What happens to your body after an abortion?

We don’t know you and we don’t know why you are asking this question. We want to let you know that there are places you can find help if you have experienced an unplanned pregnancy. For example: https://amathea.no/en/.

When you ask about abortion, we assume that you mean a planned abortion, in which a pregnancy is stopped using surgery or medicines. (Sometimes a miscarriage is also called an ‘spontaneous abortion’.) In some countries abortion is allowed until the end of the twelfth week of pregnancy.

Previously, all abortions were done surgically. In this case, the cervix was blocked with surgical instruments and a suction device was put in place, this then sucked out the foetus along with the placenta. Today most abortions are carried out medicinally. This works by the woman taking medicines which make the uterus [MOU5] stop reacting to the body’s own pregnancy-protecting hormone, progesterone. This means that the fetus stops getting the nourishment it needs to survive, and the woman can then feel sick and get stomach pains. After one or two days the woman will then get another medicine which will make the uterus contract, so that the woman then aborts in the next few hours. It is normal for the woman to bleed as she would with a heavy period when the fetus and the placenta come out. Most women now complete the abortion at home after getting the medicine at the hospital.

After the abortion the woman will often have a sick leave for three days, and she would usually bleed as if she had her period for two to three weeks after the abortion. In a few cases where the medical abortion does not work, a surgical abortion will be carried out.

The body needs a few days to adjust to not being pregnant. The readjustment of hormones in the body can be a strain in several ways. Some women experience pain as the uterus contracts in order to empty itself completely. Nausea, or feeling sick, and swollen breasts can continue for a week after the surgery. Some women can also have complications like inflammation or bleeding. 

After these weeks the body returns to the way it was before the woman became pregnant, and it is rare for a woman to have long-term physical damage after an abortion in most Western countries. However, there are many women who experience that abortion is a huge psychological burden. Many of them struggle with feelings of guilt and sorrow for many years after having an abortion.

You can also read:

Pregnancy and abortion?
Arguments against abortion?

Best wishes, boyandgirl.info