An early surgical abortion refers to ending a pregnancy in the first trimester, often within the first Ten weeks. Medical abortions and surgical abortions are the two common methods for early abortions.
Medical abortions entail the administration of prescribed medication that makes pregnancy to be terminated by pulling out the embryo from the womb.
At two separate medical appointments, 3-7 days apart, you are given the complete course of pills as medication. Surgical abortions involve the use of gentle suction to remove all the contents of the uterus. It is otherwise not a complicated surgery and it only takes about 5-10 minutes to perform; however, the period of healing is what you should worry about. Both procedures are relatively safe but are best to be carried out by qualified personnel in the health facilities.
There are many personal reasons why someone might seek an early abortion. The most common include:
- They are those moments when one is not ready in terms of emotions, financially, or physically to have a child.
- Past responsibilities and obligations that make having a baby challenging
- This could be due to a lack of a support system or resource to cater to the needs of a child.
- Need to focus energy on education, career, other children, or life circumstances
- Concerns about health on the part of the respondents or the potential child
- Pregnancy which could have been as a result of contraception failure, rape, or any other unwanted situation.
Abortion is never an easy process and the decision to have one can be very stressful. There is no right or wrong reason – every situation is unique. The most important aspect is to make a decision that one would deem fit for the problem.
A woman goes through some of the safest operations during the first trimester for carrying out abortion techniques. In this review, the encounters of major complications after the surgery were rare.
- If all prescribed guidelines are adhered to, the number of complications with medical abortions is less than 0.4%.
- The rate of complications for surgical abortion was 0.5% or less.
Those that do happen are usually quite minor and easily managed. On the other hand, the following complications are much more common in childbearing than in the other events mentioned above. Statistics show early abortions are considerably safer than pregnancy and delivery.
Emotional and Psychological Effects
Abortions often cause a lot of controversy and elicit various feelings and emotions both before and after the procedure. But, as for the feeling that women experience after early abortion, the research suggests that relief is the most familiar one. It concludes that there are no increased rates of depression or other severe mental disorders after an abortion versus after childbirth or after a miscarriage.
Talking through your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust, a close friend or a counselor can help process the emotions that surface. If you do feel these effects of the disease as anxiety, sadness, or regret that hinders your daily functioning, there is help, and you should seek it. Nevertheless, some findings reveal that with adequate backup, most women are capable of handling their emotions after undergoing an early abortion.
Early Abortion Care – A Discussion of Implementation Aspects
If you are considering or planning to have an early abortion, here are some logistical factors to keep in mind: In the case where you are thinking or planning for an early abortion then some logistics considerations should be put into consideration:
Options and Costs
- Explore your options – in the clinic, telemedicine, or at home to find what works best for your needs and timing
- Know the expenses in terms of procedure cost, visits, other tests, ultrasound, prescription, sickness/childcare leave from work. The finances or the modes of budgeting are available if a candidate requires the same.
Timing
According to the research, first-trimester abortions have fewer complications. Discuss timing considerations for the option you choose.
Book early because clinics may take time to accommodate a patient or may have to put you on a waiting list – especially as the pandemic progresses.
Support Person
Recommend going with someone familiar to you for companionship and support during the procedure.
If one so desires, he or she can choose to undergo the process independently. Either way, lining up emotional support is advised.
Self Care Needs
Make preparations to care for your physical and emotional needs afterward:
- Schedule working allots as required – that means planning your work/childcare/commitments around the recovery downtime.
- Organize your environment to have casual clothes, foods/beverages, and activities that you feel comfortable with
- Normal side effects that need to be monitored should be identified and it is advised to have some medications or heating pads readily available.
- Identify your support people to check in with about how you’re coping
Conclusion
A first-trimester early surgical abortion is in general a very safe procedure and women seem to manage fine afterwards emotionally. However, being willing to take a little time to examine each of these factors enables you to prepare for each of them, you can consult experts like Orlando’s Women’s Center, set a budget, understand the timeline, and plan for self-care would go a long way in making the experience as great as you want it to be.
