Abortion: What To Think About
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What to Think About
If you have had unprotected sex in the last 5 days and don't want to become pregnant, see a doctor about emergency contraception in the form of hormone pills (Plan B, also referred to as the morning-after pill). If you have had unprotected sex in the past 5 to 7 days, you may be able to use a copper intrauterine device (IUD) for emergency contraception. This will also work for long-term birth control.
Your abortion options are affected by your medical history, how many weeks pregnant you are, and what options are available in your region. Not all medical or surgical choices for an abortion are available in all parts of the United States or around the world. In the U.S., individual states have restrictions on abortion, such as requiring a waiting period, requiring parental consent for young women under a certain age, or limiting options for pregnancies between 13 and 24 weeks (second trimester).
The following table lists some of the differences between the most commonly used medical and surgical abortion procedures.
| Medical abortion | Surgical abortion |
|---|---|
Usually prevents a need for surgical treatment | Is invasive and/or surgical:
|
Can only be used during early pregnancy (up to 9 weeks) | Can be used from early to mid-pregnancy:
|
Takes 2 or more medical visits over 3 weeks | Usually takes 1 visit |
Takes days to weeks to complete (most of the abortion process happens gradually, at home) | Is complete in the time it takes for the procedure |
Does not require anesthesia or sedative | Does not require general anesthesia (though it can be used). Local anesthesia, with or without a calming sedative is usually used. |
Has a high success rate (about 95%) | Has a high success rate (about 99%) |
Causes moderate to heavy bleeding for a short time | Causes light bleeding in most cases |
Needs medical follow-up to make sure pregnancy has ended and to check woman's health | Does not always need medical follow-up |
Is a multi-step process | Is a single-step process |
In extremely rare cases, leads to severe infection and death (about 1 in 100,000), slightly higher rate than after surgical | In extremely rare cases, leads to death (less than 1 in 100,000) |
Pain associated with a medical or surgical abortion ranges from mild to severe and depends on each woman's physical and emotional condition.
Some fetal birth defects or medical problems are not commonly diagnosed until the second trimester, when most routine screening tests are done. There are fewer abortion options during the second trimester.
Right after surgery, you will be taken to a recovery area where nurses will care for and observe you. You will probably stay in the recovery area for a period of time and then you will go home. In addition to any special instructions from your doctor, your nurse will explain information to help you in your recovery. You will go home with a page of care instructions including who to contact if a problem arises.
Abortion and breast cancer
Research suggests that the hormonal changes during pregnancy may be protective and reduce the risk of breast cancer. In the past, there has been concern that an abortion might interrupt these protective hormonal changes and possibly increase the risk of breast cancer. But more recent, carefully done studies have led experts to conclude that there is no link between having an abortion and breast cancer.6
| Last updated: | September 29, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Healthwise Medical Writer |
| Reviewed By: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine, Rebecca H. Allen, MD, MPH - Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| Editors: | Healthwise Content Area Manager, Healthwise Associate Editor |
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