Index
- What is induced abortion?
- Why is induced abortion performed?
- What is induced abortion?
- Preparation for induced abortion
- Care after the procedure
- Alternatives to this treatment
What is induced abortion?
Induced abortion is the voluntary termination of pregnancy that is always performed before 180 days of gestation. It is performed in a premeditated manner and requires experts in this procedure.
It is important to differentiate it from spontaneous abortion, which is the termination of pregnancy that occurs due to natural causes, and not by the mother’s will.
Why is induced abortion performed?
The termination of a pregnancy can occur for different reasons, which are usually related to social, economic, sexual factors or factors affecting the fetus. Some of the situations that give rise to an induced abortion are:
- Contraceptive method failure.
- Sexual violence
- The woman does not want to have a child at that time.
- Having too many children
- Unstable relationships or abandonment
- Physical or mental health of the woman
- Fetal malformations
- Financial problems
What does it consist of?
Abortion can be of two types: chemical or surgical. In the first case, it can only be performed in the first weeks of pregnancy and consists of administering drugs, either by ingesting them, injecting them into the amniotic sac around the fetus, inserting them into the vagina or injecting them intravenously.
Induced abortion is always performed within the first 180 days of gestation, when the fetus
of gestation, when the fetus is not yet formed.
As for surgical abortion, it is usually performed by means of the aspiration technique, which, according to our legislation, must also be performed before 12 weeks. It consists of suctioning the fetus by means of an electric suction pump or a manual syringe. When this technique is not feasible, dilatation and curettage is used, which has a similar procedure to the previous one, with the difference that a medication must be applied to the cervix to soften and dilate it.
Preparation for induced abortion
Before the process, the patient’s case must be studied to determine the method to be followed. This analysis includes the following points:
- Obstetric and gynecological ultrasound.
- Blood tests
- Analysis of the general and gynecological clinical history.
- Psychological or psychiatric interview
Post-procedure care
After the surgical procedure of induced abortion, the specialist usually recommends taking antibiotics to prevent infection and anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve colicky pain or any other discomfort. It is also advisable to rest for a few days, not to have sexual intercourse for at least a week and, once you do, use a contraceptive method, preferably condoms to prevent infection.
Alternatives to this treatment
Apart from the procedures described above, there is no other way to terminate a pregnancy that is safe for your health. There is a lot of dangerous information about home methods to terminate a pregnancy, but they are not effective and in the worst case they can cause serious consequences for the fetus or the pregnant woman.
Whenever a woman is considering terminating a pregnancy for any reason, she should seek the advice of a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, who will know how to analyze her state of health and the procedure to follow.