Women are more likely to suffer complications during dental surgery than during an abortion, according to a new study.
The study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, studied 54,911 abortions performed between 2009 and 2010 through Medi-Cal, California's health insurance for low-income residents. They also studied any health care these women received up to six weeks after their abortion.
Researchers found that only 2.1 percent of the abortions they studied had complications (1,153 out of 54,911 women), with .23 percent of complications requiring hospitalization (126 women). The complication rates for wisdom tooth removal and tonsillectomies, respectively, are 7 percent and 9 percent. The most popular method that resulted in complications was a medication abortion, otherwise known as someone taking "the abortion pill." That resulted in 5.2 percent of complications, though they were mostly minor.
The researchers noted that their numbers may even be overestimated because the sample they studied was mostly poorer women with possibly more health problems who rely on government insurance.
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