What is abortion?
Abortion is when a pregnancy is ended so that it doesn’t result in the birth of a child. Sometimes it is called ‘termination of pregnancy’.
Our Clinic cares for women with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.We treat hunderds of women who’ve decided that abortion is the right choice for them, and give advice and counselling to women who don’t know what to do next.
There are two types of abortion treatment, ‘Medical’ and ‘Surgical’ abortion:
Medical abortion: The abortion pill
Some women feel that a medical abortion is a more natural process. There are two types of medical abortion
Abortion pill (also known as early medical abortion) up to 10 weeks
• Involves taking medication to cause an early miscarriage (women experience cramping, pain and heavy bleeding).
• No surgery or anaesthetic.
Abortion pills
Medical Abortion
Before you have any elective procedure it’s important to know the potential impacts it could have on your body and future health. Here we’ve compiled the latest research on the impacts of abortion.
Risks and side effects vary by the type of procedure and how far along you are. If you’re pregnant, Clinic Vital can help you determine
Common Side Effects
Most women experience some of the following after an abortion:
• Bleeding – on average bleeding lasts 7 days, but can last as long as 14 days.
• Cramping
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Nausea/Vomiting
These symptoms typically resolve within a week, sometimes longer.
Immediate Complications
• Damage to the womb or cervix
• Excessive bleeding
• Incomplete abortion, requiring a (additional) surgical abortion procedure
• Infection of the uterus or fallopian tubes
• Scarring of the inside of the uterus
• Sepsis or Septic shock
• Uterine perforation
Future Health Risks
Future Pre-term Deliveries
• Abortion causes a weakening of the cervix, which increases a woman’s risk of future pre-term deliveries. Two recently-published studies indicate that one induced abortion increases the risk of a subsequent preterm birth by between 20% and 25%. After two or more abortions a woman’s risk of preterm birth increases by between 50% and 60%.
• Premature births carry serious health risks for the baby. Infants who are born before 37 weeks gestational age have a much lower chance of living to adulthood. Those that do survive have significant risk of serious disabilities, including cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, psychological development disorders and autism.
exactly what kind of abortion procedure you could be eligible for, and discuss the specific risks and side effects associated with that procedure.
