Thank you. Can you find similar statistical data on full-term pregnancies and their effect on uterine health? I would be curious to see a comparison.
Here is some information I found:
What are the health risks of abortion?
Vacuum aspiration and D&E are very safe. But there are risks with any medical procedure. The risks increase the longer you are pregnant and if sedation or general anesthesia is used. Your overall health is another factor that affects your risk of complications. Risks associated with vacuum aspiration and D&E include
* incomplete procedure — Rarely, pregnancy tissue is left inside the uterus. Repeated aspiration and other tests or treatment may be needed.
* blood clots in the uterus — Very rarely, clots cause cramping and abdominal pain. Repeated aspiration may be needed.
* infection — Rarely, an infection develops in the uterus. Usually antibiotics clear up the infection. In rare cases, repeated aspiration, hospitalization, or surgery is needed.
* very heavy bleeding — Very rarely, excessive bleeding, a hemorrhage, develops. Medication, repeated aspiration, blood transfusion, or surgery may be needed.
* injury to the cervix — Very rarely, the cervix is cut or torn. Medication, or rarely, surgical stitches in the cervix, may be needed.
* organ injury — Very rarely, an instrument goes through the wall of the uterus. Surgery, or very rarely, hysterectomy, may be needed.
* allergic reaction — Some women may be allergic to the local anesthetic or to other medicines used. Tell your clinician about any allergies you have, and what medications or recreational drugs you take. It will be strictly confidential.
* death — Death from abortion is extremely rare. The risk of death from childbirth is 11 times greater than the risk of death from an abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. After 20 weeks, the risk of death from an abortion is about the same as the risk of death from childbirth.
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/j41/j41chap2_3.shtml
Health Risks of Early Pregnancy
When a woman is too young, pregnancy—wanted or unwanted—can be dangerous for both mother and infant. Complications of childbirth and unsafe abortion are among the main causes of death for women under age 20 (394, 439, 461). Even under optimal conditions, young mothers, especially those under age 17, are more likely than women in their 20s to suffer pregnancy-related complications and to die in childbirth (161, 327, 436, 490, 538). The risk of death may be two to four times higher, depending upon the woman's health and socioeconomic status (212, 275, 301, 329, 428). For example, in a retrospective study of nearly 11,000 pregnancies over a 5-year period, outcomes in a hospital in West Bengal, India, varied by age as follows:
Women's Age Maternal Deaths/1,000 Births Average Birth Weight Premature Births (%) Perinatal Deaths/1,000 Births
12 to 19
3.80
1.9 kg
20
29.6
20 to 30
2.55
2.5 kg
16
18.4
31+
1.07
2.65 kg
11
4.3
Source: Mishra & Dawn 1986 (329)
The life-threatening complications of pregnancy that women under age 20 face are the same risks that all other woman face: hemorrhage, sepsis, pregnancy-induced hypertension including preeclampsia and eclampsia, obstructed labor caused by cephalopelvic disproportion, complications of unsafe abortion, and iron-deficiency anemia. Young women face greater risks than older women of hypertension, cephalopelvic disproportion, iron-deficiency anemia, and unsafe abortion (7, 275, 281, 293, 330, 432, 451). These risks are higher for young women not only because of their age but also because births to younger women often are first births, which are riskier than second, third, or fourth births. Socioeconomic factors, including poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, and lack of access to prenatal care or emergency obstetrical care can further increase a young woman's risk of pregnancy-related complications (19, 212, 428). Among the young, as with older women, risks are greatest for poor women, who are most malnourished and have the least opportunity for prenatal care.
Untreated pregnancy-induced hypertension can cause heart failure or stroke and result in the death of both the mother and infant. Hypertension occurs most often among women having their first child and accounts for a large proportion of maternal deaths in women under age 20 (293, 451).
Cephalopelvic disproportion—meaning that the woman's pelvic opening is too small to allow the infant's head to pass through during delivery—can slow or prevent vaginal delivery. In some cases, if cesarean section cannot be performed, the woman's uterus ruptures, and both mother and infant die. Cephalopelvic disproportion is common in very young women whose pelvic growth is not complete and women of any age who are of small stature because childhood malnutrition stunted their growth (281, 330). The prolonged labor associated with cephalopelvic disproportion increases the risk of fistula—a tear between the vagina and the urinary tract or rectum, which allows urine or feces to leak out through the vagina. In many African countries fistula injuries occur most commonly in women under age 20, and obstructed labor causes most of these injuries (394, 490, 538). Fistula is reparable through surgery. For women who cannot get proper care, however, it often leads to lifelong disability and ostracism.
In many regions iron-deficiency anemia is a factor in almost all maternal deaths. An anemic woman is five times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than a woman who is not anemic (510). Anemic women are less able to resist infection and less able to survive hemorrhage or other complications of labor and delivery. Anemia also contributes to premature delivery and low birth weight (47).
Iron-deficiency anemia is particularly common among pregnant women, and young pregnant women are more likely than older women to be anemic, even in developed countries. For example, an analysis of eight US clinical studies found that pregnant women under age 20 were twice as likely to be anemic as older women (432). A US study of pregnant teenagers attending a prenatal clinic found that 70% lacked enough iron (47). Normal menstrual bleeding, a diet lacking absorbable iron, and malaria cause most anemia in pregnant women. To avoid anemia during adolescence, young people need twice as much iron as adults of the same weight (66, 537).
Lack of prenatal care. Adequate prenatal care can reduce pregnancy-related mortality and complications, especially among very young women (19, 161, 314, 353, 432). In developing countries, however, many women get no prenatal care (417), and young women are least likely to get care, even in developed countries (248, 460). When they do so, it is often late in pregnancy (293). Even where available, prenatal care services may not be used because child-bearing is considered normal for young women and thus is seen to require no medical attention.
Higher risks for infants. Pregnancy before age 20 also poses risk to the young woman's infant. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and other studies show that mortality and morbidity rates are higher among infants born to young mothers (468). Young mothers, especially those under age 15, have higher rates of premature labor, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and low birth weight infants (161, 314, 329, 353, 394, 428, 432, 434, 464, 493, 538). For the infant who survives, the higher risk of death persists throughout early childhood (32, 56, 113, 314, 329, 432, 464, 468, 490, 493).
These are the normal, frequent or expectable temporary side effects of pregnancy:
-- exhaustion (weariness common from first weeks) WHEN PREGNANCY ISN'T PERFECT
-- altered appetite and senses of taste and smell
-- nausea and vomiting (50% of women, first trimester)
-- heartburn and indigestion
-- constipation
-- weight gain
-- dizziness and light-headedness
-- bloating, swelling, fluid retention
-- hemmorhoids
-- abdominal cramps
-- yeast infectionsPLANNED PARENTHOOD
-- congested, bloody nose
-- acne and mild skin disorders
-- skin discoloration (chloasma, face and abdomen)
-- mild to severe backache and strain
-- increased headaches
-- difficulty sleeping, and discomfort while sleeping
-- increased urination and incontinence
-- bleeding gums
-- pica
-- breast pain and discharge
-- swelling of joints, leg cramps, joint pain
-- difficulty sitting, standing in later pregnancy
-- inability to take regular medications NATURAL CHILD PROJECT
-- shortness of breath
-- higher blood pressure
-- hair loss
-- tendency to anemia
-- curtailment of ability to participate in some sports and activitiesBITCH, Ph.D.
-- infection including from serious and potentially fatal disease (pregnant women are immune suppressed compared with non-pregnant women, and are more susceptible to fungal and certain other diseases)
-- extreme pain on delivery
-- hormonal mood changes, including normal post-partum depression
-- continued post-partum exhaustion and recovery period (exacerbated if a c-section -- major surgery -- is required, sometimes taking up to a full year to fully recover)
These are the normal, expectable, or frequent PERMANENT side effects of pregnancy:
-- stretch marks (worse in younger women)
-- loose skin
-- permanent weight gain or redistribution
-- abdominal and vaginal muscle weakness
-- pelvic floor disorder (occurring in as many as 35% of middle-aged former child-bearers and 50% of elderly former child-bearers, associated with urinary and rectal incontinence, discomfort and reduced quality of life)
-- changes to breasts
-- varicose veinsABORTION CLINICS ONLINE
-- scarring from episiotomy or c-section
-- other permanent aesthetic changes to the body (all of these are downplayed by women, because the culture values youth and beauty)
-- increased proclivity for hemmorhoids
-- loss of dental and bone calcium (cavities and osteoporosis)
These are the occasional complications and side effects
IVORCED FROM JUSTICE
-- hyperemesis gravidarum
-- temporary and permanent injury to back
-- severe scarring requiring later surgery (especially after additional pregnancies)
-- dropped (prolapsed) uterus (especially after additional pregnancies, and other pelvic floor weaknesses -- 11% of women, including cystocele, rectocele, and enterocele)
-- pre-eclampsia (edema and hypertension, the most common complication of pregnancy, associated with eclampsia, and affecting 7 - 10% of pregnancies)
-- eclampsia (convulsions, coma during pregnancy or labor, high risk of death)
-- gestational diabetes
-- placenta previa
-- anemia (which can be life-threatening)Abortion in History
-- thrombocytopenic purpura
-- severe cramping
-- embolism (blood clots)
-- medical disability requiring full bed rest (frequently ordered during part of many pregnancies varying from days to months for health of either mother or baby)
-- diastasis recti, also torn abdominal muscles
-- mitral valve stenosis (most common cardiac complication)The Problem with Daycare
-- serious infection and disease (e.g. increased risk of tuberculosis)
-- hormonal imbalance
-- ectopic pregnancy (risk of death)
-- broken bones (ribcage, "tail bone")
-- hemorrhage and
-- numerous other complications of delivery
-- refractory gastroesophageal reflux diseaseObstetric Fistula
-- aggravation of pre-pregnancy diseases and conditions (e.g. epilepsy is present in .5% of pregnant women, and the pregnancy alters drug metabolism and treatment prospects all the while it increases the number and frequency of seizures)
-- severe post-partum depression and psychosis
-- research now indicates a possible link between ovarian cancer and female fertility treatments, including "egg harvesting" from infertile women and donors
-- research also now indicates correlations between lower breast cancer survival rates and proximity in time to onset of cancer of last pregnancyTHE PRICE OF MOTHERHOOD
-- research also indicates a correlation between having six or more pregnancies and a risk of coronary and cardiovascular disease
These are some less common (but serious) complications:
-- peripartum cardiomyopathy
-- cardiopulmonary arrest
-- magnesium toxicity
-- severe hypoxemia/acidosis
-- massive embolism
-- increased intracranial pressure, brainstem infarction
OBSTETRIC FISTULA-- molar pregnancy, gestational trophoblastic disease (like a pregnancy-induced cancer)
-- malignant arrhythmia
-- circulatory collapse
-- placental abruption
-- obstetric fistula
And a few more permanent side effects:
-- future infertility
-- permanent disability
-- death.
