Abortion FAQs: 10 Common Questions About Abortions, Answered

In this article, we’ll answer some common abortion FAQs that we have collected from various places on the internet.

What Is An Abortion?

Abortion is a medical procedure to end an existing pregnancy. You can seek pregnancy termination either through abortion pills or surgery. Medical abortion is possible in the early gestation stage. It is not an option however in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. A surgical abortion involves an invasive process. Surgical tools help to empty the uterus.

Both abortion procedures are safe. The one that will work for you depends on several factors. To understand more about abortion, its types, experiences, effects, etc, we will discuss relevant frequently asked questions.

Abortion FAQs

1. What is a medical abortion?

In a medical abortion, you take a combination of two types of abortion pills (Mifepristone and Misoprostol) if the gestation is up to 63 days or 70 days. You can take the tablets either in the clinic or at home. The experience is like that of an early miscarriage. It takes up to 2 weeks or so to completely get the pregnancy parts out of the uterus.

Also Read: Medical Abortion Myths

2. What is the function of the Mifepristone pill?

The Mifepristone abortion pill is an anti-progesterone composition. The hormone progesterone is responsible to sustain a pregnancy. It prepares the uterine lining and gives it nourishment. The fetus attaches to the uterine lining, in turn, to stay alive.

But when Mifepristone starts to work, the anti-progesterone effect kicks in. The endometrial lining begins to shed. The fetus separates from the uterine lining. It stops developing and perishes in the womb. Gradually the fetus starts to disintegrate due to the lack of sustenance.

3. How to take a Mifepristone pill?

One of the most common abortion FAQs after how to buy Mifepristone online is how to use the Mifepristone pill. Well, here’s the answer.

You need to take one Mifepristone pill of 200mg. Take it orally with water on Day 1 of pregnancy termination. You can either go to a clinic to get a dose. You may even take the pill at home as per the instruction of the healthcare provider.

4. How to take Misoprostol pills?

You can take Misoprostol through the vagina or buccally. But it is safer to use this medication buccally. This is because it accompanies fewer side effects and has a better efficacy rate. You need to take 4 abortion pills at a time. Each pill is of 200mcg strength. The total dosage is 800mcg.

The buccal mode of administration – keep 2 abortion pills at the right cheek pouch. Keep the next two pills in the left cheek pouch. The tablets start to dissolve slowly. It can take 30 minutes or so for the medicines to melt in the cheek pouch. After the medicines melt, consume them without water.

Also Read: Misoprostol FAQs

5. What is the function of a Misoprostol pill?

Before you buy Misoprostol, it is important to understand how this pill functions.

Misoprostol abortion pill is a synthetic prostaglandin. It causes the uterus to constantly contract. So, you will experience uterine contractions and cramping. These contractions push out the pregnancy portions from the uterus. These are then dispelled with the assistance of bleeding from the vagina.

6. What is a surgical abortion?

One of the most common abortion FAQs is related to surgical abortion.

There are two types of surgical abortions – vacuum aspiration, dilation, and evacuation. Both are in-clinic procedures. The former method is for a pregnancy up to 15 weeks. The doctor may give general anesthesia, local anesthesia, or sedation.

The latter method applies to pregnancy between 15 and 24 weeks. The doctor gives general anesthesia here. Here are further details on surgical abortion:

• Vacuum Aspiration: Here, the healthcare provider removes the fetal parts from the uterus by applying gentle suction. The pregnancy parts are collected in the suction apparatus. You can recover quickly from this procedure. You can perhaps leave the hospital on the same day of the surgical process.
• Dilation and Evacuation: The healthcare provider uses narrow forceps. The same is inserted through the cervix into the womb. But before this, the cervix is dilated/ripened a day before the surgery or on the same day.

This is for allowing the instrument to enter easily in the uterus. With the help of the forceps, the doctor pulls out the pregnancy portions in parts from the womb.

7. Does a surgical and medical abortion hurt?

The level of pain depends on the type of abortion treatment and your tolerance limit. Here is what you can expect from different methods of ending a pregnancy:

• Early Medical Abortion Up to 70 Days (10 Weeks): Here, you will experience moderate to strong cramping. These are like the ones similar to period pains or early miscarriage. You may receive ibuprofen or codeine.
• Medical Abortion at 70+ Days (Over 10 Weeks): During the labor and delivery, the doctor will administer painkillers, gas or air. These manage the uterine contractions. If the pregnancy is over 22 weeks, then you will receive feticide. This may make you mildly uncomfortable when getting the injection to the abdomen.
• Vacuum Aspiration Up to 12 or 14 Weeks: Here, you will receive local anesthesia. You may experience cramping just like menstrual pain. The doctor will administer a numbing injection at the cervix. He/she may also give you painkillers.
• Vacuum Aspiration Up to 14 Weeks with Sedation: You will receive sedatives. This will help you relax and feel no or little pain. You will remain sleepy. The doctor will provide a numbing injection at the neck of the womb. Also, he/she will administer sedative medication through a thin plastic tube (cannula) inserted into a vein in the hand.
• Dilation and Evacuation from 15 to 24 Weeks: If the pregnancy is between 15 and 18 weeks, then sedation is provided. You will remain conscious through the treatment. You will feel no or little pain as you remain sleepy and relaxed.

The doctor will give general anesthesia if the pregnancy is over 18 weeks. You will remain unconscious throughout the procedure. So, you will feel no pain. The anesthesia is administered through a cannula in the vein of the hand.

8. How much bleeding to expect?

In medical abortion, you bleed heavily. You may soak several maxi pads throughout the procedure. You can expect bleeding for a few hours to days until the pregnancy terminates. You may get spotting until the next period.

But in a surgical abortion, the bleeding is not much. Bleeding will happen during the process. Spotting may happen for a few hours. But you may not experience bleeding again until the next menstrual cycle.

9. Does the fetus feel pain?

The fetus does not develop the neural system required to feel pain until before 28 gestational weeks.

10. What are other common effects of an abortion process?

Apart from cramps and bleeding, you may encounter a few other side effects. These are temporary and disappear after the pregnancy ends. Some of the side effects include nausea, fever, chills, tiredness, breast tenderness, headache, etc.

If any of the experiences are unbearable or you think requires medical attention, then visit a doctor immediately. The side effects are higher in the case of taking an abortion pill. This is because the uterus takes around a few hours to days to expel fetal remains.

But a surgical procedure takes only a few hours. Also, it is an in-clinic process. So, the healthcare provider takes necessary precautions to manage the side effects. You can also take prescribed medicines to cope up with the effects of medical abortion.

Abortion FAQs: To Conclude

Abortion is a choice if you want to end an unwanted pregnancy. You have to note how further you are in pregnancy. As per the gestational age, a particular treatment may suit you. If you are early into a pregnancy, and like a more private approach, then medical abortion is what you can go ahead with. You must visit the healthcare provider for a follow-up after 2 weeks of taking abortion pills.

But, if you want a quick procedure in a clinic, and later into pregnancy, then surgical abortion is the perfect option. Weigh the pros and cons of both these methods, talk to a professional if you need to before taking an informed call.

We hope this abortion FAQs list answered most of your questions. If you want, you can buy an abortion pill online from our medicine store.