What are Side Effects to Your Body After an Abortion?

Abortion is often presented as a quick fix for an unplanned pregnancy. Any woman considering this option deserves to make an informed decision to protect her physical and mental health and know what abortion side effects and risks can occur.

What are the side effects?

Abortion side effects will depend upon whether you take the abortion pill (also known as a chemical or medical abortion) or undergo a surgical abortion procedure.

According to the Mayo Clinic and RxList, abortion pill side effects and risks may include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Pain in abdomen, chest, breasts, muscles, back and joints
• Anemia
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Uterine rupture, which increases with gestational age
• Incomplete abortion requiring surgical intervention

Surgical abortion side effects and risks (including suction/vacuum aspiration and dilation & curettage) may include:

• Cramping, nausea, sweating and feeling faint
• Irregular or heavy prolonged bleeding, blood clots, damage to the cervix and perforation of the uterus
• Tissue remaining in uterus
• Infection
• Vaginal discharge

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should seek medical attention if you experience any of the following after an abortion procedure:

• Bleeding that’s heavy enough that you need to change pads every hour
• Persistent dizziness
• Fever
• Cramps lasting more than 48 hours
• Pain that gets worse
• Foul-smelling discharge from the vagina

Longer-term risks associated with abortion include:

• Several studies have shown abortion increases a woman’s risk of having a premature delivery in future births.
• Many peer-reviewed and published medical studies have also shown a link between induced abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer.

How Will This Affect My Mental Health?

If you undergo an abortion, it’s essential to be aware of its potential impact on your mental health. Abortion side effects may include mental or emotional changes. Women have different experiences after this procedure. Women who have undergone abortions have experienced adverse effects such as guilt, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome, experienced by many women after abortion, is a sub-category of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

According to the National Library of Medicine, there is compelling evidence that “some women do have significant mental health issues that are caused, triggered, aggravated, or complicated by their abortion experience.”

Many such studies show a strong correlation between women with a history of abortion and those with elevated rates of mental illness.

It is difficult to say exactly how a woman may feel after an abortion, but her feelings deserve to be heard and validated. If you are experiencing adverse emotional symptoms after an abortion, we recommend seeking out a licensed counselor to help you process this experience.

Who Can I Speak With?

If you are considering an abortion and wish to know more about how this procedure may impact your overall well-being, Waterleaf can help.

You deserve to have all your questions answered and your concerns discussed so that you feel confident in your decision.

A Waterleaf medical team member can speak with you and provide information about the procedure, listen to your questions, and provide more resources and information based on your situational needs. Call/text Waterleaf confidentially at 630-360-2256 today or contact us securely online. You’re not alone!