ISSUES
: Abortion
Chapter 1: Abortion facts
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I’m considering an abortion – what do
I need to know?
Abortion is the ending
of pregnancy and it
is available up to 24
weeks of pregnancy
Abortions take place in NHS hospitals
or in private clinics.
In England, the majority of women
can choose to have an abortion,
which is funded by the NHS, either
at an NHS hospital or at a private
clinic. In Scotland, most abortions
are carried out through the NHS in an
NHS hospital.
If you are not sure about how many
weeks pregnant you are, you may
need to have an ultrasound scan
and/or an internal examination.
There are two main methods of
abortion: the medical and the surgical
method.
Early Medical Abortions (EMA) (up
to nine weeks of pregnancy)
An early medical abortion (EMA) is
one that can be carried out before
nine weeks of pregnancy.
How is an early medical abortion
done?
This is a two-stage procedure, which
involves separate visits to the unit.
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For the first part of your treatment
you will be given a tablet called
Mifepristone. This drug can make
some people feel sick.
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For the second part of your
treatment you will be given
more medicine, a drug called
Prostaglandin. This will cause
the womb to contract and expel
the pregnancy. You will be
given painkillers for stomach
cramp and some anti-sickness
medication to take if necessary.
At this stage you will be observed
for a period of time and then may
be allowed home. The pregnancy
will be passed over a period of
one to six hours. In some clinics
or hospitals you are required
to stay until the procedure is
complete.
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You will need a follow-up visit
if you go home to complete the
abortion. This is to ensure that the
medication has worked.
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Sometimes, the EMA medication
does not work. In this case
a surgical abortion would be
offered.
A list of any medical conditions that
you may have will be taken by the
clinic or hospital to make sure the
medicines used in this type of abortion
are suitable for you.
Surgical abortion or vacuum
(suction) termination (from seven to
15 weeks of pregnancy)
Vacuum aspiration, or suction
termination, is a procedure that
uses gentle suction to remove the
pregnancy from the womb. The
procedure usually takes five to ten
minutes and can be carried out under
a local anaesthetic (where the area
is numbed) or general anaesthetic
(where you are put to sleep).
To soften the cervix (the entrance of
the womb) and make it easier to open,
a tablet may be placed in the vagina a
few hours before the abortion.
After this type of abortion, you
will usually be able to go home the
same day. However, following the
procedure you may bleed a little for
up to 14 days.
Late medical abortion (from 13
weeks of pregnancy)
As well as being used for early
abortion, the same medicines can be
used for abortion later in pregnancy.
However, the abortion will take longer,
and more than one dose of medicine
may be needed.
After the procedure, you can return
home the same day, but sometimes an
overnight stay in hospital is required.
Surgical dilation and evacuation
(from 15 weeks of pregnancy)
Surgical dilation and evacuation (D&E)
is a procedure that is carried out
under general anaesthetic.
The cervix is gently stretched and
dilated (opened) and the pregnancy
removed.
The procedure usually takes 10-20
minutes to perform and you may be
able to return home the same day. You
may have some bleeding for up to 14
days.
Late abortion (20–24 weeks)
There are two options for a late
abortion carried out at 20–24 weeks.
Both require an overnight stay in
hospital.
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Surgical abortion
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Medically induced abortion
Risks of an abortion
Abortion poses few risks to a woman's
physical health, particularly when
carried out during the first 12 weeks
of pregnancy.
Risks at the time of an abortion
The risk of problems occurring
during an abortion is low. However,
there are more likely to be problems
if an abortion is carried out later in a
pregnancy.
Risks after an abortion
After an abortion, the main risk is
infection in the womb. This happens if
traces of the pregnancy have not been
removed. If you have an infection after
an abortion, you may bleed heavily
from your vagina and have some
period-like pain. Antibiotics are usually
used to treat the infection. Repeated
abortions can cause damage to the
entrance of the womb (cervix). After
an abortion, you may have some
period-type pains, and some vaginal
bleeding, which should gradually
lessen after a few days. Most women
can return to their usual activities
within a day or so. However, seek
medical attention if you have severe
pain or if bleeding has not stopped
after 14 days.
Mixed emotions
Some women will also have an
emotional
response
following
abortion. Sometimes a mixture of
