Are You Considering Abortion?

Before having an abortion, it’s vital to have your pregnancy confirmed. Other medical reasons can change your menstrual cycle, so begin by looking at different pregnancy symptoms and taking a pregnancy test.

Free and Confidential Pregnancy Testing

We offer pregnancy testing free of charge, so even if you’ve taken a home test, you can quickly get your results confirmed.

However, a pregnancy test is only an indication of pregnancy. If your test is positive, you must have an ultrasound before you schedule an abortion. We can provide a referral for a free ultrasound in our area.

Are There Different Abortion Procedures?

There are two different types of abortion, medical and surgical. Which method you qualify for is determined by the number of weeks you have been pregnant.

The FDA has approved medical abortion through ten weeks gestation (70 days or less since the first day of a patient’s last menstrual period). It may be necessary to have a surgical abortion after 70 days.

Medical Abortion

The abortion pill is a method of medical abortion because it uses two drugs to terminate a pregnancy. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks a hormone known as progesterone. All pregnancies need progesterone to continue. Without this critical hormone, the pregnancy ends.

Misoprostol, the second drug, causes your uterus to contract to expel the pregnancy from the body. The following are the side effects and risks of the abortion pill, according to the Mayo Clinic:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
• An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
• Heavy and prolonged bleeding
• Infection

Surgical Abortion

There are several surgical abortion procedures depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy. In your first trimester, you could have Vacuum or Suction Aspiration. The abortion provider dilates (opens) your cervix and sucks out the contents of your uterus.

Another method is dilation and curettage (D & C). This abortion procedure uses suction aspiration but includes a sharp scraping device to ensure that nothing remains in your uterus.

Abortion in Ohio is legal up to 21 weeks and 6 days. At this stage of the pregnancy, the abortion provider would do a dilation and evacuation (D & E).

Once fully dilated, the provider uses forceps to remove the pregnancy and checks to ensure the removal of all tissue.

The following are potential risks of surgical abortion:

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

How We Can Help

If you are ready to talk to someone, we are available to listen and provide confidential assistance. Schedule an appointment with us today.