What Are the Risks of Abortion?

If you are considering abortion after recently finding out that you’re pregnant, the facts matter, and so do the risks. Your health and safety come first in your pregnancy journey.

Medical and surgical abortion

A medical abortion (opens in a new tab) procedure uses two different drugs to terminate a pregnancy. A surgical abortion is when an abortion provider ends the pregnancy by removing it from the body through surgical intervention.

Medical abortion risks

According to the Mayo Clinic (opens in a new tab), possible risks of medical abortions include the following:

• Incomplete abortion (opens in a new tab), which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
• An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
• Heavy and prolonged bleeding
• Infection
• Fever
• Digestive system discomfort

Surgical abortion risks

Kaiser Permanente (opens in a new tab) notes risks of surgical abortions include:

• Injury to the uterine lining or cervix
• A hole in the wall of the uterus (uterine perforation)
• Infection. Bacteria can enter the uterus during the procedure and cause an infection.
• Moderate to severe bleeding (hemorrhage), which can be caused by:
  • Perforation of the uterus
  • The uterus does not contract (atony)
  • Uterine rupture. In rare cases, a uterine incision scar tears open when a medicine induces contractions

Other rare complications include:

• Tissue remaining in the uterus from conception
• Blood clots

Before an abortion

If you’re considering any abortion procedure, you should first consult with a trusted medical provider or pregnancy resource center.

Talk to a professional to understand all risks, complications, and impacts. Be sure to do the following:

• Have a complete physical exam
• Provide a list of currently used medications
• Communicate any current or past medical conditions/history
• Confirm pregnancy with a quality pregnancy test and ultrasound

All services at The Well Clinic in Jefferson City are free and confidential. Make an appointment and we’ll walk through your options with you.

The Well Clinic does not perform or refer for abortions. We provide accurate information about every option so you can make an informed decision.