Risks

Possible complications of an abortion

Abortions are generally very safe.

But like any medical treatment, there's a risk of complications. The risk increases the longer the pregnancy continues.

Complications of abortion can include:

part of the pregnancy remaining and needing an operation to remove it
heavy bleeding
damage to the womb
infection, including sepsis

If a womb infection is left untreated, there's a small chance that it could cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This can increase the risk of infertility or an ectopic pregnancy, where an egg implants itself outside of the womb.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

you recently had an abortion and are bleeding heavily

Find your nearest A&E

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring any medicines you take with you.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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