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Abortion Information
Medical Terminology |
Surgical Abortion |
Chemical Abortion |
Your Legal Rights
Every day
we talk with women who feel just like you do. Although you may
feel pressure to make a quick decision, give yourself a chance
to get the facts.
When it comes to pregnancy
options, facts speak volumes. That’s why the DPC makes it easy
to get the information and advice you need – without lectures or
judgment – so you can make the choice that’s right for you.
Pregnancy termination is just
one option. The information provided here contains only the
basic facts and it’s best to schedule an appointment to have
your pregnancy verified and to meet with our medical personnel
for detailed information. A sonogram can be provided to verify
if your pregnancy is viable and is developing within the uterus.
If you are considering
terminating your pregnancy, you need to know and think about the
following:
The cost and type of
abortion is determined by the number of weeks a woman is in her
pregnancy.
It is not uncommon to have
a positive pregnancy test result and not have a baby growing in
the uterus. One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and it
is also possible to be experiencing a tubal pregnancy.
Before considering various
pregnancy termination procedures, it is strongly recommended you
have a sonogram to determine the results of the questions above.
Medical Terminology
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Cervix – the bottom opening to
the uterus.
-
Embryo – human life at its
earliest developmental stage.
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Fertilization – joining of a
male sperm and the female egg to form a human embryo.
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Fetus – a developing unborn
baby with an observable human structure.
-
Full Term Pregnancy – the
stage at about 40 weeks after last menstrual period or 38 weeks
after fertilization when the unborn baby is ready for birth.
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Last Menstrual Period (LMP) –
the date when a woman started her last menstrual cycle before
fertilization. This is the point in time from which the
pregnancy and the age of the unborn baby are measured.
-
Trimester – an interval of
three months used to measure three successive stages of
pregnancy – first trimester, second trimester, and third
trimester.
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Uterus – the muscular female
organ that contains the developing unborn baby.
Surgical Abortion
Manual Vacuum Aspiration (Within
7 weeks after LMP)
This surgical abortion is done
early in the pregnancy up until 7 weeks after the woman’s last
menstrual period. The cervical muscle is stretched with
dilators (metal rods) until the opening is wide enough to allow
the abortion instruments to pass into the uterus. A hand held
syringe is attached to tubing that is inserted into the uterus
and the fetus is suctioned out.
Suction Curettage
(Within 6 to 14 weeks after LMP) *Most Common
In this procedure, the doctor
opens the cervix with a dilator ( a metal rod) or laminaria
(thin sticks derived from plants and inserted hours before the
procedure). The doctor inserts tubing into the uterus and
connects the tubing to a suction machine. The suction pulls the
fetus’ body apart and out of the uterus. One variation of the
procedure is called Dilation and Curettage (D & C). In this
method the doctor may use a curette, a loop-shaped knife, to
scrape the fetal parts out of the uterus.
Dilation and Evacuation (D &
E) (Within 13 to 24 weeks after LMP)
This surgical abortion is done
during the second trimester of pregnancy. Because the
developing fetus doubles in size between the eleventh and
twelfth weeks of pregnancy, the body of the fetus is too large
to be broken up by suction and will not pass through the suction
tubing. In this procedure, the cervix must be opened wider than
in a first trimester abortion. This is done by inserting
laminaria a day or two before the abortion. After opening the
cervix, the doctor pulls out the fetal parts with forceps. The
fetus’ skull is crushed to ease removal.
*Abortions are not performed
in the state of Texas after 24 weeks.
Possible Short Term
Physical Complications:
Infection
Incomplete abortion
Heavy bleeding
Damage to the uterus
Cervical tear
Medically Documented
Possible Long Term Physical Complications:
Pre-term Birth in Subsequent
Pregnancies – birth before 37 weeks
Placenta Privia in Subsequent
Pregnancies – placenta covers all or part of the cervix during
pregnancy leading to hemorrhaging in women and low birth weight
or pre-term birth for infants
Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Psychological Truama leading
to risk of suicide
Loss of the Protective Effect
of a Full Term Pregnancy against Breast Cancer
Chemical Abortion
Morning After Pill
(AKA Emergency Contraception) Must be used within 72
hours of intercourse.
The morning after pill
contains the same hormone as regular birth control pills, but
the dosage is several times the strength of a daily birth
control pill. Plan B (levonorgestrel) is the only FDA approved
progestin-only emergency contraceptive. The morning after pill
is not for routine use. Failure rates and side effects increase
with repeated use.
Plan B works like a birth
control pill. There are 3 ways a birth control pill can work:
1. Stop the release of an
egg from the ovary.
2. Prevent the
fertilization of an egg (the uniting of a sperm with the
egg).
3. Prevent the already
fertilized egg (embryo) from attaching to the uterus (womb).
This causes an already fertilized egg to be expelled from
the womb, causing an early abortion.
Possible Side Effects:
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Approximately 1 out of
4 women studied experience menstrual bleeding and
nausea.
-
Approximately 1 out of
5 women studied experience abdominal pain, fatigue, and
headache.
Other side effects include:
RU-486 (AKA Mifeprex
or Early Option Pill) For use up to 7 weeks from LMP
RU-486 is a man made steroid
designed to work against the pregnancy. It must be used in the
first 49 days or less from the last LMP.
1) At
the first visit, three tablets, each containing 200 milligrams
of RU-486, are given at the clinic and the patient is sent
home. The drug acts by blocking the progesterone hormone
necessary to sustain a pregnancy. Without the hormone, the
lining of the uterus softens and begins to break down, with
bleeding beginning
2) Two
days later the patient returns to the clinic and is given two
pills of misoprostol, a prostaglandin used to induce
contractions and expel the fetus. The contractions may start
immediately at the clinic or up to 24 hours later when the
patient has returned home.
3) Approximately
12 days later, a follow-up visit is made to assess whether the
fetus was successfully aborted. If not, arrangements are made
for a surgical abortion that a woman must agree to during her
first visit. A surgical procedure is also necessary if the
woman is hemorrhaging.
Possible side effects include:
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Heavy bleeding
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Clotting
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Cramps
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Nausea
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Diarrhea
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Vomiting
Certain conditions or habits
can put you at increased risk for complications:
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High blood pressure
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Diabetes
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Allergies
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Smoking
It is important that you fully
communicate all health conditions to your doctor.
Know Your Legal
Rights
Protecting Your Health and
Your Legal Rights is Your Responsibility.
1. You have the
right to insist your abortion is performed only by a
licensed physician.
2. You have the
right to know if this physician’s license has ever been
suspended or revoked.
3. You have the
right to know if this physician has a history of medical
malpractice.
4. You have the
right to verify that this physician has malpractice
insurance in case you are injured during the procedure.
5. You have the
right to insist that if you have complications during your
abortion procedure that you will be immediately transferred
by ambulance to the nearest emergency hospital or trauma
center.
Do not give up your legal
rights. At the abortion clinic you may be asked to sign a
statement stating you will not hold the clinic or doctor liable
if you are injured during the abortion procedure. No competent
attorney would advise you to sign such a statement.
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Medical Terminology |
Surgical Abortion |
Chemical Abortion |
Your Legal Rights
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