Abortion: Pain And Other Symptoms, All You Need To Know
One of the reasons why people stay away from abortion is the fear of the pain caused during the process. You might be one of them who come in search of the aftereffects and discomfort of abortion.
In this article, you will learn about the different factors that affect the hardness of pain and methods to keep them on track. Also, you will get a thorough knowledge of the side effects and complications of abortion.
Is It Painful More Than Menstrual Period?
Abortion is the process of ending up a pregnancy. This process may be painful and cause some cramping and discomfort in you. But how long it lasts varies from individual to individual. However, this discomfort and pain can be controlled in different ways.
Actually, the pain is similar to the cramping you feel during your heaviest menstrual period but less than the pain during natural labor. Often it is sharp and crampy like a severe menstrual cramp. However, the intensity of the pain you feel depends upon various factors that are discussed below.
🔹It depends on the health condition of the person
🔹The length of the pregnancy
🔹The general pain tolerance level of the person
🔹The stress level and emotions of the person
Apart from the above factors, the pain caused also depends on the type of method you opt for the abortion.
Different types of abortion
There are many ways of abortion, out of which the most common practices of abortions that are out of risk are discussed below.
🔵Medical Abortion
Medical abortion is the process in which the abortion is done by using oral pills that induce abortion naturally. In this type of abortion, any surgery or anesthesia is not required and so it can be done either from home or clinic. This can be done only in the first trimester of pregnancy, which is within 11 weeks of pregnancy. This process mainly uses two pills.
- The first one is mifepristone (Mifeprex), which stops the pregnancy from developing by blocking the pregnancy hormones.
- The other one is misoprostol (Cytotec), which stimulates the contraction of the uterus and allows the passing out of pregnancy tissues.
The abortion pills start working within 5-8 hours of taking them and cause pain and cramping. It will be more painful for those who often experience a heavy menstrual cycle with severe pain. The abortion process will get completed within 1-2 days, but you will experience bleeding or spotting for a week. For up to two days you will experience the symptoms.
🔹Mild to severe cramping
🔹Nausea and vomiting
🔹Fatigue and dizziness
🔹Stomach upset and diarrhea
You can ask your doctors to prescribe you medicines to soothe your cramping and pain. Try not to use aspirin as it increases bleeding. You can keep the following points in your mind as it helps to reduce the discomfort.
- If you plan to do it from home, opt for a day when you are free to conduct it.
- Don’t use tight dresses these days.
- You can use hot pads on your abdomen to relieve cramping.
- Try deep breathing exercises and warm showers.
🔵Surgical Abortion
The surgical method also known as the vacuum aspiration method makes utilizes gentle suction tools for abortion and can be conducted only in the early stage of pregnancy say the first 12 weeks. It includes opening your cervix and using the suction tool it stops pregnancy by removing the fetus, placenta, and uterine lining. They use numbing medications, to prevent you from causing pain during the surgery. The doctors may also use syringes, forceps, and other tools to completely clear your uterus.
The procedure will take a total of 5-10 minutes and is considered the effective method of abortion because the other methods may have many complications. Some may experience cramping for 1-2 days after this process and bleeding or spotting stays for up to 1-2 weeks.
You may also experience some side effects like
🔹Nausea and vomiting
🔹Fever and chill
🔹Dizziness and fatigue
🔹Heavy bleeding
🔹Stress and anxiety
You can suggest your doctors prescribe pain or ointments to relieve the pain caused by the injury in the cervix. You can also suggest oral sedation to reduce anxiety and relieve pain. You can even suggest OTC (over-the-counter) medications like ibuprofen to relieve symptoms.
Conclusion
In short, medical abortion and surgical abortion are the two risk-free methods to end up the pregnancy. While medical abortion is done by making use of pills to end up the pregnancy and can be done from home, the surgical method uses different surgical tools for the process and can be conducted only under the supervision of doctors. Both practices will cause some symptoms and can be reduced by using OTC medications. However, the signs and how long it will last varies from person to person depending on the situation. The abortion done with no side effects will recover soon than those with complications or emotional trauma. If you are not able to get rid of the aftereffects of abortion, it is better to talk with an expert doctor.
Dr. Edward Zelman
Dr. Edward Zelman works as a Neurologist with the expertise of over 15 years, helping more than thousands to get back in complete health through his research-proven treatments. He earned his Masters from Harvard University and completed his Ph.D. from Columbia University. Dr. Edward Zelman is one of the notable names in the medical industry for his work in pain management, chronic disorder, and so on. He is also a former faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At present, Dr. Edward Zelman is researching safe and effective natural remedies that can restore as well as maintain the youthful functioning of the body.
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