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Types of Abortion

Author: Dr Scott Pendergraft
by Dr Scott Pendergraft
Posted: Nov 18, 2015

Losing a child due to any reason can lead to various changes in the women’s body as well as her mental health. There are a lot of ways in which abortion affects a woman. These may range from physical changes that are very obvious, to the psychological changes that are underlying. There are mainly two kinds of abortions that women in the world undergo and the kind of procedure that shall be done will totally depend upon one’s medical condition and scenario during that time. Here are a few types of abortions:

Medical Abortion

As it is evident from its name, medical abortion does not include invasive methods or surgeries. This is dependent upon a few drugs or medications that are taken by women so as to end the cause of pregnancy. Usually, women are given a drug called mifepristone and it is also sold with the name "abortion pill." The generic name of this medicine is RU-486 that sells under the brand name Mifeprex. It is not an OTC medicine and therefore the healthcare professional will ask for your prescription. Women who are seeking medical abortion need to take the medicine prescription from their doctor’s clinic or office. Misoprostol can also be taken in order to end pregnancy.

Mifepristone is usually prescribed during the first trimester of the pregnancy. This is an FDA approved medicine and can be used for up to 7 weeks. In the U.S. alone, medical abortion accounted for 13% of the total abortions and 22% of the overall abortions taking place within initial stage (i.e. 8 weeks of the pregnancy).

Surgical Abortion

Surgical abortions must always be only done by a licensed medical practitioner. There can be a few options in hand, as far as surgical abortions are concerned. The method of abortion option will depend upon how far a woman is in her pregnancy.

One of the abortion procedures is Aspiration. This can be performed on those women who are up to 16 weeks pregnant after she gets her last period. This procedure is also called vacuum aspiration, D&A, i.e., dilation and aspiration or suction aspiration. In this procedure, a tube is inserted in the uterus through dilated cervix. With the help of gentle suction, the fetal tissue is removed from within and the uterus is emptied.

In a few cases, the practitioner may use an instrument known as curette, which is spoon shaped. It is used so as to scrape the uterine and get rid of the remaining foetal tissues. This process is known as dilation and curettage or simply D&C.

Another procedure of surgical abortion is called Dilation and evacuation or D&E. this is performed on women who are in their second trimester, i.e. between 13th to 24th week of pregnancy. Just like D&E and D&C, this process involves the use of instruments like forceps. Suction is also used in order to vacate the uterus. In this procedure, the practitioner may first administer a shot through your abdomen in order to ensure demise of foetus. Thereafter, D&E is started.

Tampa Abortion Clinic. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women's Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including abortions, physical examinations, family planning and counseling. Abortion Clinic.

About the Author

Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women's Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women. http://www.womenscenter.com/

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Author: Dr Scott Pendergraft

Dr Scott Pendergraft

Member since: Mar 30, 2015
Published articles: 61

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