Doctor's office waiting room
A surgical abortion is a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy by emptying a woman's uterus of a developing baby. There are different methods used to do this, depending on the stage of pregnancy.
Safety
According to Planned Parenthood, surgical abortions are considered safe, but risks include infection, injury to the cervix--neck of the uterus--or uterus and excessive bleeding.
First Trimester Abortions
According to ProChoice.org, doctors typically use vacuum aspiration for surgical abortions that occur before about 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. This involves using special rods to dilate--open--the cervix and a vacuum aspirator--a tool that uses suction similar to that of a vacuum--to suck the contents out of the uterus.
D&C
Sometimes doctors use a curette--a scoop- or spoon-shaped instrument--to scrape the walls of the uterus gently and remove tissues that remain after a vacuum aspiration. When a curette is used, the procedure may be referred to as a dilation and curettage (D&C).
D&E
According to Blue Shield of California, dilation and evacuation (D&E) is typically used for abortions in the second trimester, after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy--up to 14 weeks in some clinics. To perform this type of abortion, a doctor dilates a woman's cervix more than with vacuum aspiration abortion and uses suction and medical instruments to remove the contents of the uterus.
Anesthesia
The type of anesthesia used for a surgical abortion depends on the type of abortion and the woman's preferences. A woman may receive local anesthesia to numb the cervix, sedation drugs to induce a calm, sleepy feeling, general anesthesia to put her to sleep or nitrous oxide to give her a feeling of well-being and drowsiness during the procedure.
Medications
Doctors may use medications to help open a woman's cervix. They may also prescribe antibiotics for infection prevention.
Tags: vacuum aspiration, contents uterus, surgical abortion, surgical abortions, type abortion, uses suction
