Induced Abortion: Facts You Need To Know

A procedure to end a pregnancy undertaken by a woman with the help of medical system is called an induced abortion. An abortion which occurs spontaneously, without any external influences is called a miscarriage. With regards to induced abortion, the termination of the pregnancy is a voluntary decision on the part of a mother. The history of induced abortion can be traced to the olden times, where a large number of methods including sharpened tools, physical trauma, herbal remedies and traditional medicines were utilized to induce abortion.

In the contemporary world, induced abortions are undertaken with the aid of medications and surgical procedures. The status of induced abortion varies around the world in terms of legality, culture and religious positions. But most women are not really clear about the facts regarding induced abortions. Before opting for an induced abortion, let us look at some facts that you need to know.

1. There are a number of ways to terminate a pregnancy, but they vary according to the gestational age of the embryo or fetus, as their size increases as the pregnancy progresses. Induced abortion techniques vary, meaning different methods of induced abortions are used during different trimesters in the pregnancy.

2. Virtually a half of all the induced abortions that take place worldwide are unsafe. Almost all unsafe induced abortions (98 percent) occur in developing countries. In the developing world, 56 percent of all induced abortions are found to be unsafe, compared with just 6% percent of induced abortions in the developed world.

3. It has been found that in places where induced abortion is permitted on wide-ranging legal grounds, it is generally considered
safe. But in places where induced abortions are highly restricted, it is normally unsafe. In developing countries, comparatively liberal abortion laws are associated with lesser negative health consequences from unsafe abortion which is not the case with countries having highly restrictive laws.

4. The patterns of inducing an abortion have shifted from traditional, unsafe methods to medical abortion which offers a higher degree of protection to the mother, resulting in a decline in the maternal mortality rates.

5. In the first trimester, some of the most common methods of induced abortions are suction aspirations, dilatation and curettage, dilatation and evacuation, methotrexate or RU 486.

6. The methods of inducing abortion in the second and third trimesters entail the injection of drugs or chemicals through the abdomen or cervix into the amniotic sac. This causes the death of the child and his or her expulsion from the uterus.

7. Some of the methods for induced abortions during the second and third trimesters are salt poisoning, urea, prostaglandins, partial birth abortion and hysterotomy.

8. Although painkillers are used during abortions, 97 percent of the women who have undergone an induced abortion have complained of feeling the pain. One third of these women have complained of intense or severe pain while undergoing the abortion.

9. Complication such as bleeding, hemorrhage, tearing of the cervix, menstrual disorders, inflammation of the reproductive organs, bladder or bowel puncture, and serious infection are a common side effects of induced abortions.

10. Induced abortions result in harmful long term complications like damaging the lining of the uterus which results in infertility. Strong evidence is also present which links induced abortion with breast cancer.

11. There is a higher chance of death, which is dependent on the duration of the pregnancy and the complexity of the abortion techniques which were used. An induced abortion undertaken in the first trimester is much safer than an induced abortion in the second or third trimester.