medically speaking, abortion describes the termination of a pregnancy. as a technical term this includes spontaneous miscarriage or early pregnancy loss, which is why records may report a patient's medical history as including a prior abortion without a history of medical or procedural induced abortion.
abortion (spontaneous and otherwise) has existed as long as pregnancy and represents a natural part of the life cycle. the human body can miscarry as a result of fetal abnormalities: early pregnancy loss occurs in about 10% of clinically recognized pregnancies and about HALF of all early pregnancy loss results from fetal chromosomal abnormalities. the research in this field has a ways to go and there's still a lot to be learned about how spontaneous pregnancy loss is induced.
The National Network of Abortion Funds defines "self-managed abortion" as when a person ends their own pregnancy independent of the established medical system, such that they do not meet with a medical provider or seek telehealth support. this is typically accomplished through use of a regimen combining mifepristone and, subsequently, misoprostol. this is often the same prescription used in medication abortions administered via telehealth and in-clinic providers.
the process itself of self-managed abortion (also known as SMA) is very safe, as it uses an established medication prescription to terminate the pregnancy. the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is extremely effective. however, legal risks are a concern: some jurisdictions criminalize SMAs, or harbor laws that are used to criminalize people attempting to end their own pregnancy. further, when pursuing SMA, it's important to know your underlying health condition and any potentially complicating concerns. for example, people with bleeding disorders/diseases should not pursue medication abortion without consulting their primary care provider: misoprostol induces cramping and bleeding, which can become dangerous and even life-threatening among people with hemorrhagic conditions.