Abortion

Abortion Information

• Miscarriage (the spontaneous form), that is generally caused by natural causes or by accidental trauma; however, most miscarriages are caused by abnormal chromosome replication or by environmental factors;
• The induced form, which is deliberately caused by the patient.
• The therapeutic form, that could be performed for various reasons that include: saving the patient’s (woman’s) life, preserving her mental or physical health, selectively reducing the initial number of fetuses (in order to avoid health risks that are triggered by multiple pregnancies), or to terminate a pregnancy that is supposed to result in a baby who is suffering from a fatal congenital medical condition.
• The elective form that is performed for various other motives / reasons.

A patient can intentionally end her pregnancy in various ways that depend mainly on the gestational stage in which the fetus or the embryo is currently in.

Abortion Risks

Ending a pregnancy is much safer if it is performed in the early term of the pregnancy. Almost all procedures are known to carry a small risk of developing severe complications (this potential also depends on the gestational stage of the fetus and / or embryo). This is why we strongly advise each patient who is considering ending an unwanted pregnancy to alert her personal health care provider at once and to discuss the risks of the procedure with an authorized health care specialist.

Your physician will probably want to closely examine you in order to determine the exact term of the pregnancy in which you are. The examination regularly consists of a simple pelvic examination or by an ultrasound scan, which could be combined with taking a sample from your vagina (this is performed in order to check to see if you are suffering from a Chlamydia infection – if you do have this medical condition you will probably not be allowed to go on with ending your pregnancy; furthermore, you and your sexual partner might have to undergo emergency medical treatment). Afterwards, he or she will be able to give you detailed information about the risks that you will be exposed to if you want to terminate your pregnancy. Unsafe methods used to terminate a pregnancy (such as usage of some herbs, medicines or the insertion of non surgical objects into your uterus, in the attempt to end your pregnancy yourself) are extremely dangerous, as they could trigger permanent injury that could lead to death, infertility that is generally caused by various infections and other. Post-Abortion Syndrome is a medical term that is used to describe some mental health changes that are generally observed in the case of patients who undergo Abortion. They include persistent and repeated nightmares, intense feeling of guilt, suicidal behavior, anxiety, lower self esteem, drug abuse, depression and so on.

Abortion Methods

• Usage of an Abortion pill. This is more common among pregnancies that are up to two months old, as they generally consist in the intake of two medical products known as mifepristone and prostaglandin. These medical products ought to be taken in 48 hours apart from each other. Intake of these medicines is known to trigger womb contractions, thus changing its lining. In this way, the embryo is easily lost through the patient’s vagina. However, this medical procedure could cause severe pain. Various patients who have terminated their pregnancies in this way have complained of sickness, diarrhea and vomiting (symptoms that are associated with the intake of these two medical products).
• A surgical termination can end a pregnancy that is up to 4 months old, and it is performed wither under general or local anesthetic. This procedure consists in the insertion of a sterile tube into the patient’s uterus. Then, suction is applied through the tube, and the fetus or the embryo is eliminated. Most female patients who undergo this medical procedure are allowed to go home the same day.
• A medical termination of the pregnancy can be performed in the case of pregnancies that are up to 6 months old. The procedure consists in the intake of two different types of medical products. The first one, mifepristone is generally taken in either at a clinic, or at a hospital (at any authorized medical setting). The female patient must return 48 hours later in order to be given another medical product that is known as prostaglandin (this drug can be administered to the patient either as a vaginal pessary or by mouth). Although this procedure is also known to cause pain, this inconvenience can be easily dealt with generally with the help of pain relievers.  

Throughout history, a number of herbs have been used by women from all over the world, as they were thought to posses abortifacient properties. These herbs are known to include tansy, black cohosh, pennyroyal, and silphium (which are now extinct). However, usage of such herbs is not safe, as it is known to cause severe, sometimes even lethal complications and / or side effects that include multiple organ failure. This procedure is not recommended by doctors.

Medicine-based Abortion requires that a female patient should use two types of medical products within the first couple of weeks of her pregnancy. In one method, the female patient must take a well known drug: mifepristone, that is also called RU-486. This medicine is known to effectively block progesterone, a natural hormone that is vital in maintaining a pregnancy. Approximately 48 hours later, the patient must use another medicine that is known as misoprostol. This medical product belongs to a class of drugs that are called prostaglandin (these medicines are chemicals that tend to copy natural hormones that occur in the human organism). Intake of this medical product triggers uterus contractions, thus expelling the fetus. Another form of medicine combination that is known to trigger Abortion is the intake of misoprostol with methotrexate, a popular anticancer medical product that is known to affect cell division. First of all, the patient is injected methotrexate and approximately 7 days later, she must take in a pill that is known to contain misoprostol, in order to trigger uterine contractions. These drugs that can cause Abortion could also cause some other unpleasant side effects such as cramping, nausea, bleeding, edema, arrhythmia, and pneumonia.