Surgical termination of pregnancy: procedure and consequences

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Today we will try to consider the issue of surgical termination of pregnancy in as much detail as possible. This topic is raised quite often on the Internet, because a detailed and detailed explanation of information (possible consequences, harm, and so on) for some women is a powerful argument against rash actions.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you should not deafly and blindly trust the reviews and opinions of other women who have undergone a similar procedure. Your he alth should be trusted only to experienced professionals working in qualified clinics.

Surgical abortion

How is this operation carried out? This is a curettage of the uterus, or rather, its mucous membrane through the cervical canal (enlarged). We immediately focus your attention on the fact that instrumental abortion is a big threat to a woman's he alth. However, this is the only possible way to terminate a pregnancy beyond seven weeks.

So, surgical abortion is done at a period of six to twenty-two weeks, in addition, there are many indications for its implementation. The term at which it is worth terminating the pregnancy should be prescribed only by the attending physician. The procedure itself is carried out by an experienced qualified specialist and only in a hospital. Before an abortion, the doctor must conduct a consultation with the woman, in which he must explain in detail all the questions of interest, talk about the consequences, and so on.

Of course, surgery is performed under anesthesia. The woman should sit on the gynecological chair, after which she is given intravenous pain medication. Further, with the help of a special tool, the cervix expands. The operation is aimed at the destruction and removal of the fetal egg, while the surface of the uterus is thoroughly cleaned. If necessary, vacuum aspiration can be done. The procedure for surgical termination of pregnancy lasts about thirty minutes, and a second operation is extremely rare.

Many women are also interested in the issue of late pregnancy termination. If you have twelveup to twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy, then the doctor can perform this operation for you only if there are medical indications. Please note that the commission takes into account not only medical, but also social indications.

The latter include:

• death of the father of the unborn child;
• pregnancy resulting from rape;
• mother in prison;
• deprivation of mother's parental rights.

Due dates

Surgical termination of pregnancy at the request of the woman herself can be carried out only for up to twelve weeks. If you go beyond these limits, then an abortion is carried out only if there is permission from the commission.

As mentioned earlier, late-term (twelve to twenty-eight weeks) surgical abortion is performed only for strict medical reasons or some social reason that makes a woman unable to bear and raise a child. What are these reasons, you can read in the previous section of the article. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with medical indications in the next section.

Indications

Surgical termination of pregnancy on the day of treatment is carried out only in life-threatening cases for the mother. In this case, the woman must have all the necessary documents with her. We have de alt with social problems, now we turn to medical indications. These include:

• mother's oncology;
• severe diabetes;
• heart disease and other diseases that prevent gestation and pose a threat to the life of a pregnant woman;
• alcohol addiction;
• drug addiction;
• HIV;
• hepatitis and other infections that affect the development of the child;
• taking teratorogenic drugs;
• malformation of the child, which is detected during an ultrasound scan;
• death of a child in the womb.

Contraindications

In addition to the indications for surgical termination of pregnancy, we need to consider the issue of contraindications. Particular attention to this paragraph of the article should be paid to women who have a negative Rh factor. All doctors insist on carrying especially the first child, because when the first pregnancy is terminated in women with a negative Rh, the probability of fetal pathology in subsequent pregnancies is high.

In addition, contraindications may include:

• acute stage of sexually transmitted disease;
• inflammation occurring in the ovaries or uterus;
• blood clotting pathology;
• allergic to pain medications.

With these contraindications, the issue is resolved for each woman individually. If necessary, special additional preparation for this procedure will be required.

Preparation for surgery

Immediately before the procedure for surgical termination of pregnancy, the doctor must tell the woman about what difficulties and complications may appear after the operation.

If a woman nevertheless firmly decided that she needed this operation, then some research should be done. These include:

• blood test for syphilis;
• hepatitis C;
• hepatitis B;
• HIV;
• hcg;
• blood test to determine the group and Rh factor;
• complete blood count;
• biochemical;
• general urinalysis;
• smear on flora;
• fluorography procedure;
• pelvic ultrasound;
• electrocardiogram;
• consultation therapist;
• examination at the gynecologist.

Only after all of the above, the doctor will proceed to the very procedure of artificial termination of pregnancy.

Instrumental abortion

With good test results, the woman is transferred to the hospital. Only there the doctor conducts the final examination on the gynecological chair and the woman signs the papers with the abortion agreement. After that, the woman goes to the ward (she will be separate if the service is paid). During the operation, free local anesthesia is prescribed (the woman is half asleep), if desired, intravenous paid anesthesia can be administered (deep sleep).

If the abortion takes place at less than twelve weeks, then a vacuum pump is used for the operation. Next, the uterine cavity is cleaned byscrapings. If the pregnancy is more than twelve weeks, then it is necessary to significantly dilate the cervix. Next, the doctor destroys the embryo with tools, extracts large parts with forceps, and small parts with a pump. After that, the mucosa is also scraped.

The whole procedure lasts about half an hour. Do not be afraid of heavy periods after a surgical termination of pregnancy. Please note that after this procedure, a woman needs to be under the supervision of doctors for several hours. There, she is prescribed drugs that promote uterine contractions and antibiotics.

Post-operative period

For some time, a woman should see a gynecologist and do tests for hCG. This is necessary in order to make sure that the fetus is completely removed. In addition, a woman should refrain from intimacy, lifting weights and taking a bath for a couple of weeks.

Gynecologists warn that weight gain is possible after surgery, so a woman needs to follow proper nutrition. Pay attention to discharge after surgical termination of pregnancy. They last about ten days, while at first they have a scarlet color. Further, their number decreases, and the color becomes darker (sometimes brown).

Pregnancy: possible or not?

After a surgical termination of pregnancy, it is necessary to protect yourself for six months. After the operation, the gynecologist should advise you on thisquestion.

Menstruation comes only about the thirty-fifth day after the abortion, and the body and the menstrual cycle are fully restored only after six months. If pregnancy (even desired) occurs earlier, then there is a high probability of problems with bearing the fetus.

Possible Complications

If you listen to the reviews, surgical termination of pregnancy can carry the following complications:

• dizziness;
• malaise;
• abdominal pain;
• heavy bleeding (possible hysterectomy);
• cervical spasm (causes inflammation);
• positive pregnancy test (in case of incomplete removal of the fetus, a second operation is necessary, because the embryo will develop with very serious deviations);
• endometritis;
• sepsis;
• cervical injury;
• severe damage to the uterine mucosa (as a result, infertility may develop, because it will be very difficult for the embryo to gain a foothold in the uterine cavity);
• placental polyp.

Abortion: yes or no?

When making a decision, you need to weigh the pros and cons. If the reason is serious medical contraindications to bearing a child or pregnancy as a result of rape, then abortion is sometimes a necessary measure. If the reason lies in condemnation or fear, then it is worth thinking many times and discussing this issue with loved ones. After all, this mistake can be fatal.

Reviews

Many for surgical interruptionPregnancy in St. Petersburg is recommended by a fairly popular family planning clinic - Vela. Many women note the pleasant environment and the good attitude of the staff. The doctor tells and shows everything in detail.

Women, before you take such a step - think a hundred times! It is better to protect yourself than to suffer later on from your wrong decision.