There are two main types of abortion: medical (also known as the “abortion pill”) and surgical.
If you’re considering abortion, it’s critical to learn all you can to protect your health.
How Does Abortion Work?
Abortion is the process of terminating a pregnancy and removing it from your uterus, but this is done differently in medical and surgical procedures.
Medical Abortion
Medical abortion involves taking two powerful drugs at home. (Sometimes, you might take mifepristone in the abortion clinic and then be sent home.)
The first drug, mifepristone, works by blocking progesterone. This hormone is necessary for pregnancy; without it, your uterine lining will loosen, and the pregnancy will end.
The second drug, misoprostol, causes your uterus to contract and expel the pregnancy from your uterus and through your vagina.
The abortion drugs are only FDA-approved if your pregnancy is 10 weeks gestation or under. If you take the drugs and your pregnancy is later, you’re at a greater risk of experiencing complications, like incomplete abortion—which is when parts of the pregnancy remain in your uterus, and it can lead to a potentially life-threatening infection.
Surgical Abortion
Abortion providers perform surgical abortions in a clinical setting. The process involves dilating (opening) the cervix so that medical instruments—like scraping tools and strong suction—can terminate the pregnancy and remove it from the uterus. (Later in pregnancy, forceps are used to remove larger parts of the pregnancy.)
Potential risks associated with surgical abortion include:
- Uterine perforation (which is when the surgical instruments poke a hole in the uterus)
- Uterine scarring (which can lead to painful periods or future infertility)
- Cervical damage
- Infection
How to Protect Your Health
Before seeking an abortion, it’s essential to get an ultrasound. This simple scan can help protect your health by giving you the vital information you need to know about your pregnancy—no matter what pregnancy decision you’re considering.
At Beginnings Care for Life Center, we offer free, limited ultrasounds, because we believe that you deserve to have all the information you need to make an informed decision. Before seeking an abortion, contact us to schedule your free ultrasound appointment.
*Source: Mayo Clinic
