BMC Women's Health

1.21 million women get abortions in the US each year (BMC Women’s Health). Many factors contribute to this, including timing, health of mother and/or fetus, and the ability to provide a quality life. Abortion procedures will be performed differently, depending on the duration of the pregnancy. Further complications could also lead to a different type of procedure being performed. Abortion, in America, was not a legal practice until 1973, in the ‘Roe v. Wade’ case (Abortion Wars). The abortion process is very complex, with many details and sides, and women should have the right to it, and their life. Abortions that are performed by doctors are very safe and have little complications. Medical officials from WebMD, state “Less than 1 out of 100 women have a serious problem
from an abortion,” Abortions that are performed by a medical official are clean and straightforward. Going to a licensed professional is the best way to go about an abortion. It is the only way to guarantee a quick and painless procedure. If you do not opt for a professional, you can be susceptible to disease and injury. It could also lead to an unfinished abortion, which will cause many other complications. “An estimated 68,000 women worldwide die each year from unsafe abortions,” (prochoice.org). Going to a professional is a must, if infection and injury is to be avoided. By going to a doctor, the chance at further pregnancies is also being protected. The methods that are widely used today, will not have an effect on a woman’s ability to later have children. The fact that an abortion will give way to other childbearing complications is a widely spread myth, and any doctor will tell you otherwise. An abortion that is performed by a licensed official will be completely safe and will not cause harm, either now or in the future. Abortion procedures can be performed many different ways.
A medical abortion is performed by taking a medication, which will then end a pregnancy. This method can be used up to nine weeks into the pregnancy. Mifepristone is a pill that blocks the hormone progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy. This causes the uterus to break down and the cervix to soften. Methotrexate is injected or taken orally, and stops implantation occurring in the first several weeks. Misoproston is used as a second drug. Tablets are placed into the vagina, cheek, or taken orally. This causes the uterus to contract and empty. This takes between one day and four weeks to complete. Complications of medical abortion aren’t common, but still occur. Possible complications include the failure of medications to terminate, incomplete expulsion of conception products, excessive bleeding, and uterine infection. Failure of medications to terminate happens in about 2% of women, while incomplete expulsion happens in less than 6%. Although there is a small chance of complications, one should still be informed of the possibilities before deciding to abort. Many options are available when it comes to an abortion
procedure. A suction abortion is the most common, and can be used during the first and second trimester. During a suction abortion, a speculum is used to see and dilate the cervix. A suction machine is then placed through the cervix, and starts to suck the fetus out. The suction machine used for this procedure is ten-twenty times more powerful than a vacuum. A curette will then scrape the uterus lining for any remains. There are some very rare complications involved in this method, such as incomplete abortion, infection, bleeding, and injury to the uterus or cervix. These are very rare, especially when performed by a licensed professional. During the first trimester, there are many ways for an abortion to be performed.