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Is Abortion Safe? Physical complications- Even after using local anesthesia, 97% of women having abortions reported experiencing pain during the procedure, 39 which more than a third described as "intense," 40 "severe" or "very severe." 41
- Studies show that younger women tend to find abortion more painful than do older adults, 42 and that patients typically found abortion more painful than what their doctors or counselors led them to expect. 43
- More powerful general anesthetics can reduce the pain, but can significantly increase the risk of cervical injury or uterine perforation. 44
- Complications such as cervical lacerations 45 and uterine, bladder or bowel perforations 46 are common, as are bleeding, hemorrhage, 47 menstrual disturbance, 48 inflammation of the reproductive organs, 49 and serious infection. 50
- Some more harmful long-term physical complications from abortion may surface later. For example, aggressive curettage can damage the lining of the uterus and lead to permanent infertility. 51
- Overall, women who have abortions face an increased risk of ectopic (tubal) pregnancy 52 and a more than doubled risk of future sterility. 53
- Death of the mother is the most serious of all complications. Over 250 women have died from legal abortions since 1973. 54 The risk of death increases according to the duration of the pregnancy 55 and the complexity of the abortion technique employed. 55
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