and miscarriage are two different things where in a miscarriage the concerned woman wants the child but due to some reason, there is a sudden loss of pregnancy mostly before the 20th week of pregnancy which can happen because of various reasons such as an accident, or intrauterine fetal demise where the embryo is formed but its developing stops and dies, etc.
Abortion is different from miscarriage where a pregnant woman does not want a baby and there can be various reasons behind this such it’s unplanned, unprotected sex, the concerned woman is not married and because of stigmas attached to pregnancy before marriage one may opt for abortion, a couple is not ready to start a family, etc.
What are the Risk Factors of Abortion?
- Abortion is a critical situation and affects a woman a lot, both physically and mentally. Some risk factors of abortion include:
- Abortion is incomplete.
- Non-stop vaginal bleeding
- Chances of an infection increase.
- Mild to severe fever.
- Allergy because of medicines
- Diarrhea
- Pain in the digestive area
What are the Complications of Abortion?
Complications of abortion depend on the type of abortion the doctor prescribed you.
Some general complications of medical abortion include:
- After taking the second pill vaginal bleeding and cramping will happen
- Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
A few complications of surgical abortion are:
- Hemorrhage means heavy bleeding as same as periods that can be treated through suction curettage of the uterus.
- Infection
- Cervix injury
- Harm in a few parts of the reproductive system especially the uterus
There is no worry about you being able to get pregnant after an abortion. Once your ovulation cycle starts, you can get pregnant again whenever you want until there is some critical complication such as removal of the uterus but it’s very rare, and getting pregnant again after an abortion is very normal.
How Abortion is Diagnosed?
Diagnosing a pregnancy is very simple as there are many kits available in medical shops which can detect pregnancy.
Before going for an abortion your doctor may recommend you some tests for evaluating your condition such as:
- Confirming your pregnancy followed by a physical exam
- Ultrasound is used to see the pregnancy and the development of the embryo.
- Check the period of pregnancy and detect whether it’s normal pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy. ( The fertilized egg is developed outside of the uterus)
What are the Treatment Options Available for Abortion?
Abortion itself is an end process so there are no treatment options but you have to recover fully after an abortion to start your normal life as it was before you got pregnant and the abortion. In some cases, you can fully be recovered and sometimes it takes a few weeks. You should go for follow-up appointments with your doctor because there can be some complications after an abortion. During these follow-up meetings, your doctor may make you go through a pelvic exam to assure that your vulva, vagina, cervix, ovaries, uterus, pelvis, and rectum are functioning properly, check if you have any infection, discussing things like for how long the bleeding continued, examining your uterus to detect it’s functioning properly, and may also advise you about what contraceptives you should take to avoid unwanted pregnancy in future.
Living with Abortion
There are lots of stigmas attached to pre-marriage pregnancy in our society, so many women who got pregnant before marriage go for abortion to avoid social shaming and also because it was an unwanted pregnancy. After having an abortion you shall do many physical activities and give yourself some time to get recovered to avoid pain. Along with physical pain, you may face some emotions also such as depression, anxiety, sadness, guilt, stress, etc. You can meet a psychiatrist and tell him about your feelings. Follow his pieces of advice and you will feel better. Share your Sharing your feelings with your close friends and family members who were supportive of your decision.
Whom to Consult?
If you notice that your period cycle is not normal then go for a self-pregnancy test. In case you are pregnant and You don’t want to then meet a doctor to discuss your issue. Going for an abortion is a very private thing and your doctor will guide you about what to do next.
