Also called: Induced Abortion
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Abortion
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.
It sits within Pregnancy and Reproduction and Female Reproductive System.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Abortion
940 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Hysteroscopy and CD138+ Plasma Cell Density in Chronic EndometritisCentro A.M.B.R.A. (Associazione Medici e Biologi per la Riproduzione Assistita)
- Cost-utility Analysis of Outpatient Manual Vacuum Aspiration Versus Operating Room Electric Aspiration for the Management of First-trimester MiscarriageNantes University Hospital
- Efficacy of Recombinant Human G-CSF in Women With Unexplained Recurrent MiscarriageFakih IVF Fertility Center
- Mifepristone vs MisoprostolMontefiore Medical Center
- Azithromycin for Cerclage ProphylaxisWake Forest University Health Sciences
- Using Placental Pathology to Prevent Recurrent Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Pilot ProjectEndeavor Health
Research already completed
- THE EFFECT OF HAPTONOMY PRACTICE ON PREGNANT WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF ABORTION.Uskudar University
- Right Prefrontal Autonomic Mapping in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss With Comorbid AnxietyShenyang Jinghua Hospital
- Biochemical, 2D and 3D Ultrasonographic Predictors of Pregnancy Outcome in Women With Threatened AbortionCairo University
- Altered Interhemispheric DLPFC Coordination and Cardiac Hyperreactivity During Multisensory Aversive Challenge in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss With Comorbid AnxietyShenyang Medical College
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Learn More
- Abortion CareAmerican 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
- D and CMedical Encyclopedia
- Dilation and Curettage (D&C)Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Ending a PregnancyAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Medical AbortionMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Pregnancy Choices: Raising the Baby, Adoption, and AbortionAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- Questions and Answers on Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks GestationFood and Drug Administration
- What to Do When Your Pregnancy Is UnexpectedAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Abortion, Induced. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Abortion, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.