What are the side effects of an abortion?

Written and Answered by Two Public Health Academy (PHA) Interns

If one has followed through with an in-clinic procedure or has taken an abortion pill, it is very important to be aware of your health as you may encounter various side effects. Many women will experience normal side effects  including abdominal cramps, light vaginal bleeding, nausea, sore breasts, and fatigue (Healthline). One primary side effect that women experience quite often is bleeding, and having to change their pad constantly as a result of large clots. This may lead to more serious complications if the bleeding is bright red and accompanied by sharp pains in the abdominal area. However, one of the most common complications is inflection, which occurs if bacteria enters the vaginal area before a full recovery, having sex too soon, and using tampons rather than pads. Some symptoms of infection include strong-smelling discharge, fever, and severe pelvic pain (Healthline). 

            There are some other complications women can go through after an abortion. Some of them include incomplete or failed abortion, in which the fetus is still viable or was not fully evacuated from the womb. Another is Uterine perforation, which has symptoms of severe abdominal pain, bleeding, and fever. There is also Septic shock, which has symptoms that include fever, chills, abdominal pain, and low blood pressure. Furthermore, the most severe complications that may result in women having to visit the emergency room is fever, excessively heavy bleeding and strong smelling vaginal discharge. When having an abortion of course you have to take care of yourself. Your doctor or clinic will give you after-care instructions to increase your comfort. Some tips would be to use heating pads which can calm down cramps, try to stay hydrated especially if you are vomiting or experiencing diarrhea, try to stay in bed and get plenty of rest, wear a tight-fitting bra to relieve breast tenderness and last but not least take medication like ibuprofen to lessen cramps and pain.