Surgical Abortion
Surgical abortions are done at the hospital. You will need at least two appointments; one for a consultation visit and the second for the surgical procedure. If your pregnancy is over 14 weeks, you will need to come to the clinic the day before the procedure for laminaria to be inserted into the cervix to soften it overnight.
During the consultation process, you will talk with the nurse and the doctor to review your options, have blood work organized, and discuss a birth control plan. We will answer any questions you have. You will then have an ultrasound and physical examination with the doctor, discuss the procedure, and sign consents to be booked for the surgery. The procedure itself will be booked as a second appointment at the hospital. Generally, you must arrive at the hospital 3 hours prior to your procedure, but we will give you specific instructions when you are booked.
The procedure itself takes 5-10 minutes, and then it takes approximately 60 minutes for the recovery. It is usually done under intravenous sedation to relax and sedate you. This type of sedation is safer than a general anesthetic. The cervix is frozen, so that there is minimal pain. Most people are at the hospital for up to 5 hours and you must have someone drive you home. We recommend that someone stay with you overnight due to variable effects from the anesthetic medication. You can expect to feel tired on the day of the procedure. Most people can resume their usual activities the next day, unless you do heavy lifting at work.
Complication rates are less than 1% for surgical procedures. You are given antibiotics immediately before the procedure to minimize the risk of infection. An ultrasound is used during or after the procedure to ensure completion, and the tissue is examined before you leave the hospital. There is about 1/100,000 chance of a serious reaction to the medications used or any permanent damage to the uterus. There are no known long-term effects of surgical abortion. Women are able to conceive again and have a normal pregnancy. There are no known problems or consequences with having more than one abortion.
We strongly recommend a check-up 2 weeks following the procedure. The doctor will speak with you to review your experience, and you will have a chance to discuss your feelings about the process, and ask any remaining questions about birth control. The check-up can also be done with your own health care provider if you have one.