The choice to terminate a pregnancy is never an easy one and is often emotionally painful for the woman concerned. There are many reasons why she might choose to end a pregnancy, including severe illness in the baby or risk to her own health.
In spite of this, legislation makes it easy to terminate a pregnancy and the majority of doctors downplay the emotional and physical risks to the woman.
Infertility Caused By Abortion
There is a risk of becoming infertile after an abortion, arising from various complications. If you have had a first trimester abortion (in the first 13 weeks) this is done by vacuum suction which can cause perforation of the womb. This is when the womb ruptures and causes internal bleeding. It is life threatening and the surgeon would be required to do additional surgery to repair the damage. Sometimes after this has occurred, the damage to the womb prevents another embryo from attaching. Rupture happens in about 1% of cases, so if 100 women had an abortion, one of them would have this problem.
Infection of The Uterus
Another cause of infertility after abortion is infection. Antibiotics are normally given in hospital prior to the procedure, but they don't always work. If you have an infection that does not respond to antibiotics you may have some retained tissue in your uterus and will need to see a doctor to get this removed.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
PID can result from termination. This is a serious infection. It causes a foul vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, pain when intercourse is attempted, a fever and inflammation. It is treated with antibiotics but there can be lasting damage to your fallopian tubes and ovaries even after you have recovered, so some women who have had PID may require IVF to have a baby.
Cervical Incompetence
This is more common with a second trimester abortion (14 weeks plus). Your cervix may be weakened by being opened during surgery. This has been known to cause future miscarriages, premature labor and sometimes very fast labor of only a few minutes, which might put mother and baby at risk, depending on the circumstances. Your cervix may also tear during surgery which would require internal stitches.
Retained Products of Conception Acting As An IUD
A recent study in Obstetrics and Gynaecology has shown that there may be bone fragments from the deceased baby left over in the uterus. According to the journal, a woman experienced secondary infertility after having a termination at 22 weeks of pregnancy.
Bone fragments were found in her womb, acting in a similar way to an IUD, and preventing subsequent embryos from attaching to her womb lining successfully. She then had an operation to remove these fragments and went on to get pregnant spontaneously. The authors concluded:
'Interuterine bone fragments may result from retained fetal bones or osseous metaplasia or both. These bone fragments may contribute to infertility, as evidenced by restoration of fertility after hysteroscopic removal.'
(Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2008;112:470-472).
Asherman's Syndrome
According to Dr. Charles March at California Fertility Partners, as many as 22% of women will experience Asherman's Syndrome after an elective termination. This is an extensive scarring of the uterus. The walls of the uterus may stick to each other, preventing conception. 20% of those affected will not be able to have children even after treatment and their only options would be adoption or surrogacy.
So if you think the time's not right and there isn't a life threatening reason why you should have a termination, think again. You may not get another chance at motherhood.
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