Failure of the abortion pill and how it will affect the surviving child

Unplanned pregnancies may not be feasible for everyone to carry to its full term and many compulsions may require the woman to ask for an abortion. Firstly, it should be very clear that abortion, in whatever form should strictly be done under legal medical supervision and the woman should be fully aware of all the facts and be a willing participant.

Before going in for medical abortion it is necessary to firmly establish the confirmation of pregnancy. Although considered a safe and effective procedure, many times the abortion pill fails to show results and pregnancy may continue. The uppermost worry in a woman’s mind is then about the impact of the pill on the child.

It will help to take an informed decision if certain criteria of the abortion pill are understood:

The abortion pill or medical abortion involves taking a combination of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol which are both FDA approved. It is only given if the pregnancy is established to be less than 9 weeks.

Mifepristone is first taken and this blocks the progesterone which is necessary for continuing the pregnancy. The second drug, misoprostol is then given within 24-72 hours of the first drug and this causes the uterus to contract and expel the pregnancy tissue within 6-8 hours. Heavy bleeding and cramping usually takes place.

Because of the inherent health risks of the abortion pill, it is not recommended for many women. Women with a history of heart problems, blood clotting difficulties, severe anemia, diarrhea, adrenal failure, hypertension or when fitted with an IUD are advised against abortion pills. The adverse effects of the abortion pill includes nausea, vomiting, headaches, heavy bleeding and in some cases, life-threatening bacterial infections. Incomplete abortions may also become a problem for many, in which case, aspiration (suction) abortion has to be done to fully expel the remnants of the pregnancy tissue.

Despite its success rate of over 95%, the abortion pill is not without its share of potential complications. In very rare cases, the pill may fail to terminate the pregnancy. This failed attempt at terminating the pregnancy obviously raises the very worrisome question of the impact of the pill on the child.

The answer to this question is not very comforting as chances of the pill having a very adverse impact on the surviving fetus are high. The chances of delivering a healthy baby are very slim if the mother has tried the abortion pill without any success. The culmination of the pregnancy is very likely to be a severely deformed child. Risks of birth defects like impaired nerves, deformed hands or feet are increased manifold in such cases of the failure of the abortion pill.

It is therefore vital that the woman is fully informed and aware of all the facts and consequences of the abortion pill as in the rare event of her being compelled to carry on the pregnancy, the affects of the unsuccessful abortion pill will most likely be extremely drastic on the surviving fetus.