Abortion

If you think you are pregnant, the first thing to do is find out for sure. Take a home pregnancy test or get one done by your Dr. Once you know you're pregnant then you can think about your options.

If you are considering an abortion time is limited so you need to act fast, the sooner you seek help and advice from a Dr or clinic, the better it is for you. Time limits are very strict when dealing with abortion, and the different times in a pregnancy will dictate the type of abortion options open to you, the advanced the pregnancy is, the less options you have, and the more it might cost you if it is not free to you. As soon as you can, make an appointment with a Planned Parenthood clinic, Doctor, or other reputable abortion centre.

If you are unsure about abortion and worried it might not be the best option for you, or feeling alone and or scared about it, that is a very normal and natural way to feel, more so if you are at a young age. A Dr or Planned Parenthood centre can arrange specialist counsellors to talk to you about your concerns and you can discuss your feelings and your options. Never let others decide for you this is your choice, you don't have to make it alone, it's an important decision and you need people to advice you on all aspects of your choice.

The two main early abortion methods are:

An Early Medical abortion, the abortion pill (not to be confused with the MAP (morning after pill))

An Early Medical abortion can be performed within the first 9 weeks of pregnancy. The time is worked out from the first day of your last period. The woman is given a mifepristone pill to swallow and then 36 to 48 hours later, a prostaglandin tablet is placed inside her vagina. These two drugs will terminate most early pregnancies within the next four hours. It feels like having a heavy and painful period.

Vacuum aspiration (the suction method)

Vacuum aspiration can be carried out up to week 13 (week 15 in some countries) of a pregnancy. The time is worked out from the first day of your last period. A general or local anaesthetic is use for this type of abortion. This type of abortion is carried out by stretching the cervix via your vagina to allow a vacuum tube to pass through your cervix into your womb. Once in place it takes about a minute to remove the pregnancy with suction. Recovery takes an hour or two and most women go home the same day.

The above abortions types are very low risk and should not have any effect on a woman's ability to become pregnant in the future.

Late Medical abortion (after 9 weeks of pregnancy)

As in the Early Medical abortion, the same drugs are used for the Late Medical abortion. The main differences are that you might have to have more than one dose of prostaglandin inserted into your vagina. The effects of the drugs kill the foetus and cause you to have a natural miscarriage, in effect a still birth. You may go home the same day, but be prepared to stay overnight if your appointment is late in the day, or your pregnancy was well advanced.

Surgical dilatation and evacuation

Commonly known as a D&E they are used from weeks 15 to 21. The cervix is dilated and both forceps and suction are used to fragment and remove the foetus. This takes 10 to 20 minutes and a general anaesthetic is used, you should be able to go home the same day. But always be prepared to stay overnight.

Abortions between weeks 21 and 24

Abortions between weeks 21 and 24 are rare, most carried out at this stage are because the mother's life is in danger or the foetus has medical problems that would mean a poor quality of life. Abortions carried out at this stage use one of the two methods above, the only difference is that a Dr will stop the heart of the foetus before the abortion takes place, to ensure that a live birth does not occur.

The above abortions types are low risk and should not have any effect on a woman's ability to become pregnant in the future.

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