17 May What Are the Signs of an Incomplete Abortion?
The typical signs of an incomplete abortion are moderate to severe vaginal bleeding, and sometimes lower abdominal cramping and/or pelvic pain.
What Is Incomplete Abortion?
Incomplete abortion happens when the abortion pill or other abortion method terminates the pregnancy, but tissue remains inside the body. It is the most common complication related to medical abortions under 12 weeks.
An incomplete abortion is also the term used to describe missed miscarriage, when the pregnancy ends without direct cause but the tissue hasn’t been completely expelled.
What Happens if an Incomplete Abortion Is Left Untreated?
If an incomplete abortion is left untreated, it can lead to infection.
Pelvic infection (pelvic inflammatory disease) is a complication of abortion. The risk of developing one after abortion is higher if the woman has a sexually transmitted disease prior to the procedure, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, mycoplasma, and bacterial vaginosis.
In addition to existing STDs, an infection can occur if pregnancy tissue is left inside the body.
If the incomplete abortion has become infected, you may experience these symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease:
- Pain, ranging from mild to severe in the lower abdomen and pelvis
- Unusual or heavy vaginal discharge that may have an unpleasant odor
- Unusual bleeding from the vagina
- Pain during sex
- Fever, sometimes with chills
- Painful, frequent, or difficult urination
According to Mayo Clinic, you should contact your health care provider or seek urgent medical care if you experience severe pain low in your abdomen, nausea and vomiting (with the inability to keep anything down), fever over 101 F, and foul vaginal discharge.
Is Incomplete Abortion Serious?
An incomplete abortion, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications. Developing a pelvic infection can cause damage to your reproductive system and potentially cause future ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and tubo-ovarian abscess.
Even worse, incomplete abortion can lead to the onset of septic shock. This is a medical emergency when infection overtakes your body and causes very low blood pressure. Though, this complication is uncommon.
Your Health Matters to Us
In order to protect your health and safety before pregnancy or an abortion, make an appointment at our center. We provide no-cost STD screening for women and men of all ages. Treating STDs is one way to lower your risk of developing a pelvic infection or spreading the STDs to new partners.
We also offer no-cost pregnancy testing and ultrasounds to women who think they might be pregnant. By scheduling a pregnancy confirmation appointment, we can verify how far along you are, and if your pregnancy is viable and progressing.
Schedule your no-cost appointment today!