| Your Options. Medical and surgical abortions:
The type of abortion available is determined by the number of
weeks the patient is pregnant. For women less than 8 weeks
pregnant both medical (medication abortion, RU-486) or surgical
abortion (vacuum aspiration) are available. The information and
table below provides an overview of the two types.
Medication abortion or medical abortion ends a pregnancy with medicine and usually without surgery. There are three steps: First, the clinician will give the patient a dose of mifepristone in pill form. Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone. Without progesterone, the growth of the pregnancy stops, the lining of the uterus breaks down, ends pregnancy in the uterus, and causes vaginal bleeding. The next day, at home, the patient will take another medication called Misoprostol in tablet form. This causes the uterus to contract and empty with vaginal bleeding, which can last up to several hours. Third, the patient will return to their clinician for a follow-up appointment to make sure the abortion is complete. You can only have a medical abortion if you are less than 8 weeks pregnant.
Surgical abortion or vaccum aspiration is typically performed in a clinic or doctor's office, and usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes to complete if you are in the first trimester. First, the physician performs a pelvic exam to determine the size and shape of the uterus. With the patient positioned as for a pap smear, the physician then inserts a speculum (an instrument used to open the vulva for medical examination), which remains in place during the abortion. The vagina is then cleansed, and injections of local anesthetic are applied to the cervix (opening of the uterus). Next, the cervix is opened by inserting and withdrawing a series of dilators. The cervix must be opened enough to admit a thin plastic tube (called a cannula), which is connected to a vacuum aspirator machine. The vacuum aspirator machine is then used to remove tissue from the uterus. After a minute or so of suction, the doctor checks the uterus with a spoon-shaped instrument, called a curette, to make certain all tissue has been removed. The procedure ends with another brief period of vacuum aspiration.
Beyond 8 weeks of pregnancy, a surgical procedure is necessary to terminate the pregnancy. Roll over the graph below to learn more about abortion specific to each trimester of pregnancy.
Top of page
 |
|
Your Options |
|
|
|
|
 |
