What abortion involves
An abortion ends a pregnancy. You deserve clear information about the method, what your body may experience, possible risks and follow-up care.
Two medicines are used. Mifepristone blocks progesterone so the pregnancy stops developing; misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and pass the pregnancy tissue.
Bleeding, cramping and clots are expected; nausea and other effects can occur. Pain and bleeding vary, and follow-up confirms completion.
The cervix is prepared or opened and pregnancy tissue is removed from the uterus using suction and, when needed, instruments. Later procedures are more involved.
Sedation or anaesthesia may be used. Cramping and bleeding can follow. A clinician should explain uncommon complications and what applies to you.
Read the RANZCOG guideline →Medicines induce labour and delivery. Care pathways differ with gestation, the woman’s health and fetal diagnosis. Specialist care should include pain management, physical follow-up and sensitive bereavement choices.
About the source
Post Abortion Syndrome: The Silent Suffering is an eight-page information and advocacy booklet produced by Abortion Grief Australia. It is not one clinical trial. It brings together several older sources to present the organisation’s view of possible delayed and long-term difficulties after abortion.
What it involved
Date note: 22 February 2022 is the creation date stored in the supplied PDF file. The booklet does not print a clear original publication date on its pages, and most of the research in its reference list is considerably older.
What the publication describes over time
These cards summarise the supplied publication’s discussion. They describe experiences that may occur for some people; they are not a checklist that every person is expected to match.
The publication describes denial and suppression as protective responses that may allow someone to function for years before difficult feelings become more visible.
It identifies abortion or due dates, a later birth, miscarriage, fertility difficulty, relationship change, menopause and other life crises as possible reminders or triggers.
The booklet lists prolonged sadness, depression, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, anger, nightmares, flashbacks, emotional numbness and difficulty concentrating among experiences reported by some women.
It also discusses isolation, communication difficulties, relationship strain, sexual difficulties, reduced efficiency, sleep problems and changes in responses to babies or later pregnancies.
The publication argues that crisis, fear of rejection, financial or relationship pressure and a lack of safe support can shape both the decision and a person’s longer-term wellbeing.
Its closing sections call for grief-aware, multidisciplinary support and suggest that a person’s needs may involve more than one professional or form of care.
Someone does not need to prove a diagnosis before asking for help. Persistent grief, panic, depression, intrusive memories, self-harm thoughts or difficulty functioning should be met with confidential, qualified care rather than judgement.
Additional research source · 2013
Angela Lanfranchi, Ian Gentles and Elizabeth Ring-Cassidy’s 2013 book is a 21-chapter advocacy publication, not one clinical study. The selected citations below were checked against their original journal records so the study design, finding and limits remain visible together.
Niinimäki and colleagues followed 42,619 abortions performed at 63 days’ gestation or less between 2000 and 2006. They reported more recorded adverse events after medical abortion (20.0%) than surgical abortion (5.6%), largely bleeding and incomplete abortion. Operative injuries were uncommon but more frequent after surgical care. The authors concluded that both methods were generally safe.
This compares two methods in a historical Finnish health system; it is not a current Australian personal-risk estimate.
Shah and Zao reported an association between one previous induced termination and preterm birth (odds ratio 1.36) or low birthweight (odds ratio 1.35). Associations were larger after more than one termination. No association was found for being small for gestational age.
The included studies were observational. Residual confounding, older procedures and differences between study populations mean association should not be presented as proof of cause.
Fergusson, Horwood and Boden followed a birth cohort of more than 500 women. After adjustment for measured confounders, the authors reported mental-disorder rates about 30% higher among women who had abortions and estimated that abortion exposure accounted for 1.5%–5.5% of overall disorder rates.
This was a non-randomised cohort and cannot fully separate the procedure from prior mental health, violence, circumstances or pregnancy wantedness. The authors described a possible small association—not proof of causation.
Current evidence context
The US National Academies’ 2018 evidence review concluded that having an abortion does not increase the risk of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. For present-day Australian clinical information, use RANZCOG’s evidence-based abortion-care guideline and speak with a qualified clinician.
