Abortion at home: saving from pregnancy at the cost of your own life?

What is medical abortion

Medical Management of First‑Trimester Abortion (ACOG) is one way to terminate an early pregnancy.
It is considered the least traumatic. In the physical sense, of course. If a conventional surgical or vacuum abortion involves an operation under anesthesia, then with medication the woman takes a couple of pills - and then the process of terminating the pregnancy starts by itself.

But like any medical intervention, this procedure has its own nuances that you need to know about.

Is it possible to have an abortion without the consent of your husband or parents?

According to Art. 20 N 323-ФЗ dated November 21, 2011 and Order of the Ministry of Health No. 572n dated November 01, 2012, the consent of the husband or any other relatives is not required to terminate the pregnancy.

It is not needed for minors over 15 years of age, with the exception of girls suffering from drug addiction, provided that the pregnant woman who wants to have an abortion is registered with a special person. This category requires parental or guardian consent until the age of 16. From the age of sixteen until the age of 18 and beyond, everyone can have an abortion on their own.

The clinic will not inform parents, schools or other educational institutions, since termination of pregnancy is a medical confidentiality.

But not every abortion clinic accepts minors. There must be a special license for this. Private clinics usually do not work with minors.

How to do a medical abortion

Under no circumstances take any medications without a gynecologist's prescription.
Medical abortion must be carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor. So, you suspected you were pregnant and firmly decided that you wanted to get rid of it.

First you need to visit a gynecologist. The doctor will conduct an examination, find out when you had your period (this is important, since a medical abortion can be done if less than 7 weeks have passed since the start of your last menstruation) and will necessarily send you for an ultrasound to confirm the fact of pregnancy and exclude its ectopic variant. .

If everything is in order, you will receive two tablets (note that you cannot buy them yourself at the pharmacy - these are strictly prescription drugs) along with detailed instructions on how to take them.

The first contains mifepristone. It blocks the production of progesterone, a hormone that is responsible for the development of the lining of the uterus (endometrium). The endometrium becomes thinner, the fertilized egg cannot stay in it and begins to flake off. In addition, mifepristone causes the uterus to contract more actively, pushing out the egg, and softens its cervix to facilitate its passage out.

The second drug is based on misoprostol. It is taken 24–48 hours after mifepristone, when the effect of the first active substance gains strength. Misoprostol additionally stimulates the uterus, and the fertilized egg, along with the dead endometrium, is pushed out.

This process is similar to menstruation. Only more abundant: the uterus does not get rid of a tiny egg, but from a fertilized egg that has developed for several weeks.

Since both drugs affect hormonal levels and can cause serious bleeding, the tablets should only be taken under medical supervision. You may be asked to stay at the clinic for a couple of hours after taking each pill, and then, if everything goes well, you will be sent home.

You will then need to return to the hospital in 7-10 days to have another ultrasound to make sure the abortion is complete.

Is it possible to have an abortion without cleaning?

Such a method exists, and it is called medical abortion, or abortion with pills. In this case, the woman is given drugs that cause pregnancy to falter, rejection and release of the fertilized egg. The process resembles a natural miscarriage, so there are practically no complications. In this case, curettage and cleanings are not performed during an abortion.

It is this method of termination, called velvet by doctors, that is preferable for women who plan to have more offspring.

However, such an interruption is done before 7 weeks of pregnancy, so in the first days of the delay you need to go to the clinic, be examined, take tests and carry out a gentle abortion while maintaining your health.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

Abortion and contraception clinic in St. Petersburg - department of the medical gynecological association "Diana"

Make an appointment, tests or ultrasound via the contact form or by calling +8 (812) 62-962-77. We work seven days a week from 09:00 to 21:00.

We are located in the Krasnogvardeisky district, next to the Novocherkasskaya, Ploshchad Alexander Nevsky and Ladozhskaya metro stations.

The cost of a medical abortion in our clinic is 3,300 rubles. The price includes all pills, an examination by a gynecologist and an ultrasound to determine the timing of pregnancy.

What you need to know before deciding to have a medical abortion

This is not a harmless procedure.

It is advisable to have an abortion before 6–7 weeks

The maximum Medical Management of First‑Trimester Abortion - ACOG period until which a medical abortion can be performed is 9 weeks from the first day of the last menstruation. The key word here is maximum.

The longer the pregnancy, the larger the size of the fertilized egg and the endometrium in which it is immersed. This means that “menstruation” can be much heavier and more painful than usual. In addition, the effectiveness of the procedure depends on the duration:

• if less than 42 days have passed since the first day of the last menstruation, the probability of a successful abortion is 96–98%;
• from 43 to 49 days - 91–95%;
• over 49 days - less than 85%.

Additional factor: when the pregnancy is more than 49 days, the risk of complications increases (more on them below). Therefore, most clinics prefer to work with patients whose last menstrual period has been less than 7 weeks.

Medical abortion is not performed at less than 4 weeks.

This is due to the need to confirm the pregnancy using an ultrasound and find out if it is ectopic.

Even the most sensitive transvaginal test, in which a probe is inserted directly into the vagina, can detect the fertilized egg in the uterus only after it reaches a size of about 2 mm. This approximately corresponds to a period of 4 weeks.

Until an ultrasound is performed and its results are received, a self-respecting clinic will refuse to perform an abortion.

The procedure is not carried out on the day of treatment

Based on the two points above, it is clear that time is limited. A woman has only 2–3 weeks to establish pregnancy, decide on an abortion and carry it out. And during this period, one more nuance must be included: medical abortion, as a rule, is not performed on the day of treatment.

A good gynecologist will send you to think for a few days. It will give you a chance to cope with emotions and, perhaps, still maintain the pregnancy.

Medical abortion takes longer than vacuum or surgical abortion

Classic instrumental types of abortion have their disadvantages, such as the need for anesthesia. But there are also advantages.

If you come for a surgical or vacuum abortion, you clearly know when it will begin and end. As a rule, the procedure takes no more than an hour and a half, including all the necessary preparation and time to recover from anesthesia. In most cases, patients do not feel pain, do not suffer from heavy bleeding, do not experience problems with well-being and can try to forget about the abortion the very next day.

The medication option is different. You will constantly remember about it for at least several days - the interval between taking the pills and the entire period of subsequent bleeding until the second ultrasound. There may also be problems with well-being.

Be prepared for side effects

Taking Mifepristone is often accompanied by unpleasant side effects:

• nausea and vomiting;
• abdominal cramps;
• diarrhea;
• dizziness and headache;
• weakness;
• temperature rise.

This means that your energy, performance, and concentration will decrease. Or perhaps you don’t want to leave the house at all. Take this fact into account when planning your time.

Medical abortion can be painful

Although bleeding with this type of abortion resembles menstrual bleeding, it is more difficult to tolerate. It is often accompanied by severe cramps in the lower abdomen.

Sometimes this pain can be relieved by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen. But more powerful prescription medications may be required. Be sure to discuss this issue with your doctor.

Possible serious complications

First of all, in the form of excessive uterine bleeding. This can be defined, for example, like this: you have to change two or more maxi pads per hour for 2 hours in a row. If this is your case, consult a gynecologist. Or, if the bleeding frightens you with profuseness, call an ambulance immediately.

You should also seek help from a doctor if heavy bleeding does not decrease in intensity within 2-3 days.

Fortunately, such complications are quite rare: statistics show that they occur in less than 1% of women.

You may still have to undergo a surgical abortion

Medicines do not provide a 100% guarantee of termination of pregnancy.

It may happen that the fertilized egg does not come out and the pregnancy continues to develop. This situation is called incomplete abortion. In this case, the remnants of the fertilized egg and the dead endometrium will have to be removed surgically.

There are contraindications for medical abortion

A good clinic will refuse the procedure if the patient:

• pregnancy over 70 days (10 weeks);
• ectopic pregnancy;
• inflammatory or infectious diseases of the genital organs;
• uterine fibroids;
• liver or kidney failure;
• diabetes;
• an intrauterine device is installed;
• there is any diagnosis for which she regularly takes corticosteroids;
• pregnancy occurred while using hormonal contraceptives.

Your doctor will tell you more about contraindications.

You will have to be more active in protecting yourself

There is data from Conception rates after abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol that those who have undergone a medical abortion experience pregnancy in the next year more often than the average for other women. This happens even if the woman does not plan to become a mother.

Scientists warn of an increased risk of another unwanted pregnancy after a medical abortion and ask for more active use of contraception.

If you nevertheless decide to have a child, a medical abortion performed a month or two before the onset of a new pregnancy will not become an obstacle: it does not in any way affect the health of the unborn baby.

Until what time can you have an abortion?

Induced abortion is permitted for a period not exceeding 12 weeks. Even if a woman clearly knows the day of conception, but when calculating the obstetric period it turns out to be more than 12 weeks, the woman may be denied an abortion.

According to Russian legislation, it is established until what period abortion is performed in medical institutions, when a woman can have an abortion:

• abortion can be performed up to 12 weeks if a woman wishes;
• interruption for social reasons can be done up to 22 weeks;
• Abortion for medical reasons can be done regardless of the gestational age of the fetus.

If the gestational age is less than 8 weeks, then minimally invasive methods of terminating pregnancy are recommended:

• pharmacological (medicinal);
• mini-abortion (vacuum aspiration).

Abortion before 12 weeks is called voluntary termination of pregnancy. In practice, there are exceptional situations in which the interruption procedure can be carried out for a longer period. Such situations may be social or medical in nature.

Social grounds include:

• age less than 15 years;
• age over 45 years;
• having more than five children;
• death of the child's father.

Social grounds also include rape, for recognition of which a woman must provide documents confirming this fact.

Medical reasons include:

• pathology of intrauterine development of a child;
• a disease of a pregnant woman that may cause pathology or non-viability of the fetus;
• the appearance of a condition that poses a potential threat to a woman’s health.

The decision on the possibility of termination of pregnancy in the later stages is made by members of a specially created commission, which necessarily includes the head physician, the gynecologist observing the patient, related specialists - if the patient has serious illnesses, and a lawyer.

The decision to terminate a pregnancy at a later stage is influenced by a number of factors:

• mental and physical health of women;
• circumstances that serve as grounds for the possibility of termination of pregnancy at a later stage;
• woman's age;
• presence of diseases, allergic reactions;
• the possibility and risk of complications;
• risk to life.

Termination of pregnancy in late stages is a rather painful procedure, being, in fact, an imitation of childbirth.

For late-term abortion, one of the following methods can be used:

• artificial induction of labor;
• caesarean section method.

Traditional methods

You can terminate a pregnancy using folk remedies. They also do not provide 100% results, and they must be used with extreme caution.

Watercress grass

Collect fresh watercress grass, rinse under running water, then pour over boiling water and grind through a meat grinder. Place the resulting pulp on a piece of gauze folded in several layers and squeeze the juice out of it. Dilute it with boiled water in a ratio of 1:2. Place the resulting product on the fire and boil for 2 minutes. You need to drink 1 tbsp every day. spoons 3 times a day until the egg leaves the uterus (bleeding will indicate this).

Moss oblates

Take the dried club moss and crush it. Then 1 tbsp. Pour a spoonful of raw materials into 2 glasses of water and put on fire. It is necessary that the mixture boils for 5-7 minutes. Leave the resulting decoction for 2 hours, then strain and take 3 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon.

Gentian triflorum

Take the roots of gentian triflorum and fill it at the rate of 1 to 10. Then place the container with the herb in a steam bath and leave for 15 minutes. Leave the decoction for 2 hours, and then drink 1/3 cup three times a day.

Lush carnation

Take a teaspoon of lush clove seeds and pour 170 ml of boiling water. After this, leave everything to infuse for 2 hours. You need to drink the resulting product 2 tbsp. spoons 3 times a day.

Field carnation

You can also use wild cloves to terminate a pregnancy. Take it in the amount of 1 tbsp. spoons and pour a glass of boiling water. Leave the product on for 1 hour. Take the resulting infusion 3 times a day, 1 tbsp. l.

The statistics are harsh; more than 70% of women, seeing the coveted two stripes, wonder how to terminate a pregnancy at 2-3 weeks of pregnancy. For many reasons. Some are not mentally ready to be a mother, some are not confident in their life partner, some simply do not have the financial means to support a child. Most are afraid of drastic changes in their lives and believe that at this stage children are simply not needed. Unfortunately, in some countries abortion has been officially banned, so women are forced to look for illegal ways to terminate a pregnancy, often they are simply dangerous to health or even life.

However, at the very beginning, pregnancy can be terminated with medication, without much loss to the body.

Mechanism of abortion

Termination of pregnancy in this way usually lasts about 15 minutes, all this time the doctor works blindly: first, the cervix is ​​dilated with special instruments, and then the gynecologist inserts a curette (a tool in the shape of a poker or spoon), with which he scrapes out the entire uterine cavity. The endometrium is also scraped out along with the embryo. Damage to the inner walls of the uterus is possible, since the doctor acts almost by touch.

After the operation, the woman needs to stay in the hospital for about another day, and then she is discharged under the supervision of a local doctor. After an abortion, a woman is advised to have sexual rest and careful monitoring of the discharge.

Medical termination of pregnancy at home

Available for independent use are hormonal drugs designed to change the functioning of the reproductive organs. There are 2 most common ways to prevent pregnancy or have a spontaneous abortion:

How to provoke a miscarriage at home

If conception occurred by accident, then the woman will most likely think about how to have a miscarriage at home. Attempts to terminate a pregnancy on your own will likely cause life-threatening bleeding, and some of them will provoke severe disturbances in the functioning of internal organs.

Before the 22nd week of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion is possible, which is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms, including heavy bleeding and pain in the lower abdomen. If a pathology is detected, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible to prevent dangerous consequences.

Folk means of interruption

Let’s immediately make a reservation that it is better to contact a gynecologist, because only he can competently perform an abortion with minimal consequences.

From the first days after conception, radical changes occur in the body, mainly hormonal. And women who want to terminate a pregnancy using folk remedies must understand that this is harmful and sometimes even dangerous. In particular, this applies to young girls who are embarrassed to see a gynecologist or tell their parents.

On a note! It is much more difficult to ensure the normal development of the fetus than to terminate a pregnancy. But many people, unfortunately, do not understand this.

The most popular among folk methods are the following.

There are also other plants that have abortifacient properties. They lead to contraction of the uterine muscles and expulsion of the fetus. But almost all of these plants are poisonous and cause great harm to the liver and kidneys.

In addition, a decoction of the herb club moss, tricolor gentian and wild rosemary is used. But we note that if a woman still decides to terminate the pregnancy, then a safer option is medical abortion.

Even the first and only termination of pregnancy can have the most serious consequences, including infertility. And if a woman has already had abortions before, then another interruption can be dangerous for the desired pregnancy!

It is much easier to use contraceptive methods. And for those who have already had several abortions, it is advisable to consult a gynecologist or psychologist (or better yet, both).

Reliability of contraceptive methods

And lastly: abortion is a serious stress for the body and an inevitable price to pay for neglecting contraception. And none of the described methods is completely safe - even with excellent individual tolerance, the consequences can be the most disastrous. So is it worth trading such happiness as the birth of a child for this? The answer is obvious.