Don’t want to continue your pregnancy? Then you need to consider either medical abortion or surgical abortion depending on your pregnancy stage. Medical abortion is conducted during the initial weeks of pregnancy, while surgical abortion is carried out when you are not a candidate for medical abortion.
People who want to abort their child should know about the difference between medical and surgical abortion. Below chart indicates the difference between medical and surgical abortion:
| Medical abortion | Surgical abortion | |
| Other Names | Medical abortion Therapeutic medical abortionInduced abortion
Elective medical abortion Non-surgical abortion |
Surgical abortion Aspiration Vacuum aspirationSuction aspirationD&A |
| Who can undergo the procedure | 1. If the pregnancy is harmful to the mother’s health
2. If the woman doesn’t want to continue the pregnancy 3. If the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest |
1.If the growing baby has birth defects or genetic problems
2.If the pregnancy is harmful to the mother’s health 3. If the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest |
| Risks | 1. Continued bleeding
2.Infection 3. Diarrhea 4. Pain 5.Pregnancy tissues left in the body that make surgery a necessity 6. Vomiting & Nausea
|
1. Damage to the uterus or cervix
2. Excessive bleeding 3. Scar at the inside of the uterus 4. Infection to the fallopian tubes or to the uterus 5. Uterine perforation 6. Reaction to anesthesia or medications |
| Success Rate | 89-95% Effective | More than 98-99% effective |
| Failure rate | 2-11% failure | 1-2% failure |
| Clinical stay | More visits required and each with few hours | A single visit with few hours. The health care providers will tell you when you can go home. |
| Procedure performed by | Licensed health care provider | Licensed health care provider |
| Post-procedure pain | Intense pain and lasts for few days | Pain lasts for a very short period |
| Post-procedure bleeding | Heavy bleeding lasts for 9-16 days, but some women can bleed more than 30 days | Minimal and light bleeding generally lasts for 1-7 days |
| Risk of cervical and uterine damage | No possibility of injury to your cervix and uterus as there are no instruments involved | The possibility of risk, but very rare |
| Cost | Costs more when FDA approved drugs are used | Costs vary depending on how long you’ve been pregnant and where you go. Hospitals generally cost more. |
| Recovery time | As no anesthetic is used and no hospital stay is required, so recovery is faster | As anesthesia is used, it will take longer for your recovery |
