A pregnancy is in its earliest stages during the first trimester, which provides a variety of abortion options. Early abortions can be performed with surgery or with medication if the pregnancy is less than 10 weeks measured from the first day of the last menstrual period, and confirmed with ultrasound in our clinic. Having the option of a medical abortion, also called a medication abortion, is a specific benefit of early abortions. After 10 weeks, abortion with medication alone is not feasible, and terminating a pregnancy at this stage requires a surgical procedure.
Early abortions in the first trimester can be accomplished with either medication or surgery. Both medical and surgical abortion are safe and effective for most women. Women can discuss both options with our physicians, and choose the best method for them.
Compare medication abortion vs. A medication abortion uses a combination of two drugs to end a pregnancy. The first drug is mifepristone brand name Mifeprex , which is used to stop the growth of the pregnancy and weaken its attachment to the uterus. Most of the time this drug is taken in the clinic. The second drug is misoprostol brand name Cytotec , which is taken six to 48 hours after mifepristone. This drug is taken at home and causes the uterus to expel the pregnancy.
Our doctors make sure that every woman knows exactly what to do and expect before she leaves the clinic to complete the medication abortion process.
As the uterus begins to expel the pregnancy, cramping and bleeding occurs. In places where abortion is legal, a doctor can prescribe the pills to a woman who is up to ten weeks pregnant.
In places where abortion is illegal or highly restricted, there have been more elaborate efforts to get pregnant women the pills. In , Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch doctor and the founder of an organization called Women on Waves, chartered a ship and began sailing it to countries that had outlawed abortion, such as Poland and Portugal. Women could board the ship to obtain the pills. The vessel was registered in the Netherlands, where abortion had been legalized, and Dutch laws were in effect on board.
A few years later, Gomperts began dispensing the pills to women in Europe through a Web site called Women on Web. Women could fill out a consultation form describing their medical history and symptoms, and, if they were in the first ten weeks of pregnancy, Gomperts and her team of doctors would prescribe the pills, which would arrive in the mail shortly afterward from a pharmacy in India.
Those two things together—the pills and the Web site—were transformational, Aiken recalled. Activists had put them up. She imagined how the Web site would have changed her life when she was sixteen. Eight years later, after Aiken had become a public-health researcher, she approached Gomperts at a conference and asked if the two of them could collaborate. The organization also followed up with the women weeks later, to track their health outcomes and feelings after having taken the pills.
The data showed that, in terms of safety and effectiveness, ordering abortion pills through the service and taking them was comparable to getting a surgical abortion in a clinic. Only five per cent of the women had complications that required them to complete the abortion under the care of a doctor; the rest were able to successfully end their pregnancies by using the pills. But their research showed that there was still a demand for the service in America , especially in states where in-clinic abortions were severely restricted.
Aiken has been tracking the data : during the first two years that the service was offered, Americans made more than fifty-seven thousand requests for abortion pills. Most of the requests came from states with strict abortion laws , like Texas. On average, a first-trimester abortion in a clinic costs around five hundred dollars. Sometimes light vaginal bleeding after a medical abortion can last up to a month. You can usually return to normal activities as soon as you feel comfortable to, including having a bath or shower, using tampons, exercising including swimming and heavy lifting.
The clinic will give you the number of a hour helpline to call if you're worried. If you cannot find the number, contact a GP or It's against the law to try to cause your own abortion. This includes buying abortion pills online. Page last reviewed: 24 April Next review due: 24 April Before an abortion Before having an abortion, you'll need to have an assessment appointment. During this assessment, you may: discuss your reasons for considering an abortion and whether you're sure about your decision be offered the chance to talk things over with a trained counsellor if you think it might help talk to a nurse or doctor about the abortion methods available, including any associated risks and complications be offered an ultrasound scan to check how many weeks pregnant you are be offered testing for sexually transmitted infections STIs need to have other tests such as a blood test, depending on any medical conditions you have or the stage you're at in the pregnancy When you're sure you want to have an abortion, you'll be asked to sign a consent form and the clinic or hospital will arrange a date for the abortion.
You can change your mind at any point up to the start of the abortion. Methods of abortion There are 2 main types of abortion: medical abortion "abortion pill" — taking medicine to end the pregnancy surgical abortion — a procedure to remove the pregnancy Coronavirus update Abortion services are still open.
However, all surgery carries some risk. Some of the complications of surgical abortion can include infection, damage to parts of the reproductive system and excessive bleeding. The female reproductive system is made up of the:. To have a surgical abortion, the cervix must be opened wide enough to allow the surgical instruments into the uterus. 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.
To have this procedure you need to be in your first trimester first three months of pregnancy. This means you are 12 weeks pregnant or less. Your cervix opening is gradually widened with rods of increasing size and a slim tube is then inserted into your uterus.
The pregnancy the fetus and the placenta is withdrawn with gentle suction. Another instrument called a curette is used to check the uterus is empty. 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:. Better Health Channel has more information about Abortion in Victoria. Complications occur in around three per cent of surgical abortion cases. The risk of complications depends on how many weeks pregnant you are. Abortions performed in the first trimester are the safest. Most surgical abortions are performed in the first trimester.
An incompetent cervix can cause problems in later pregnancies, because it is too weak to remain fully closed under the weight of a growing pregnancy. These last two complications are rare, because surgical abortions are undertaken by experienced surgeons.
Be guided by your clinic as to how to care for yourself and reduce your risk of infection after a surgical abortion. Generally, the following suggestions apply for two weeks after your procedure, or a few days after bleeding has stopped :. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Some abortion services in Victoria offer reduced fees to students, healthcare card holders and those experiencing financial difficulty.
In Victoria, you can have two types of abortion: surgical and medication.
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