What are the types of abortion procedures?

October 22, 2021

Whether it’s the word “Pregnant,” a plus sign, or a double line, the result on the pregnancy test is hard to imagine. It’s the last thing you probably expected.

If you’re ready to move forward, visit the Women’s Care Medical Center. After you confirm your pregnancy with a free Women’s Care lab-quality pregnancy test and receive a free ultrasound, you’ll have all of the information you need to understand your options.

The Abortion Option

You have choices for your unexpected pregnancy and abortion is one of them. Wouldn’t you like to know more about abortion procedures, side effects, and potential risks before you make this choice?

Here are a few questions you may want to ask:

How many different abortion procedures are there?
How will I know what type of abortion I’ll have?
Will it hurt?
How much will I have to pay?
Can they take care of me properly in case there’s an emergency?

These are all legitimate questions and you deserve truthful answers.

Different abortion procedures

There are two types of abortion, medical and surgical. Which method you qualify for is determined by the number of weeks you’ve been pregnant (the gestational age). If you’re 10 weeks and 0 days, you will most likely have a medical abortion. A longer pregnancy will require a surgical abortion.

Medical Abortion

You may have heard about the abortion pill method. This is a type of medical abortion. The abortion pill doesn’t mean you take one pill and the abortion is complete. You take two very powerful drugs over a 24 to 48 hour period.

With pregnancy, the lining of the uterus thickens for a fertilized egg to attach. The first drug in the abortion pill method thins the lining of the uterus preventing the pregnancy from staying attached and growing. The second drug causes the uterus to contract to expel the pregnancy.

According to the Mayo Clinic, these are potential risks of medical abortion procedures:

Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
Heavy and prolonged bleeding
Infection
Fever
Digestive system discomfort

Surgical Abortion

If you’ve been pregnant passed 10 weeks, you will most likely have a surgical abortion. Surgical abortions are performed in-clinic and require anesthesia, dilation of the cervix, and various medical instruments.

The longer you’ve been pregnant, the more invasive the surgery will be. After you’ve received anesthesia, the doctor will dilate (open) your cervix. If you’ve been pregnant between 11 and 13 weeks, you’ll have a D & C (dilation and curettage) using a vacuum to remove the pregnancy.

Past 13 weeks, the doctor will need to dilate your cervix further due to the size of the fetus. They will perform a D & E (dilation and evacuation). In addition to the vacuum, instruments are used to scrape the lining of the uterus to make sure all pregnancy tissue is removed. After 15 or 16 weeks, the doctor will perform a D & X (dilation and extraction) usually involving forceps to remove the pregnancy.

According to the Mayo Clinic, these are potential risks of surgical abortion procedures:

Perforation of the uterus
Damage to the cervix
Scar tissue on the uterine wall
Infection
Heavy bleeding
Cramping

Is abortion right for you?

As you can see, abortion is a serious medical decision. Come visit the Women’s Care Medical Center before you make your appointment for an abortion. By getting a free ultrasound, you’ll know how far along you are and which abortion method you qualify for.

Plus, you’ll learn if the fetus is growing or whether you’ve had a miscarriage. The Mayo Clinic says possibly up to 20% or more of pregnancies end in a natural miscarriage.

Be confident in your decision. Set up an appointment for free pregnancy testing and a free ultrasound. Get the answers you need before you make an appointment.