Effects Of Abortion

An abortion will affect women differently, depending on how far along she is at the time of abortion, her lifestyle choices (women who smoke heavily may not be able to have a medical abortion) or what informed her decision to terminate the pregnancy in the first place. The effects of abortion also depend on the kind of abortion a woman is advised by a health care provider to have. There are two abortions, medical and in-clinic. One requires the use of medicine and the other is a surgical procedure.

Abortion will not usually affect a woman's future fertility although the Mayo Clinic does mention the possible risk of damaging the uterus. Menstruation is expected to start about a month or a month and a half after the abortion. Medical abortions are also not known to affect future pregnancies. In a medical abortion, the Mayo Clinic website lists the following as possible side-effects of the abortion pill: vaginal bleeding, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, diarrhea. There are also emotional effects of abortion to keep in mind. A woman may grieve the loss of the pregnancy, she may feel guilty for being relieved, she may be angry at the circumstances and she may need to speak with a counselor about her emotions after an abortion.

An in-clinic, surgical abortion requires the physical removal of the fetus from a uterus. This is the abortion option for women who waited longer to get an abortion and may be in their second trimester. Possible risks include scarring in the uterus or a weakening of a woman's cervix, according to an article by Dr. Roger W. Harms, an obstetrician at the Mayo Clinic.