QuestionQUESTION: hi. i'm 29 years old, presently 3 months pregnant. two years ago, i had an abortion during my 2nd month pregnancy. right now, i'm worried that my abortion before will have an effect on my pregnancy right now. is there a risk? like a developmental problem, or a physical defect on my baby? i'm living in philippines where abortion is illegal so the procedure i undertook was not quite professionally done. i'll appreciate your thoughts. by the way, that was my only first abortion.
ANSWER: Hello, Trisha,
Yes, your prior abortion can cause a risk with this pregnancy. Nobody knows what risk may come from a medical abortion, because they haven't been in use long enough. However, from a surgical abortion, there is risk of miscarriage, or prematurity, which can cause cerebral palsy or other mental disorders in the baby. Tell your doctor you have had an abortion so he can safeguard you both to the best of his ability. In the case of prematurity, it is because the cervix is weakened by many microtears that happen when the cervix is forced open, so it cannot hold the weight of a full term baby. The doctor can stitch or fasten your cervix shut to prevent this from happening, and this will be removed at the time of birth. There are also risks during birth. If there is significant scarring, the placenta may not be able to find a good place to attach, and may attach near the cervix, or over it. This is called placenta previa. It can cause a hemorrhage, which can kill you both. For this reason, it will probably necessitate a Caesarian section to save the lives of both of you. In addition, a prior abortion can cause prolonged labor, which is also a threat to your baby. Often doctors are tempted to intervene to try to prevent these problems, but they often only make them worse. There is no way of knowing whether you in particular will have these problems. It should be possible to locate the placenta in later pregnancy, by ultrasound, to see if this will be a problem. If a woman bleeds during early labor, this could be a result of damage to the placenta if it is too close to the opening of the cervix. I will hope and pray that everything will go well for you. In most cases, things will probably turn out all right, so please try not to worry. Take one day at a time. If you want to tell me what problems you suffered, I may be able to tell you more. Please take care of both of you. May the Lord bless and safeguard you both.
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QUESTION: thank you Pat G. do you have figures or percentage of these risks? what's the ratio of pregnancies after an abortion experiences those risks?
AnswerTrisha,
You're welcome.
I don't have figures on everything. But I will give you the figures I have.
For long term damage to a woman's reproductive system, it's known to be at least 35% of all women who get abortions. The chances of miscarriage or tubal pregnancy are both about 400% greater than they would be otherwise. I don't have a figure for the overall risk.
Extreme prematurity after abortion doubles the risk of having a baby with cerebral palsy.
At three months, you are already past the danger of tubal pregnancy. But please let the doctor know you had an abortion and you are concerned about the possibility of miscarriage or extreme prematurity, and ask him to watch you closely and make sure that he takes action if labor is a possibility. There are, as I understand it, signs if labor is going to occur early. Ask the doctor to explain how to tell.
I don't know what the normal Caesarian rate is in the Philippines. Ordinarily, doctors should do no more than 5% of all births as Caesarian sections.
Because of your abortion, you are in a high risk category. But if you are diligent and the doctor truly works with you, the chances of having a normal baby are high. Every woman worries about the health of her baby. Take one day at a time. You will be all right.
I will keep you in my prayers. Let me know how you do.
