Ultimately, medical and surgical abortion differ because they use distinct methods to end a pregnancy. The type of procedure depends on several factors, including how far along the woman is in her pregnancy, and it’s critical to be fully informed before making any decision.
Lakes Life Care Center doesn’t provide or refer for abortions. However, we’ll educate you on all your options so you can consider your health and future well-being.
Keep reading to learn the crucial differences between medical and surgical abortion.
Ending a Pregnancy Through Different Means
Medical abortion uses drugs to end a pregnancy; women most commonly take mifepristone and misoprostol.
Mifepristone blocks progesterone, a hormone the pregnancy needs to grow and develop. Without progesterone, the fertilized egg detaches from the uterine lining, ending the pregnancy. The second drug, misoprostol, causes uterine contractions that expel the pregnancy from the body.
Surgical abortion procedures, on the other hand, use a combination of drugs, surgical instruments, and suctioning to end and remove the pregnancy. Since medical abortion is FDA-approved only through 10 weeks gestation, a surgical procedure may be performed instead.
In addition to what’s used to end the pregnancy, medical and surgical abortion procedures have different side effects and risks. We’ll provide the facts so you can gather the information needed to protect your health.
Side Effects and Risks
Understanding the side effects and risks of abortion is crucial to making a decision.
Abdominal cramping and vaginal bleeding always occur with a medical abortion. Additional side effects include:
- Upset stomach
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Chills
- Diarrhea
- Headache
Taking abortion drugs also poses risks to your health. Knowing these risks can help you make an informed choice:
- Digestive symptoms (i.e., upset stomach)
- Fever
- Heavy, prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Incomplete abortion (when the body doesn’t release all the pregnancy tissue, potentially requiring surgical treatment)
Following a surgical abortion procedure, women will experience mild cramping and spotting or light bleeding for several days. Though incomplete abortion is also a risk associated with this method, surgical abortion presents others, including:
- Perforation of the uterus (when a surgical instrument pokes a hole)
- Damage to the cervix
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall (potentially causing painful periods and infertility)
- Infection
Although medical and surgical abortion procedures are different, several steps should always be taken before making a pregnancy decision. Confirming your pregnancy and learning about all your options will allow you to weigh your unique circumstances carefully.
Get the Facts
Lakes Life Care Center will help you learn about your pregnancy and the essential steps to the decision-making process. We offer various no-cost services, including ultrasounds and options information, to equip you with the facts.
An unexpected pregnancy can feel daunting, so we’re here to help. Schedule a confidential appointment today.
Lakes Life Care Center does not provide or refer for abortions.
All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.