Sometimes tissue is torn so badly that it needs plastic surgery. The muscle ring may be damaged, making it too weak to hold the uterus closed during a later pregnancy. This is known as cervical incompetence. The woman may have repeated miscarriages after 14 weeks gestation. Sometimes the cervix will hold out until the 6th, 7th or 8th month of pregnancy, when the weight of the fetus makes the cervical muscle give way, causing a premature delivery.
Premature birth is dangerous for both the mother and the baby.
There is a higher risk of damage to the cervix if a woman has never delivered a baby vaginally before. It is also important to know that each time the cervix is stretched open the risk of cervical damage grows. This does not mean that every woman who has an abortion has damage to her cervix. But it is a risk, especially for a woman who has never had a baby or who has had a previous abortion. After the cervix has been dilated, a thin, plastic tube is inserted through the vagina into the uterus.