Complications of Surgical Abortion
No procedure in medicine is totally free of potential complications. Anesthetic complications include allergy to the drug used (which is very rare) and a reaction to high levels of the local anesthetic drug in the bloodstream (which is fairly common). These symptoms may include a sense of dizziness, ringing in the ears, taste in the mouth, all of which disappear in a couple of minutes and are no threat to health or safety. Some women feel nauseated during or after the procedure.
The most serious complication of the procedure itself is perforation (poking a hole in) of the uterus. Should perforation occur, patients may be hospitalized, or even may have to undergo additional surgery. Fortunately, perforation is very rare.
Other complications include:
- Excessive bleeding, which may occur during the procedure, or afterwards. Various medications are usually effective in controlling excessive bleeding.
- Failure to remove all the tissue from the uterus. The physician may suspect this at the time of the procedure, and perform an ultrasound to monitor the completeness of the procedure. If tissue is retained, the procedure must be repeated.
- Infection can be diagnosed if in the days after the procedure the patient develops a fever, or has pain in the lower abdomen and pelvis. Antibiotics usually treat infection successfully.
We are prepared to manage any of these issues should they occur.
