Hi, and welcome to Telefem! It’s so nice to meet you! If this is your first time here, we want to tell you that you’re in a safe space, full of trust. We are here to answer all your questions and provide you with trustworthy information regarding safe abortion in Mexico. Let me introduce you to one of our articles, and if you still have questions, feel free to contact us through WhatsApp!
This time, I’m here to share some facts you need to know about the myths surrounding abortion. This way, you can answer several questions. Let’s start with:
1. Is a safe abortion a painful process?
I know that pain is something that worries many of us when it comes to a health procedure, so you need to know that a safe abortion is performed with methods approved by institutions like the WHO, performed, managed, or guided by trained personnel appropriate for the gestational age.1 In this context, abortion is considered a highly safe medical procedure, regardless of the method chosen, the procedure will result in bleeding and discomfort greater than that of regular menstrual cramps, the amount depending on the number of weeks of pregnancy.
2. How is a safe abortion performed?
It can be performed in two ways: with medication or aspiration.2
Medication. This is the method that most closely resembles a natural abortion. This procedure involves taking one or two medications that prevent pregnancy, promote cervical dilation and ripening, and cause uterine contractions to empty the contents.3
The procedure has some expected effects: it causes pain similar to severe cramps and bleeding; diarrhea, fever, nausea, chills, and abdominal pain may also occur. Pain can be managed or relieved with oral painkillers.2
This method does not require a visit to a clinic, at least for pregnancies up to 10 weeks. This means it can be performed at home and self-managed with instructions from trained personnel. This makes it more accessible and convenient.4
Therefore, Telefem is a nonprofit organization that supports your right to decide and connects you with specialists who offer remote medical guidance nationwide. Review the services, which include https://telefem.org/en/telefem-is-here-for-you/, with which you can exercise your right to decide and autonomy over your body.
With aspiration. This method requires a visit to a specialized clinic and is an outpatient medical procedure, not surgery. It involves evacuating the uterine contents through a plastic or metal cannula attached to a vacuum source. The vacuum can be generated with an electric or manual pump.
The available aspirators fit various sizes of plastic cannulas and range from 4 mm to 16 mm in diameter. Depending on the length of pregnancy, aspiration abortion takes between 3 and 10 minutes and can be performed on an outpatient basis, using painkillers or local anesthesia.
Most women who have a first-trimester abortion require local anesthesia for pain relief, which is why some people feel well enough after about 30 minutes of observation in a recovery room to leave the health center.4
3. Will I become infertile, could I die, or will I have serious consequences from having a safe abortion?
It’s normal for us to think about the health consequences of having an abortion, and that could limit our decision. However, I can tell you that legal abortion is a highly safe medical procedure with no physical consequences when performed according to the methods recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the WHO, abortion is the safest reproductive option for a pregnant woman. It is even 15 times safer and carries a lower risk of death than a natural birth, especially for minors. When abortion procedures are performed according to medical indications, the risk of serious complications or death is very low.
In Mexico City, between 2007 and 2021, 234,513 women received services for safe abortions, with zero deaths.5
Although those who oppose safe abortion suggest that this procedure is correlated with an increased risk of diseases such as breast cancer or infertility, there is no evidence of any type of medical condition related to safe abortion.6
4. Is a safe abortion dangerous?
We need to differentiate between safe and unsafe abortion. On one hand, abortions that are not performed using recommended methods or with the guidance of trained personnel are dangerous and are known as unsafe abortions.
The WHO estimates that 22 million unsafe abortions are performed each year, resulting in the deaths of approximately 47,000 women and disabilities in another 5 million women.4 Almost every one of these deaths and disabilities could have been avoided through sexuality education, family planning, access to legal and safe induced abortion, and care for abortion complications.4
On the other hand, a safe abortion is performed with appropriate procedures, and can even be self-managed.
You need to know that organizations like Telefem offer remote medical care to the entire country. To learn more about pregnancy termination, contact us on WhatsApp!
5. Will abortion leave me with any emotional or mental trauma?
No, there is scientific evidence that safe abortion is not associated with negative consequences on women’s mental health and that the procedure itself does not represent greater stress than any other obstetric procedure.
On the contrary, what the evidence reveals is that, in reality, what most affects women and childbearing people emotionally is stigma and the fear of being criminalized, but not the procedure itself.6
Since the 1980s, certain groups in the US have attempted to argue that induced abortion causes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with a risk of depression and suicide. This argument has been repeatedly refuted in systematic and serious scientific literature reviews. There is no evidence of a causal relationship between induced abortion and any mental health impacts: depression, risk of suicide, substance abuse, or violent death.5
6. Am I a selfish or evil person if I decide to have a safe abortion?
No, when a woman or a childbearing person has a safe abortion, it is because they are also prioritizing their choices.
In a study conducted with 279 women aged 15 to 44 who decided to have a safe abortion in Mexico City,7 it was found that the main reasons for their decision were primarily to care for the well-being of others before their own; that is, they did so because they had other responsibilities in mind, such as continuing to raise other children or people who depended on them.
Some of the women surveyed were worried about not having stability with their partner or experiencing situations of violence, which is why they made the decision: they considered the well-being of their potential child before fulfilling their desire to become a mother.
Others reported not having the necessary tools to raise a baby. The above reasons contradict the belief or myth that, in general, people who decide to terminate their pregnancies do so because they put their interests first.
Remember that your decisions must be respected and attended to. That’s why there are organizations like Telefem or collectives that support you by providing information to help you exercise your rights and autonomy.
We hope this information has been helpful to you to know all you need to know about a safe abortion. If you wanna know more info about reproductive health and safe abortion, receive an invitation to visit our blog. I’m pretty sure you’ll find answers to all your doubts. I’ll see you there!
* This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice and applies only to Mexico’s law and context.
References:
1. SEGOB. Lineamiento Técnico para el aborto seguro en México. [Internet]. 2022. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/779301/V2-FINAL_Interactivo_22NOV_22-Lineamiento_te_cnico_aborto.pdf
2. Ipas Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Material de apoyo para el acompañamiento del aborto. 2. Durante un aborto inducido con medicamentos. 1era ed. [Internet]. 2022. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://ipaslac.org/documents/IpasLAC2022-AcompanamientoAborto2.pdf
3. Canaval Erazo H. O. y E. I. Ortiz Lizcano (Editores). Uso de misoprostol en obstetricia y ginecología. Tecnoquímicas 3era edición. [Internet]. 2013. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://www.fasgo.org.ar/images/Uso-de-misoprostol-en-obstetricia-y-ginecologia-FLASOG-2013.pdf
4. OMS. Aborto sin riesgos: guía técnica y de políticas para sistemas de salud – 2ª ed. [Internet]. 2012. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/77079/9789243548432_spa.pdf
5. Ipas Centroamérica y México Ciudad de México. 10 datos de salud pública para entender la importancia de despenalizar el aborto. 1era ed. [Internet]. 2022. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://ipasmexico.org/pdf/IpasCAM2022-10DatosSaludPublicaDespenalizarAborto.pdf
6. Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE). Mitos y preguntas sobre el aborto. [Internet]. 2020. [Visit November 2024]. Available at: https://gire.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/mitos_y_preguntas_sobre_el_aborto.pdf