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Contents of Safety of Abortion

Safety of Abortion

25

Lecture Notes

Abortions performed in the first trimester pose virtually no long-term physical or psychological risks. Under safe, clean, legal conditions, abortion is a safe medical procedure. But self-administered or illegal clandestine abortions can be very dangerous and sometimes even fatal. The single greatest factor influencing the safety of abortion is gestational age, with those performed in early pregnancy being the safest. Ninety percent of abortions occur within the first 3 months, thus making the procedure relatively safe.

 

Regardless of the method performed, however, almost all women have some bleeding after the procedure that lasts from several days to several weeks. The risks of complications increases with the length of the pregnancy.