Summary

An induced abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It can be done two different ways:

• Medication abortion (also called medical abortion)
• Procedural abortion

An induced abortion is different from a spontaneous abortion. That is the loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week of pregnancy. It is more commonly known as a miscarriage.

If you are thinking of having an induced abortion, talk with your health care provider. Your provider can explain how the procedures are done, as well as the risks and benefits of each.

Learn More

• Abortion Care (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Could an Elective Abortion Raise the Risk of Problems in a Future Pregnancy? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• D and C (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dilation and Curettage (D&C) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Ending a Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Medical Abortion (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy Choices: Raising the Baby, Adoption, and Abortion (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Questions and Answers on Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks Gestation (Food and Drug Administration)
• What to Do When Your Pregnancy Is Unexpected (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Induced abortion rates among women vaccinated against human papillomavirus: Registry-based follow-up...
• Article: Efficacy of Different Doses of Remimazolam Tosilate Combined with Esketamine in...
• Article: Investigating the effect of emotional disclosure on the quality of life...
• Abortion -- see more articles

Patient Handouts

• Abortion - procedure - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish