Abortions In India: Health Risks Of Repeated Abortions

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Abortion is one of the most common health interventions. It is safe when carried out using the methods suggested by WHO. But did you know 6 out of 10 of all unintended pregnancies lead to abortion, and about 56% of all abortions in India are unsafe?

Unsafe abortion leads to mental and physical health complications and financial and social burdens for women and health systems. Lack of access to timely, safe, respectful, and affordable abortion care is the most common public health issue at this juncture.

Since the introduction of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in 1971, abortion in India has been legal under different circumstances. In 2003, the act was amended to enable women’s accessibility to legal and safe abortion services.

Reasons associated with repeated abortions in India

Abortions can be due to multiple socio-demographic factors like sex, age, race, education, religion, family income, occupational status, and individual health.

Women with low socioeconomic status are at higher risk of abortion due to unplanned pregnancy. Studies also revealed that older women are at a greater risk of having an abortion compared to younger women.

Moreover, female sex workers suffering from sexually transmitted diseases and HIV also opt for an abortion. They also bump into unplanned pregnancies due to a lack of awareness and knowledge on the use of condoms and contraceptives.

Furthermore, lack of sex education among girls and women also significantly contributes to unplanned pregnancies, leading to induced abortions.

[ALSO READ: How To Prevent A Pregnancy?]

Reasons for unsafe abortions in India

Due to various social and economic barriers, abortions are considered highly unsafe for some women. In fact, unsafe abortions are the third leading cause of maternal deaths in the country, contributing to 8% of all such deaths every year, with 13 women dying each day.

Some of the reasons why women opt for abortion outside the authorized abortions centres are:

High costs at hospitals in the cities. The charges of the private sector are huge and unaffordable for poor people.
Women are unaware of the need to seek abortion early in pregnancy.
Women are unable to fulfil the requirements as per the MTP act, thus leading to unsafe means.
Absence of competent health professionals and poor quality of care in government hospitals in the rural area as these areas lack registered medical infrastructure, supplies, and providers.
Hesitation in obtaining services from known neighbourhood hospitals due to lack of confidentiality.

Abortion, as most women are aware, can also add potential side effects and risks to your body and future health.

Common side effects

Bleeding
Cramping
Dizziness
Vomiting
Drowsiness

Complications

Excessive bleeding
Damage to cervix or womb
Septic shock or sepsis
Uterine perforation
Incomplete abortion
Uterus infection
Scarring on the inside of the uterus

[ALSO READ: Did You Know That These Things Can Lead To Infertility?]

Health risks

Future preterm deliveries

Abortion increases a women’s risk of future pre-term deliveries because it weakens the cervix. In two recent studies, it was found that one induced abortion increases the risk of pre-term birth subsequently by between 25% and 27%.

After repeated abortions, a women’s risk of pre-term birth increases between 51% and 62%. Premature births carry serious health risks for infants.

Infants who are born before 37 weeks have a lower chance of living to adulthood. Those surviving have a significant risk of severe disabilities such as intellectual impairment, cerebral palsy, autism, and psychological development disorders.

Breast cancer

Abortion is considered to interrupt the normal cycle of hormones during pregnancy. It is believed that this interruption might increase the risk of developing breast cancer in women.

A 2013 analysis reported a 44% increased risk of breast cancer among women who had a minimum of one induced abortion. For those who had repeated abortions, the risk increased to 76% and 89%, respectively.

Mental health

Women who have had repeated abortions are at an increased risk for mental health problems. Nearly 10% of the incidence of mental health problems was due to abortion.

Some of the post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms such as grief, regret, guilt, suicidal thoughts, sadness and anxiety were seen among women who had an abortion.

STDs and pelvic inflammatory disease

Chlamydia present in the cervical canal during the abortion in asymptomatic women increases the risk of postabortal. Among women suffering from Chlamydia infection during the abortion, 23% develop Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) within four weeks.

PID can lead to serious problems like ectopic pregnancy, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and abscess formation.

[ALSO READ: The Right Age To Plan A Pregnancy!]

Abortion and sexual dysfunction

Some women also experience sexual dysfunction after abortion. Problems such as decreased sexual desire, increased vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, and loss of orgasm ability are seen among women with early pregnancy termination.

Infertility and future childbearing

Induced abortion can result in complications such as damage to the uterus and infection, which can lead to infertility and increased risks of future childbearing.

The risk of these complications increases in women who have a high risk of uncontrolled high blood pressure, uterine rupture, diabetes, severe kidney, lung, or liver disease, certain heart or blood vessel diseases, smoke heavily and take blood thinners or certain steroid medications.

Cervical incompetence symptoms were seen among 75% of women who undergo forced dilation for abortion.

[Data Source]

The emotional phase

Women experience different emotions after an abortion. Some may feel relief that the procedure is over, while others may feel sad, empty, or guilty.

Some women have reported serious psychological effects such as depression, anxiety, grief, regret, flashbacks, substance abuse, and lower self-esteem after their abortion. These emotions may appear gradually over a long duration or immediately after an abortion. These feelings may reoccur after another abortion.

In such situations, counselling or support before and after is very important. Talking to a professional counsellor will help women better understand their decisions and the feelings they might experience after abortion.

Infano believes every woman, despite their age, sexuality, and demographics, should have complete rights over their body and decisions. If you are someone with a story to share, reach out to us — share it with us and the world. Let there be love and hope!

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How progressive have we become? How gender-neutral society were we able to build? How much equal opportunities did we give to our women?

I often chance to think about these questions whenever I stumble upon social media sites. The wrath and agitation we have shown to our women are unforgivable! From their freedom to dress to the kind of work they wish to do to even the way they dream of raising their kids — we, as a nation, as a society, have failed — by always judging them.

And if you think that my assumption is limited to small towns and villages, this story will change your perception. I bring a tale from the city of dreams — Mumbai — a tale of what judgement looks like!

As we are coming closer to the end of World Breastfeeding Week, I decided to reach out to our ordinary, regular, and invisible moms who are defying the rules they have been bound to — the rules of raising a kid, the rules of being an ideal mother and the rules of breastfeeding.

If you are one of them who has been judged for feeding their babies publicly because it was your breast you used to feed, you need to read the story of this supermom who didn’t give a damn to the blabbers!

“As a first-time parent, there are many things that you don’t know about. But there was one thing that I definitely was sure of. Breastfeeding my kid for as long as possible,” Smrity Sharma is a mother of a 4.5YO boy who decided to ignore all the gyaans coming her way.

“My Husband Encouraged Me To Breastfeeding Our Child — In Public!” — Smrity with her kid, Ayaan

Smrity is a working mom who was back to the pavilion in just four months of delivering her baby. “I had started building a stash and would pump at work and at night to ensure that the baby always had enough milk stored for the whole day while I was gone. The biggest challenge came my way when I finally decided that the baby was old enough to be taken out to cafes and restaurants and shopping. The first time, we ventured out, I pumped and took milk in a bottle to feed him while outdoors. But he refused to take the bottle with me around. I knew what my only option was, and my husband was supportive, and that’s how we started feeding in public,” she continues.

There had been instances when she got “the look” from people (all of them women), and some even had the audacity to comment or give advice. “One such advice came my way when I was at the airport waiting area, feeding my baby. He was eight months old then. The woman sitting next to me pointed out, “there is a feeding lounge that you can use.” I nodded and continued feeding right there. A few minutes later, she again said, “I think you should go to the feeding lounge. People around might be uncomfortable.” I simply smiled again. A few minutes later, she shifted to another bay. So she was the one feeling uncomfortable after all. Sometimes, the best retort is not to say anything and continue doing your thing,” Smrity smiles.

Another incident which she shared was from one of her road trips, “My friend’s wife, also a mother to a kid as old as mine, enquired about my baby food bag. She thought perhaps I had forgotten to take it. I told her that I breastfed my baby, and she gave me some gyaan about how she stopped breastfeeding since it was so hectic, inconvenient. She suggested that I stop feeding too and reclaim my life. I just smiled to end the conversation. I am not sure what milk her kid was on, but on the way, it got curdled and couldn’t be fed to the baby. The baby was crying out of hunger, and she very sheepishly requested if I could breastfeed her baby. We bonded that day, and she told me how her milk wasn’t enough, and the regular taanas from her mother and sister in law for not breastfeeding the baby made her come up with this “cooler” narrative. This just reinstated my belief in never judging what a mother does or doesn’t.”

She breastfed her boy, Ayaan, for 3.5 years and did all her work, road trips, etc. without any hindrance. Smrity is the Head of Content and Community at WittyFeed — a Journalist, with a 15-year experience in content creation. Connect with her on Instagram to listen to more of her path-breaking stories.

And while I am annoying more carefree moms to share their tales, I am also encouraging them not to give up. Dear moms, do not give up on your dreams, do not hide in the closet due to the society — be you, be what you are and show your kid the world you believe in!

#Breastfeeding is bliss. Don’t let your child be deprived of it!