Second Trimester Abortion: Requirements and Consequences

Posted by Dr. Nupur Gupta on July 25th, 2019

Abortion or medical termination of pregnancy is an unfortunate incident when the foetus dies within the uterus after medical intervention. There are various reasons for which women need to consider second trimester abortion in Gurgaon, including placental abruption, chromosomal defects leading to life-threatening conditions in the baby after birth, and infection in the reproductive organs. Medically, all abortions performed between 13 to 26 weeks of gestation are known as second-trimester abortions. It is a very challenging phase in the life of women, as most of them develop an intense bond with the baby after carrying him/her for 12 weeks. Here are the requirements and consequences of second-trimester abortion in Gurgaon.

Dilation & Curettage (D & C)

Gynaecologists use this surgical method for the termination of pregnancy up to 16 weeks. Here physicians dilate the cervix either with medicine or with a laminaria (slender porous rod which swells up after coming in contact with moisture). After this, they scrap the inner linings of the uterus with a curette (long, spoon-shaped device) to remove the foetus along with the placenta. Sometimes, doctors undertake this procedure if a woman undergoes spontaneous miscarriage during her second trimester. It helps in preventing excessive blood loss and infection in future. D & C is also helpful in treating growth within the uterus like polyps, fibroids, or obtaining samples of uterine tissue for further diagnosis.

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Consequences of D & C

The D & C procedure gets over in 10 to 15 minutes, and Gynaecologists can conduct this as an outpatient procedure. However, you need to stay back at the hospital for up to five hours after the surgery. Common consequences after the D & C include light bleeding, cramping, heavy bleeding due to a perforation in the uterus, fever, acute pain, and foul discharge from the vagina.

Dilation & Evacuation (D & E)

If the foetus becomes too large for abortion through suction, then doctors can go ahead with D & E.Doctors usually employ this procedure after 16 weeks of gestation. The first part of this procedure is similar to D & C, where the cervix gets dilated for the termination of pregnancy. During the second step, gynaecologists put patients under the effect of local anaesthesia and use a combination of suction, forceps, and curettage to remove the foetus from the uterus. Sometimes, doctors may use an injection to terminate the foetus before undertaking this procedure.

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Consequences of D & E

Though D & E is a safe procedure, it can lead to some complications in rare cases including lacerations, perforation, infection, pain, heavy bleeding, fever, abdominal tenderness, and haemorrhage in the uterus.

Induction Abortion

In case of induced abortion, doctors inject salt water, urea, or potassium chloride into the amniotic sac of the mother. After this, physicians introduce prostaglandins through the vagina of the patient and start giving her Pitocin injection intravenously. Within a few hours, the foetus gets expelled from the uterus of the pregnant woman.

Consequences of Induction Abortion

Similar to other methods, there are some complications in case of induced abortions like heavy bleeding, incomplete abortion, and infection in the uterus.
 
These were some of the procedures and consequences of second-trimester abortions. However, seek detailed guidelines from an experienced gynaecologist before deciding the best method for you.