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Of all the evils: what is medical abortion and what is its advantage
Termination of pregnancy is a controversial, complex and often overlooked topic. No matter how you feel about it, it will not be harmful to know what this procedure is and how it affects your health. Healthy Food Near Me talked to a specialist and found out how one of the least traumatic types of abortion – medical abortion – goes.
Abortion is a scary word, the thought of which is by definition unpleasant. In some countries, this procedure is officially prohibited. But you must admit that it is far more acceptable when a woman is given the right to choose – especially if she has health problems.
Termination of pregnancy has existed in all, even the most ancient times, and this process has always been treated differently. And although most often such a procedure was recognized as harmful, doctors were looking for ways to make it less dangerous, painless and fast.
Today there are many options for abortion, which are conventionally divided into surgical and medical.
And if the first method involves an operation to remove the fetus using various devices, then medical abortion is essentially an artificial induction of miscarriage in early pregnancy.
If we have to choose between two evils, then it is medical abortion that is easier, cheaper, safer and recommended by the World Health Organization as a method that reduces maternal mortality and the number of disabilities and illnesses after the procedure.
“In any case, abortion cannot be a good solution. In addition, after it, an inflammatory reaction always occurs and endometritis develops. (acute inflammation of the uterus)“, – warns obstetrician-gynecologist of the network of centers of reproduction and genetics” Nova Clinic “Tatiana Trubina.
Healthy Food Near Me decided to study in detail the issue of medical abortion and ask a specialist about all the nuances of this procedure, one way or another affecting a woman’s life.
Time is limited
Medical abortion is performed before 6 weeks of gestation, that is, in the first trimester.
This rule is valid for a reason. The fact is that after 6 weeks the effectiveness of the method is significantly reduced.
In this case, the likelihood of developing serious complications increases. There is also a risk of incomplete abortion – a condition when part of the fetus or its membrane remains in the uterine cavity, provoking the appearance of prolonged bleeding and the development of infectious complications.
How is the
“According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, abortion is not carried out immediately, but after a day of silence. The woman is given time to think. In addition, the patient must give informed consent for the abortion, confirming that she was informed about all the possible consequences, ”the specialist explains.
Medical abortion is performed in two stages using two types of drugs.
To begin with, the gynecologist examines the woman, identifies the exact duration of pregnancy and the presence of contraindications.
General clinical examination involves taking smears for cytology and flora, tests for all types of hepatitis, HIV and syphilis, clinical blood test (to exclude severe anemia and acute infectious process).
It is also necessary to determine the woman’s Rh factor. If it is negative, prevention of hemolytic disease is necessary after the abortion.
If everything is in order with these points, then under the supervision of a doctor, the patient drinks the first pill – an antigestogenic agent that blocks the action of the “pregnancy hormone” progesterone.
“In a small percentage of cases, spontaneous abortion occurs after this action. However, more often pregnancy is terminated after taking the next drug, misoprostol. It is a prostaglandin that causes the walls of the uterus to contract, ”says Tatiana Trubina.
The second tablet is taken within 36-48 hours after the first. At this time, a woman is also obliged to be under medical supervision – at least the first 2-4 hours after taking the drug.
The doctor should wait for the bleeding to begin and make sure that it is moderate, and if things are different, carry out emergency surgery.
The patient can then leave the clinic. After about 7-10 days, she will have a miscarriage, and after that she will need to come for a follow-up ultrasound to make sure that the procedure was successful.
Walls don’t help
Unfortunately, some are afraid of the gynecological chair like fire. In addition, you can find a lot of advice on the Internet regarding self-administration of medical abortion at home – after all, the drugs used for this can be found on the free market.
No matter how trite it may sound, but in this situation you should not even think about such a solution to the problem. The statistics of complications after such “amateur performance” is too sad.
“The action of the pills will provoke a contraction of the uterus, which will immediately cause detachment of the ovum, the opening of the uterine pharynx and very severe bleeding. It is important to understand that such obstetric bleeding is the most dangerous. There is no organ in the body that supplies and bleeds as much as the uterus. Because of this, there is a risk of a threat to life, which is very difficult to independently assess. In addition, after taking any drug, an acute allergic reaction may develop, including anaphylactic shock. If a woman is at home, she will not receive adequate medical care, which can be fatal. In addition, medical abortion, which is carried out without medical supervision and previously passed tests, is fraught with the development of serious reproductive complications, ”the doctor explains.
By the way, sometimes women confuse medical abortion with emergency contraception and believe that both procedures can be performed independently. But this is a dangerous delusion.
“This type of abortion has nothing to do with emergency contraception, which involves preventing unwanted pregnancy after unprotected intercourse, and not terminating it at the stage when the embryo has already attached to the uterine wall. In this case, completely different drugs are used and in a different dosage, ”says Tatiana Trubina.
What will happen next
As mentioned above, any type of termination of pregnancy a priori cannot have a positive effect on women’s health. True, unlike surgical techniques, after a medical abortion, the condition normalizes much faster – after about 28-30 days, menstrual function is restored.
“During obstetric bleeding, a protective reaction is formed in the uterus, which entails acute inflammation, which will need to be treated,” warns the gynecologist.
According to Tatyana, after a medical abortion, one should drink a course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor, use anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce discomfort in the intimate area, and also carry out replacement therapy with drugs containing progesterone in order to restore hormonal balance in the body.
“All this contributes to the normalization of the basal lamina of the uterine mucosa and reduces the likelihood of serious post-inflammatory consequences – for example, the appearance of adhesions on the appendages or hypoplasia of the uterine mucosa, leading to problems with conception and even infertility,” the doctor says.
Also, in some situations, the gynecologist prescribes physiotherapy or other rehabilitation measures to the patient that can prevent more serious disorders associated with chronic diseases or long-standing problems with the menstrual cycle.
Unplanned situations
Medical abortion is the safest and most effective for periods up to four weeks, when the ovum is still weakly attached to the uterus, and hormonal changes in the woman’s body are not yet so pronounced.
But it happens that in this case, after bleeding, the ovum remains in its normal volume in the uterine cavity. Then surgery is required using more aggressive abortion techniques.
It also happens that a woman suddenly changed her mind and decided to leave the child – but she had already taken the first pill.
That is why, before making a choice, you need to think and evaluate all the available options more than once.