How is an abortions performed

Medical abortion, also known as non-surgical abortion, is one way to terminate an early pregnancy using medications. Find more treatment information here. Suction aspiration abortion, can be performed in a one-day procedure if less than 14 weeks have passed since the first day of your last menstrual period.

Treatments A-Z. Preoperative Appointment In a private exam room, you will learn about your procedure, undergo an exam and ultrasound , and receive oral medications that may include a pain reliever and anti-anxiety medication for relaxation, if laminaria is required for overnight dilation. The doctor will: Place a speculum to view inside your vagina.

Clean the cervix with gauze soaked in soap. Apply numbing medication local anesthesia to the cervix. Insert laminaria or Dilapan into your cervix, the opening to the uterus. The laminaria insertion takes about five to 10 minutes.

Continue reading Surgical Appointment Don't eat for at least eight hours before your operating room procedure. Recovery In the recovery room, nurses will monitor you for about two hours. The procedure and recovery period at the hospital takes about five hours in total. You can expect to return to normal activities, such as work and school, the next day. Follow-Up Visits Unless you experience complications or have concerns, there's no need to return to the Women's Options Center.

Safety and Effectiveness Second-trimester surgical abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Clinics we work with. Recommended reading. Medical Versus Surgical Abortion Are you considering a medical versus surgical abortion? Related treatments. Medical Abortion Medical abortion, also known as non-surgical abortion, is one way to terminate an early pregnancy using medications.

Surgical Abortion First Trimester Suction aspiration abortion, can be performed in a one-day procedure if less than 14 weeks have passed since the first day of your last menstrual period. Medical abortions during the first trimester weeks are performed with drugs rather than surgery. See below for more information. This drug is only approved for women up to the 49th day after the start of their last menstrual period.

The procedure usually requires three office visits. On the first visit, the woman is given pills that cause the death of the embryo. Two days later, if the abortion has not occurred, she is given a second drug which induces something similar to contractions, causing the body to expel the embryo. The last visit is to determine if the procedure has been completed. The abortion pill will not work in the case of an ectopic pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy is a potentially life-threatening condition in which the embryo lodges outside of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. If not diagnosed early, the tube may burst, causing internal bleeding and in some cases, the death of the woman. Unfortunately, many women are being instructed to use the abortion pill in a manner not approved by the FDA.

This includes using it beyond 49 days of pregnancy and using it vaginally. A number of women who have used the abortion pill have died due to sepsis full body infection. First trimester surgical abortions are performed between 6 and 12 weeks. On this page. The female reproductive system and surgical abortion Preparing for a surgical abortion Anaesthetic for a surgical abortion Method of surgical abortion Complications of surgical abortion After a surgical abortion When to seek medical advice after a surgical abortion Where to get help.

The female reproductive system and surgical abortion The female reproductive system is made up of the: vagina — a muscular canal that leads to the entrance neck of the uterus, known as the cervix uterus womb fallopian tubes — tubes that extend from the uterus, one on each side. They both open near an ovary, and carry the eggs ova from the ovaries to the uterus ovaries — two small glands that contain your eggs ova.

When you become pregnant, a fertilised egg lodges in the lining of the uterus the endometrium. Expect to be at the clinic for at least two hours. Bring sanitary pads, your referral letter, your blood group card, your Medicare card and any health care card you have. Arrange for someone to drive you home. Anaesthetic for a surgical abortion The clinic you go to for an abortion will tell you about what type of anaesthetic it can offer you, and how you should prepare for it.

Anaesthetic choices may include: general anaesthetic — this makes you completely unconscious. Any operation involving a general anaesthetic carries risk. This operation takes less than 15 minutes. Surgical abortion after 12 weeks gestation For a termination of a pregnancy after 12 weeks gestation, for instance in the second trimester, the procedure is similar to that of a first trimester abortion, but your cervix is prepared differently.

This can involve: Hormone-blocking tablets may be used to help soften your cervix. These tablets may be taken by mouth or inserted into your vagina. They take about two hours to take effect. The abortion is then performed using suction and instruments to remove the pregnancy. Your cervix opening may be widened a little, and then have a special device inserted. This device swells over several hours until the cervix is opened wide enough to allow the abortion to occur. Medications may also be used.

The abortion is usually performed one or two days later. Complications of surgical abortion Complications occur in around three per cent of surgical abortion cases. Complications of surgical abortion can include: haemorrhage — bleeding after an abortion should be similar to a menstrual period. If heavy bleeding occurs the abortion may not be complete. Sometimes, treatment for this is to do a suction curettage of the uterus. Blood transfusion is rarely required infection — a fever high temperature may indicate that you have an infection.

This can be caused by an incomplete abortion or a sexually transmitted infection. Sometimes, women can develop a chronic infection called pelvic inflammatory disease PID. Treatment for infection is with antibiotics injury to the uterus — the walls of your uterus are muscular but soft. In rare instances this can cause an abdominal infection peritonitis and severe blood loss.

This complication is very rare and, if it occurs, will usually be recognised and treated straight away injury to the cervix — the cervix is stretched during an abortion. If you have multiple procedures the cervix can weaken — this is sometimes called an 'incompetent' cervix.