Haemorrhage – low risk – 1 in 1000 abortions (0.88 in 1000 at < 13 weeks; 4 in 1000 at>20 weeks).
Uterine perforation – moderate risk – 1–4 in 1000 (lower risk early in pregnancy, and in those performed by experienced clinicians).
Uterine rupture – very low risk – well under 1 in 1000, associated with mid-trimester medical abortion
Cervical trauma – moderate risk of damage to the external cervical os at the time of surgical abortion – not greater than 1 in 100 (lower risk early in pregnancy, and in those performed by experienced clinicians).
Failed abortion – small risk of failure to terminate the pregnancy associated with all methods of first-trimester abortion – risk for surgical abortion is around 2.3 in 1000 and for medical abortion 1-14 in 1000 (depending on the regimen used and the experience of the centre).
Post-abortion infection – genital tract infection, including pelvic inflammatory disease of varying degrees of severity, occurs in up to 10% of cases. The risk is reduced when prophylactic antibiotics are given or when lower genital tract infection has been excluded by bacteriological screening.