First Trimester Abortion Safety By Week
Abortions that occur early in a pregnancy have a low risk of complication. The risk of complication increases as the pregnancy continues to develop. The chart below demonstrates how complication risk increases with pregnancy duration. Though risk does rise in later pregnancies, a medical abortion with pills at 13 weeks is still considered safe.
What Will You See During An Abortion After 10 Weeks?
A medical abortion will cause women to bleed. This bleeding can be heavier than your normal period and may include clots. It is possible for women who are between 10-13 weeks pregnant to see something that may be recognizable, or may look like tissue. This is normal and should not alarm you. It is a sign that the abortion is proceeding as expected. As with a heavy period, you can safely dispose of larger blood clots or tissue in the toilet. If you live in a country where abortion or the abortion pills are illegal, make sure you dispose of anything recognizable carefully and discreetly.
Authors:
- All content featured on this website is written by the HowToUseAbortionPill.org team in compliance with standards and protocols from The National Abortion Federation, Ipas, the World Health Organization, DKT International and carafem.
- The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in North America, and a leader in the pro-choice movement. Content on HowToUseAbortionPill.org is aligned with the 2020 Clinical Policy Guidelines released by NAF.
- Ipas is the only international organization solely focused on expanding access to safe abortion and contraceptive care. Content on HowToUseAbortionPill.org is aligned with the Clinical Updates In Reproductive Health 2019 released by Ipas.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Content on HowToUseAbortionPill.org is aligned with the 2012 Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems released by WHO.
- DKT International is a registered, non-profit organization founded in 1989 to focus the power of social marketing on some of the largest countries with the greatest needs for family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and safe abortion.
- carafem is a clinic network providing convenient and professional abortion care and family planning so people can control the number and spacing of their children.
References:
- “Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems.” World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/70914/;jsessionid=B7AEEBE4F34809D869F73B1ABA7F6221?sequence=1
- “Clinical updates in reproductive health.” Ipas. https://www.ipas.org/resource/clinical-updates-in-reproductive-health/
- “Clinical policy guidelines for abortion care.” National Abortion Federation (NAF). https://5aa1b2xfmfh2e2mk03kk8rsx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018_CPGs.pdf