What Is a Surgical Abortion?

Planned Parenthood estimates that more than one out of three women in the United States has an abortion by the age of 45. Abortion methods include medical abortion or surgical abortion, which terminates a pregnancy by surgically removing the fetus from a women's uterus. What kind of surgical abortion a woman undergoes depends upon how far along she is in her pregnancy.

Types

According to the American Pregnancy Association, the five types of surgical abortion include suction aspiration, dilation and curettage, dilation and evacuation, induction abortion, and dilation and extraction. Surgical abortions are outpatient procedures that require a minimum of a few hours up to an overnight stay at the clinic or hospital where the surgical abortion is performed.

Time Frame

The type of surgical abortion performed depends on the woman's stage of pregnancy. Suction aspiration is performed during the first six to 12 weeks of gestation; dilation and curettage is performed during 12 to 15 weeks; dilation and evacuation takes place between 15 to 21 weeks; and dilation and extraction is used after 21 weeks. Induction abortions, when performed, also occur after 21 weeks. According to Blue Shield of California, dilation and evacuation is preferred because it has fewer risks than induction abortion.

Procedure

According to the Mayo Clinic, surgical abortions are performed using a vacuum device, a syringe or a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette. The American Pregnancy Association outlines the types of surgical abortions on its website. In a suction aspiration surgical abortion, a cannula (a tube connected to a suction device) is used to suction out the fetus and placenta from the uterus. The procedure used in dilation and curettage is similar, but a curette (a loop-shaped knife) is used to scrape the lining, placenta and fetus from the uterus.
Dilation and evacuation is typically a combination of suction aspiration and dilation and curettage. It can also include the use of forceps, if necessary, to remove larger parts of the fetus and lining from the woman's uterus. Induction abortion uses insertion of medicine, which can be salt water or potassium chloride, to abort the pregnancy. In dilation and extraction, the woman's cervix is dilated and its contents removed by forceps. To ease the removal, a suction catheter can be inserted into the fetus' skull until it collapses.

Effects

Medical symptoms as a result of surgical abortion can include side effects such as cramping, nausea, sweating and faintness. Women can also experience bleeding of varying degrees, blood clots or infection. Severe symptoms, depending on the type of surgical abortion performed, can include perforation of the uterus and damage to the cervix. If women experience these side effects after undergoing a surgical abortion, they should consult their doctor.

Considerations

According to the Almanac of Policy Issues, women won the right to have an abortion at any time during the first trimester after the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. States also have various laws on abortion access depending on the age and health of the mother.
Having an abortion will not affect any of the woman's future pregnancies, according to the Mayo Clinic.

References

• American Pregnancy Association
• Mayo Clinic
• Almanac of Policy Issues