Abortion is an abortion, which can be carried out both for medical reasons and to be a woman’s personal desire. Today, there are several varieties of abortion that are used at different stages of pregnancy and have different characteristics and consequences. What are these ways? How long does medical abortion and its other varieties last?
Medical abortion
Termination of pregnancy by taking pills is acceptable for a gestational age of 4-5 weeks, while the ovum is still too small. How long does a tablet abortion last? This procedure lasts about two days. It begins with a single dose of the drug, which is prescribed by a gynecologist. Within 48 hours, the fetus dies and its spontaneous rejection from the uterine cavity, which is accompanied by minor bleeding. All this time, the woman is under the supervision of doctors inpatient or outpatient. A few days later, an ultrasound is prescribed, which is necessary in order to make sure that the fetal egg has left the uterine cavity.
Terminating a pregnancy by using a drug is considered the safest method, as it has a minimum of unpleasant consequences for a woman. In addition, from a psychological point of view, it is much easier to tolerate than an abortion using surgical instruments.
Contraindications to medical abortion
How long does an abortion of this kind last, you already know. Despite the fact that the procedure is reduced to taking one pill and this type of abortion is considered the most harmless, it still has contraindications:
- ectopic pregnancy;
- some diseases of the internal organs;
- the onset of pregnancy when taking oral contraceptives;
- period of more than 6 weeks;
- an allergic reaction to the components of the drug;
- the presence of scars on the cervix;
- hypertension.
In the absence of contraindications, the effectiveness of medical intervention is about 92-98%.
The consequences of medical abortion
A tablet termination of pregnancy does not injure the external and internal genital organs of a woman, therefore it is not considered traumatic. However, it has some consequences for the body:
- Hormonal background failure due to the content of a large number of hormones in the preparations.
- Menstrual cycle failure.
- Failure of the glands such as the pancreas, thyroid.
Individual effects may also be noted, such as nausea and dizziness in the first 2 days after taking the drug, as well as slight discomfort in the lower abdomen.
Vacuum Abortion
This procedure is the "exhaustion" of the embryo from the female uterus using a special aspirator, which is inserted through the cervix. Termination of pregnancy in this way is used for a period of 4 to 12 weeks. Moreover, for a period of 4-6 weeks, the procedure is called "mini-abortion." How long does a mini abortion last? The procedure has a duration of only about 5-10 minutes, after which the woman should be under the supervision of doctors for about 2-3 hours, after this time she can go home. How long does a vacuum abortion last at a later date? Its duration does not depend on the gestational age, since the principle is one, the difference is that with a larger fetus, cannulas of a larger diameter are used.
Contraindications to vacuum abortion
The reason for the failure to conduct this type of intervention may be such factors:
- ectopic pregnancy;
- gestational age more than 12 weeks;
- infectious diseases;
- less than 6 months after birth;
- bleeding disorders.
Mini abortion is also a surgical procedure that is minimally invasive and therefore safer than classic surgical curettage.
Consequences of Vacuum Abortion
Restoring the functions of a woman’s internal genital organs after a mini-intervention is much faster than after a classical surgical one. This is one of the reasons why women often choose this particular method of abortion. However, it can have unpleasant consequences:
- the risk of removing the ovum is not completely;
- infertility;
- hormonal imbalance;
- failure of the monthly cycle.
The occurrence of moderate bleeding is considered the norm, the duration of which is permissible up to two weeks. If it is plentiful or lasts longer than the declared period, this is an occasion to consult a treating gynecologist.
Surgical abortion
Termination of pregnancy in the classical way by curettage of the uterine cavity with medical instruments is the most common. It is used when it is impossible to use other methods. Surgical abortion can be performed for up to 12 weeks of gestation.
How long does a surgical abortion last? Surgery is performed under local or general anesthesia and lasts 15-30 minutes. After which the woman comes to her senses within 1-3 hours and is in the hospital for 2-3 days.
Surgical abortion is performed using a curette, which scrapes the internal uterine epithelium and destroys the embryo. In this case, the operation is carried out virtually blindly, since the doctor does not have the ability to monitor the process.
For some medical reasons, surgical abortion can be performed for up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. In this case, it is combined with a vacuum. To extract the fetus from the uterus, special tools are used, after which its remains are sucked up with the help of an aspirator.
This type of abortion is very traumatic for women and has a large number of consequences, and it increases during surgery for a long time.
Contraindications for surgical abortion
Since the operation is rather traumatic and it takes a lot of time to completely restore the body, it has the following contraindications:
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- gestational age over 12 weeks (in some cases, over 22 weeks);
- ectopic pregnancy;
- infectious diseases.
If a woman is found to have any diseases, they should first be treated and, after recovery, they should undergo surgery.
The consequences of surgical abortion
How long does an abortion last? A surgical operation is performed within half an hour, but the high speed does not guarantee the absence of negative consequences:
- Damage to the cervix due to improper opening. Because of this, pathological miscarriage of pregnancy may develop .
- Infectious diseases that arise due to insufficient hygiene of the doctor who performs the operation. Fortunately, if the intervention is carried out under sterile inpatient conditions, then this risk is minimized.
- Infertility, which develops due to scarring in the uterine cavity. The more abortions performed, the more scarring remains.
- Bleeding due to improper operation or surgery in clandestine conditions. With heavy bleeding, there is a risk of loss of internal genital organs or death.
In rare cases, abortion may be incomplete, as a result of which the fetus continues its development, but at the same time has many deviations. Such children are born with serious pathologies that put an end to normal life.
Indications for
How long does an abortion last? It all depends on the chosen method of abortion. An abortion can be used not only at the personal request of the woman, but also with the following medical indications:
- Diseases of a woman in which pregnancy and childbirth pose a direct threat to her life and health. For example, the detection of cancerous tumors, severe heart disease, the need for organ transplantation.
- Fetal pathologies that are incompatible with life, or incurable diseases that will significantly reduce the quality of life of the mother and child. For example, severe developmental abnormalities, fading of pregnancy.
In addition, today there are 4 social indications for abortion:
- Finding the mother or father of the child in prison.
- Pregnancy due to rape.
- The presence of a disabled child in the family.
- A disabled husband of the 1st or 2nd group or the death of a spouse during pregnancy.
Moreover, in the second trimester, the only social indication for an abortion is pregnancy as a result of rape, the remaining indications weigh only until the 12th week.
Preparation
How long does an abortion last? Despite the fact that the operation itself takes quite a bit of time, it is imperative to prepare for it. To do this, go through the following studies:
- blood and urine tests;
- Ultrasound to confirm pregnancy.
After a woman finds out about pregnancy, you must immediately make an appointment with a gynecologist in order to determine as quickly as possible whether a woman wants to save her or not. Usually this is about 4-6 weeks. In this case, she will definitely need to undergo two consultations with a psychologist, whose task will be to explain to the woman that abortion is not a way out. If, after conversations, the woman still insists on terminating the pregnancy, then a consultation is held with the surgeon and anesthetist who will perform the operation. With medical abortion, appropriate drugs are prescribed.
How long does an abortion last? The procedure itself is quick, but after the operation it is forbidden to resume sexual life for 1-2 months, and it is recommended to refrain from taking a hot bath in favor of a warm shower.
Conclusion
How long does medical abortion or other varieties last? The time varies from a few minutes to half an hour, but after that there is always a long period of rehabilitation.