CMPSC is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and support to pregnant women and their families.

ABORTION RISKS

Physical Risks

While pain is not a specific complication, it is an issue to consider for informed consent. Ninety-seven percent of women who had abortions described the procedure as being painful, even with the use of local anesthesia, (12) with more than a third describing the pain as "intense," "severe" or "very severe." (13) Studies show that younger women find abortion to be more painful than older women, (14) and that women found abortion to be more painful than their doctors thought it would be. (15) General Anesthesia reduces the pain but significantly increases the risk of cervical or uterine injury. (16)

The specific physical risk involved in an abortion depends partly on the type of abortion used, and partly on the experience of the abortionist. A specific type of risk with suction aspiration, D&C, and D&E is uterine puncture, either from the suction instrument or from sharp pieces of bone being withdrawn. Perforations may cause hemorrhaging and damage to other organs in the body. (17) Salt poisoning carries risks of maternal poisoning, seizures, uncontrolled blood clotting, severe hemorrhaging, and problems with the central nervous system, (18)and has been outlawed in Japan and other countries. (19) Urea commonly causes nausea and vomiting, and between 1% and 2% of urea patients develop endometritis, an infection of the lining of the uterus. (20)

Prostaglandin, either used with RU 486 or Methotrexate methods or alone, commonly causes severe bleeding, pain, nausea, and vomiting, and has caused serious side effects and complications, including cardiac arrest and rupture of the uterus, and these complications have been unpredictable. (21)There is evidence that RU 486 may cause birth defects or miscarriages in future pregnancies. (22) Methotrexate is highly toxic and has unpredictable side effects, including problems with bone marrow, anemia, liver damage, and lung disease. (23) Hysterotomy is the method with the highest risk of maternal death. (24)

While there are several different types of complications that can occur from an abortion, the most common problem after an abortion is infection resulting from fetal or placental tissue left in the uterus. (25) Other common problems include uterine, bladder or bowel perforations, cervical lacerations, bleeding, hemorrhages, inflammations of the reproductive organs, serious infections, and menstrual disturbances. (26) The most common complication specifically of second trimester techniques is cervical injury, ranging from lacerations to detachments of the cervix. (27)

Most of the common complications of abortion are short term and arise directly from the abortion procedure. The number and the severity of these problems depend on the experience of the abortionist. These kinds of complications can usually be treated and most often subside without serious physical consequences.(28)

Some complications occur later, are harder to overcome, and are more harmful to a woman's health. "Studies show that 20-30% of all suction and D&C abortions performed in hospitals will result in long term, negative side effects relating primarily to fertility and reproduction." (29) Specifically, difficulties in labor and delivery, miscarriages, increased risk of tubal pregnancy, and sterility can be a result of damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and cervix. Women who have had an abortion have more than double the chance of sterility, (30) and the chance of sterility increases with each additional abortion.(31) Miscarriage, premature births, and neonatal deaths are significantly increased in women who have had an induced abortion, (32) with one study reporting a 45% increase in pregnancy failure after one abortion. (33)

There is strong evidence that abortion increases the risk of getting breast cancer. A study of 1800 women found that an abortion increases the risk of breast cancer before age 45 by 50%, and an abortion of a first pregnancy for women under 18 after the 8th week increased the risk by 80%. Women who in addition had a family history of breast cancer had an even higher rate, with 100% of the women in this category in this study getting breast cancer later. (34)

Psychological Risks

Abortion has been legal in some states since before 1973,and by January of 1998, 35 million abortions had been performed in this country. This has given researchers enough time and data to discover a pattern of symptoms among post-abortive women that is called Post Abortion Syndrome. This syndrome is considered to be a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Typically there is a time of "denial," which may last as long as five or ten years,before the emotional problems surface. (35) Often a major life event seems to trigger the onset of symptoms. (36)

Women suffering from Post Abortion Syndrome may experience debilitating depression, grief, guilt, anxiety, low self-esteem,a sense of failure, hopelessness, or emotional deadness. They may have flashbacks, nightmares, sleep disorders, communication difficulties, relationship problems, sexual dysfunction, repeated abortions, drug or alcohol abuse, or suicidal tendencies. These symptoms become worse with each additional abortion.

Many times women suffer secretly with this condition for years. Traditional psychological treatment may be helpful for some women, but others seem unable to find relief. Support groups with other women who have experienced the pain of abortion have proven effective with many women. (37)

The exact number or percentage of women suffering with Post Abortion Syndrome is unknown but under study. Other studies are trying to determine which personality types or circumstances may cause an increased likelihood of experiencing this condition.

If you or someone you know has suffered from an abortion, you are encouraged to call 1-800-634-2224 and participate anonymously in a national study trying to determine these facts.

Footnotes