Abortion is a medical procedure. Like all medical procedures, it can sometimes cause both long-term and short-term harm to patients.

Research shows that the rate of complications for abortion is about 2%. These side effects don’t affect every woman, but it’s important to be aware of the types of abortion complications you might experience.

In this blog, we’ll explain four abortion complications that may affect you after ending your pregnancy. You’ll learn what to look out for and what you should do if you experience one of these abortion side effects.

4 types of abortion complications

1. Incomplete abortion

An incomplete abortion means that some of the pregnancy tissue remains inside your body after the abortion. The doctor may have failed to remove all the pieces of the placenta or the fetus from your uterus. If you took the abortion pill, you may not have passed all of the tissue.

Ectopic pregnancy (when the embryo implants outside of the uterus) can also cause an incomplete abortion. If any pregnancy tissue is still in your body after an abortion, it must be removed through another procedure to protect your health.

This complication can happen after every type of abortion procedure, including surgical abortions and the abortion pill. 

Without treatment, you may develop a serious infection. If left too long, the infection may move into your bloodstream. Once there, it can travel throughout your body. This type of systemic infection is called sepsis. 

Sepsis can threaten your life if you don’t treat it in time. It may develop into a condition known as septic shock. Eventually, this infection can shut down your organs and cause your blood pressure to drop dangerously low. Septic shock can be fatal.

2. Injuries to the uterus, cervix, or bowel

This type of complication only affects surgical abortions. These types of procedures include dilation and curettage (D&C) abortion, dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion, and more. For these abortions, the doctor must use tools to open the cervix and access the uterus. He will then use a suction tool, a long spoon-shaped tool called a curette, or a long grasping tool called a Sopher clamp to remove the tissue from your uterus.

In rare cases, the doctor may accidentally push the tool through the wall of the uterus. This is called a uterine perforation. The tool may also damage or puncture the intestines (bowel) that sit beside the uterus. This injury isn’t common, but it is dangerous. If you have heavy bleeding and cramping after a surgical abortion, you should visit the ER right away.

At the end of the abortion, the doctor may scrape the uterus with the curette. This helps remove any tissue that might have been left after the abortion. Sadly, this may scar the walls of the uterus, a condition called Asherman’s Syndrome. This condition may cause pelvic pain and infertility.

Finally, surgical abortions can injure the cervix. The doctor must open your cervix to access your uterus and remove the pregnancy tissue. He or she will use a series of rods or sticks of laminaria to force your cervix open. The doctor will insert the tools through your cervix and pull the tissue out through it. Your cervix may get cut or torn during this process.

If you have any pain, unusual bleeding, or signs of infection after an abortion, get help right away.

3. Infection

Along with infections caused by incomplete abortions, you can also get one from the abortion itself.

Usually, your cervix protects your reproductive system from viruses and bacteria. But an abortion opens your cervix and increases the risk of infection.

If you have an untreated sexually transmitted disease (STD), the bacteria or virus may travel into your uterus. You can also get an infection if the doctor uses dirty tools or doesn’t wash his or her hands before the abortion. Inserting the abortion pill vaginally can also lead to infection.

An infection in your reproductive system may become pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It may cause long-term pain, damage, and infertility. Always get immediate treatment for a suspected infection.

4. Abnormal bleeding

Every abortion causes bleeding. Heavy bleeding, however, can be dangerous. You should get immediate help if you:

• Pass blood clots larger than a lemon
• Pass blood clots for more than two hours
• Bleed through two or more regular sanitary pads every hour for two hours or more

Losing this amount of blood, called hemorrhaging, is dangerous to your health. Call 911 or visit the emergency room if you have these symptoms.