How is a surgical abortion in a clinic performed?

For pregnancies of up to 14 weeks, it is performed with a local anaesthetic and involves inserting a small tube into the uterus and aspirating the pregnancy. This is called vacuum aspiration. For this procedure you can expect to be at the clinic for a few hours. You can be given light sedation if you feel agitated.

 

Beyond 14 weeks you will need to attend the clinic the day before to have cervical preparation, and on the day of the procedure the cervix is dilated and the pregnancy is removed with forceps and suction while you are under a general anaesthetic. This is called dilation and evacuation (D&E). For this procedure you can expect to be at the clinic for a whole day. You may also be asked to stay overnight for observation.