-
Surgical abortions, also called vacuum aspirations, are the most common types of pregnancy terminations. These safe, effective procedures take only a few minutes and are relatively painless. According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, doctors insert medical instruments into the uterus through the cervix that detach and remove the uterine lining and the fetus.
This procedure can be performed up to 12 weeks into the pregnancy and in some states, can be performed later. Side effects include a few days of bleeding or spotting and menstrual cramp-type pain. Follow up visits determine if all the uterine material has been removed and check for infection.
Many women chose these types of abortions because they're over quickly. You enter the clinic pregnant and within an hour, the physical aspects of being pregnant are over. Other benefits to this type of procedure, according to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, include less bleeding than medication abortions and the longer window for receiving the procedure. -
Medication abortions, or abortion pills, can be used up to nine weeks into your pregnancy. Many women chose this type of abortion because it is completed at home rather than in a hospital or clinic. Your doctor will give you a medication called mifepristone, which you take immediately. A few days later, you'll take a medication called misoprostol.
A few hours after taking misoprostol, you'll experience cramping and bleeding like a heavy menstrual period. This bleeding will likely be heavy enough that you'll need to miss work or school for at least one day. Bleeding and light spotting can continue for one to two weeks. Two weeks later, a follow up visit will determine if your abortion was completed successfully.
Women chose this option because it allows them to terminate their pregnancy in the privacy of their own homes. According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, many women report that medication abortions feel more like natural miscarriages and less like medical interventions.
