Every year, thousands of women are shocked and devastated by unplanned pregnancies. Age, finances, lifestyle, and feelings of shame or inadequacy may all be reasons these women contemplate getting an abortion. Within only a few hours, an abortion can rid you of an unborn child, allowing you to get back to your life as you knew it. Right?

Aside from the obvious moral controversy the abortion versus adoption debate has sparked, there are actually physical and medical reasons women should think twice about before having an abortion performed.

Generally, there are side effects with induced abortion (whether surgical abortion or by a pill). These may include abdominal pain and cramping, vomiting, or diarrhea and often vary from woman to woman. However, abortion can carry far more serious and harmful risks like heavy bleeding and infection, or even worse. These complications typically occur in about 1 out of every 100 early abortions, and in about 1 out of 50 later term abortions. Such complications can include:

Heavy Hemorrhaging – though some bleeding is normal after an abortion, if hemorrhaging occurs, often a blood transfusion to be performed, or even surgery to stop the bleeding.

Severe Infection – Damaging infections can begin due to the injecting of medical instruments into the uterus or even from parts of the fetus being accidentally left inside (this is commonly known as an incomplete abortion). Such infections usually require hospitalization and can cause severe scarring of the pelvic organs.

Damage to the cervix and certain internal organs can also occur. The cervix can be damaged (cut or torn) by the medical instruments and organs near the uterus can be torn or punctured. Aside from the physical inflictions abortions can cause, studies have shown there is just as much risk for psychological damage. Severe negative emotions have been known to emerge in women within days of an abortion or after several years. Such a response is a form of post traumatic stress disorder and can manifest itself through a number of physical ailments such as eating disorders, depression, guilt, or even suicidal thoughts.