Women who want children in the future sometimes find themselves considering an abortion.
They may have concerns about whether an abortion will make it more challenging to have a child later on or negatively impact their fertility.
Let’s take a look at different types and aspects of abortion to find out how they may impact future pregnancies.
Medical Abortion
Medical abortion (the abortion pill) involves women taking two drugs to abort early in their pregnancies. These procedures seem to have no impact on future pregnancies as long as they are taken under the care of a physician. It can be a different story if ordered online without supervision.
Medical abortions are only intended for women whose pregnancies are under nine weeks from the first day of their last period. The more advanced the pregnancy, the higher the risk of complications.
If fetal contents remain in the uterus, causing infection, this can result in a subsequent surgical abortion. These procedures have a higher risk of future birth complications.
Surgical Abortion
A common type of surgical abortion is a dilation and curettage (D&C) abortion. In a D&C, the cervix is dilated, and a physician uses a surgical instrument called a curette to scrape or suction out the uterine contents.
Multiple studies show that there is a link between surgical abortion and low birth weight and premature birth. If a woman has more than one of these procedures, the curette can cause scarring (Asherman’s syndrome), which can make future pregnancies more difficult or require additional treatment to help remove scar tissue.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
If a woman has either chlamydia or gonorrhea at the time of an abortion, these infections can raise the chance of complications. They both can infect the cervix.
During an abortion, the normal barrier created by the cervix is disturbed, allowing the existing bacterial infections to spread into the uterus. If left untreated, they can develop into pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a serious infection of the female reproductive organs.
PID is particularly dangerous because it often has mild or no symptoms. It can damage the reproductive organs, leading to infertility.
How Can Pregnancy Choices Help You?
Our experienced medical team can provide no-cost pregnancy testing and an ultrasound. We will also inform you of all your options.
It is also crucial that you receive STD/STI testing. We provide off-site lab testing, also at no cost to you.
Schedule an appointment at Pregnancy Choices today. We offer a welcoming, non-judgmental environment.
Sources:
Could an elective abortion increase the risk of problems in a subsequent pregnancy? – Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/expert-answers/abortion/faq-20058551
Medical Abortion – Mayo Clinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/medical-abortion/about/pac-20394687
Asherman’s Syndrome – Cleveland Clinic:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16561-ashermans-syndrome
Chlamydia – CDC Detailed Fact Sheet:
https://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia-detailed.htm
Gonorrhea – CDC Detailed Fact Sheet:
https://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia-detailed.htm
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease – Mayo Clinic: