“What would happen if you had an abortion after 1 month of pregnancy?”
What would be the future side effects of an abortion after 1 month of pregnancy?
Female | 26 years old
2 Answers
If the question is the long-term risks associated with an early (1 month) pregnancy, there are few. Most of those terminations can be performed medically, meaning that there is not a procedure that has to be done. This is unusual in that most people don't find out they are pregnant this early. However, if this is the case and you choose to have a termination, the risks include mostly bleeding, cramping and pain.
Dr. Victoria Mondloch
OB-GYN (Obstetrician-Gynecologist) | Gynecology
This is a very simple question but not such a simple answer. It totally depends on whether or not the pregnancy was truly 4wks along and it was really a ‘chemical pregnancy’, meaning that you miscarried at about the time you would’ve had your period. Or if the pregnancy was 6wks along or ‘1month after ovulation’ which is about the time that many patients will feel their first sign of morning sickness or GI upset and realize that they are more than just ‘late’ for their period; a positive home urine pregnancy test at this timing would’ve registered a ‘Yes’ or a ‘+’ on the stick. Or if the pregnancy was 8wks along or ‘1monthat after missing your period’ which would be the timing of most patients noting breast tenderness and GI upset along with increased urination from an enlarging uterus putting pressure on the bladder; for sure a urine pregnancy test would show positive at this point.
Now the question becomes did the pregnancy end in a spontaneous miscarriage or was it an induced miscarriage by taking a pill to cause miscarriage or was it an induced miscarriage by having a D&C or suction abortion at a clinic? Regardless of the way the miscarriage occurred, as long as there are no signs of persistent bleeding or fever which may actually signal that not all of the pregnancy tissue was passed (placenta, amniotic sac with or without a fetus inside), then it is likely but not confirmed that all of the tissue has passed. There are instances of delayed bleeding or infection up to a few days to a few weeks later if retained pregnancy tissue occurs; then do a urine pregnancy test to help confirm. If the test is still positive, then consult a physician. One of the circumstances that can occur is an ectopic pregnancy; that’s when the pregnancy is outside of the uterus, most commonly in the tube. All of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy occur but you may not be aware that it is tubal until it cannot grow any further without rupturing the tube; this this a medical emergency THAT CAN KILL YOU; it is imperative if you have a higher risk of tubal pregnancy that you seek immediate and early pregnancy care as you may require serial HCG blood testing and probable ultrasound to prove that your pregnancy is actually inside the uterus. Patients at high risk of this happening are patients with a history of pelvic infection, endometriosis, anovulation, prior abdominal or pelvic surgery, uterine abnormalities such as fibroids and recurrent ovarian cyst rupture which causes scar tissue around the tubes and can impair the conceptus (the developing fetus) from finishing it’s trip from the tube, where conception occurs to the inside of the uterus where it will implant.
Patients who are at increased risk for not passing all of the products of conception include patients with a prior C-section or prior uterine surgery such as a myomectomy or polyp removal. Patients with an IUD in place are at especially high risk if they become pregnant with an IUD in place as this can cause disruption of the pregnancy as the IUD arms may puncture the amniotic sac, the IUD may be pushed by the growing pregnancy into the wall of the uterus causing it to embed in the muscle and perhaps even puncture partially or fully through the wall of the uterus into the abdominal cavity; both can cause hemorrhage, severe pelvic/abdominal cramping, fever and that combination will end up as an emergency admission to the hospital and probable emergency surgery to retrieve the ‘lost IUD’; and IT CAN KILL YOU if it punctures the bowel and spills fecal content into the abdomen; this would mimic an appendicitis that isn’t an appendicitis at all with normal CT of the appendix perhaps causing a delay in diagnosis.
So as you can see, it’s a simple question, but not a simple answer.
Now the question becomes did the pregnancy end in a spontaneous miscarriage or was it an induced miscarriage by taking a pill to cause miscarriage or was it an induced miscarriage by having a D&C or suction abortion at a clinic? Regardless of the way the miscarriage occurred, as long as there are no signs of persistent bleeding or fever which may actually signal that not all of the pregnancy tissue was passed (placenta, amniotic sac with or without a fetus inside), then it is likely but not confirmed that all of the tissue has passed. There are instances of delayed bleeding or infection up to a few days to a few weeks later if retained pregnancy tissue occurs; then do a urine pregnancy test to help confirm. If the test is still positive, then consult a physician. One of the circumstances that can occur is an ectopic pregnancy; that’s when the pregnancy is outside of the uterus, most commonly in the tube. All of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy occur but you may not be aware that it is tubal until it cannot grow any further without rupturing the tube; this this a medical emergency THAT CAN KILL YOU; it is imperative if you have a higher risk of tubal pregnancy that you seek immediate and early pregnancy care as you may require serial HCG blood testing and probable ultrasound to prove that your pregnancy is actually inside the uterus. Patients at high risk of this happening are patients with a history of pelvic infection, endometriosis, anovulation, prior abdominal or pelvic surgery, uterine abnormalities such as fibroids and recurrent ovarian cyst rupture which causes scar tissue around the tubes and can impair the conceptus (the developing fetus) from finishing it’s trip from the tube, where conception occurs to the inside of the uterus where it will implant.
Patients who are at increased risk for not passing all of the products of conception include patients with a prior C-section or prior uterine surgery such as a myomectomy or polyp removal. Patients with an IUD in place are at especially high risk if they become pregnant with an IUD in place as this can cause disruption of the pregnancy as the IUD arms may puncture the amniotic sac, the IUD may be pushed by the growing pregnancy into the wall of the uterus causing it to embed in the muscle and perhaps even puncture partially or fully through the wall of the uterus into the abdominal cavity; both can cause hemorrhage, severe pelvic/abdominal cramping, fever and that combination will end up as an emergency admission to the hospital and probable emergency surgery to retrieve the ‘lost IUD’; and IT CAN KILL YOU if it punctures the bowel and spills fecal content into the abdomen; this would mimic an appendicitis that isn’t an appendicitis at all with normal CT of the appendix perhaps causing a delay in diagnosis.
So as you can see, it’s a simple question, but not a simple answer.
