Termination of pregnancy with pills is a medical abortion, carried out in the first trimester. If you are within 9 weeks of gestation but do not want to continue the pregnancy, then you can take medicines to end it. Remember for safety, the pregnancy location must be inside the uterus. Most people prefer induced abortion with medication as it gives them privacy, discretion, and comfort. Also, they can self-perform the process at home without assistance.

You can get abortion more than once. And it is totally fine to go through it without affecting the chance of future pregnancy. Many people have doubts about whether can abortion cause infertility and the answer is a big no. The procedure itself is never responsible for any impact on conceiving. The medication method is the most effective for early termination. But there is some risk involved in surgical abortion, though rare.

The invasive procedure abortion can lead to Asherman Syndrome, a condition that scars the uterus. So, what are the types of abortions? Does abortion affect fertility? Can you get pregnant after an abortion? How long after an abortion can you get pregnant? We will take you through the answers to these questions, along with a few others.

Different Abortion Methods for Your Pregnancy

It is possible that a type of termination method can affect the ability to conceive in the future. Such risk of abortion cause is rare but depends on how far along you are in the pregnancy and the timing for emptying the uterus. Here are the two most renowned pregnancy abortion methods:

1.    Medical Abortion

In a medical abortion, you take pills to initiate the termination of pregnancy. But you can only undertake the process if the abortions weeks or rather the gestational age is within 9 weeks. Some women even take the medicine if they experienced a miscarriage. The pills help to push out the pregnancy remnants and avoid infection so that it is possible to get pregnant in the future. For recovery, it is important to care after medical abortion for health.

• If up to 63 days gestation, you can take a combination of Mifepristone and Misoprostol to expel the pregnancy portions from your womb. So, do abortions cause infertility when performed with medicines? No, it does not. Because Mifepristone stops pregnancy by suppressing the progesterone hormone. Then it detaches the fetus from the uterus wall.
• Misoprostol causes uterine contractions and heavy vaginal bleeding to dispel the pregnancy remains from the womb. It also widens the cervix for letting out the particles inside the uterus. All of it happens without any harm to health. So, pregnancy after abortion is never compromised.
  

2.      Surgical Abortion

Here, a clinical health care abortion process empties the uterus. The surgeon uses special instruments and equipment for the purpose. There are two kinds of invasive procedures to end a pregnancy. And these are valid up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. But not every region allows pregnancy termination up to 24 weeks. Some restrict it to 16 to 20 weeks as well or lower.

• Vacuum aspiration is the preferred process for pregnancy up to 16 weeks. Here, the professional will use suction equipment to collect the pregnancy parts, including the placenta from the uterus and end the pregnancy. Yes, after abortion pregnancy is possible if you do not use birth control.
• After 14 weeks, you can also choose Dilation and evacuation or D&E to vacate the womb. Be it any method, abortion after care is necessary for well-being. In D&E, vacuum aspiration, as well as removal through forceps, occurs. It can also be combined with dilation and curettage. This method also is safe to complete an incomplete miscarriage or termination.
• The curette is an instrument to remove the tissues of pregnancy from the uterine lining. If the surgeon performs the procedure properly, then getting pregnant after abortion should not be a problem as the uterus is unharmed.
• One of the common worries is does getting an abortion affect future pregnancy if you choose it after 24 weeks. If permitted to get a late pregnancy termination, then induced delivery helps to save the fetus and create a lab-controlled environment to help it grow. The rest of the pregnancy parts such as the placenta, tissues, and others are removed from the uterus.

Are There Risks of Getting an Abortion?

As per a popular survey, women’s health and abortion are integral to the healthcare system. Around 65.4 percent of terminations occur when a female is within 8 weeks or earlier into gestation. And 88 percent of terminations happen in the initial 12 weeks of conceiving. Thus, several women end pregnancies around the world, making abortion and fertility two different approaches and concerns. So, do medical abortions affect fertility, or do surgical ones? Both do not affect if done in a safe medical environment.

Ending a pregnancy is effective and risks after abortion are usually low. For instance, after medical abortion, ovulation can occur as soon as within 2 weeks. So, fertility after abortion resumes in no time, and if you are sexually active, use a contraceptive to safeguard against pregnancy. The fatality risk is less than 1 in 100,000 instances. But the risk of death after birthing is 14 times more than the risk of fatality after medical abortion or one done through surgery.

Rare Complications from a Pregnancy Termination

Risks after abortion are rare but not impossible. Here are some of the things to look out for, and report immediately to your healthcare provider to seek care.

• Heavy bleeding is common during pregnancy termination. But what happens after medical abortion is that the flow reduces as the uterus empties. If the flow is still heavy following the procedure, then it is a medical issue. It is rare, but blood transfusion is necessary if there is rapid blood loss and extreme weakness from it.
• Pregnancy tissues and other products of conception may exist in the womb even after the termination procedure. In such events, to get abortion done properly, you need to visit a clinic for surgical cleansing of the uterus so that there is no pregnancy remains inside.
• In an invasive process, the surgeon may accidentally injure the uterus, bladder, or nearby organs. Such risks are uncommon but occur in late abortion and fertility can get affected in this case. Timely assistance and care can protect against serious damage or life-threatening issues.
• Chances of infection can impact the abortion health procedure. But if administered antibiotics on time, you can avert future risks.

Asherman Syndrome and Future Pregnancy After Abortion

Asherman syndrome occurs when the uterine lining encounters damage. This happens mostly in a surgical procedure or dilation and curettage. The surgeon when scraping the uterine lining may injure the organ and lead to scars. The uterine cavity developing scars may increase the risk of miscarriages in the future. It is also a big question can you get pregnant after an abortion if you have Asherman syndrome?

Sometimes, conceiving is a problem here. But the condition is treatable. The professional will remove the scarred tissues and areas inside the uterus. He will leave a balloon inside the organ so that the uterus is open for healing. Once the uterus heals, the balloon is removed.

To Conclude

So, can having an abortion affect fertility? The answer is a no and a yes. The risks are rare but possible. But medical as well as surgical abortions are otherwise safe and do not affect your fertility. After abortion how long to get pregnant depends on your age, medical history, your partner’s fertility, and lifestyle habits, among other factors. If you think it is being hard to conceive following a pregnancy termination, then consult your healthcare provider for this.