Pregnancy Resource Center - Grand Rapids Michigan » Abortion Process

RU-486

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:17:21 +0000

RU-486 is a medical abortion that is used very early in pregnancy, no later than nine weeks after your last period. Your doctor would either give you an oral dose of, or inject you with, Mifepristone. This drug stops the natural function of your body. The lining of your uterus softens and breaks down. Two days later you would return to the clinic for a checkup. If the baby hasn’t been expelled, you would be given another drug (Cytotec or Misoprostol) to make your cervix dilate and your uterus contract, to push the baby from your body-similar to what happens during labor. This procedure can cause cramping, bleeding, nausea and diarrhea. In some cases, this procedure results in a failed abortion. If so, the doctor will want to surgically extract the fetus.

Methotrexate (MTX)

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:18:12 +0000

This drug was invented to fight cancer. It attacks cells that are growing rapidly and prevents them from multiplying, which kills the embryo. Methotrexate is usually given as an injection. About a week later you insert vaginal suppositories of Misoprostol, which cause contractions. This procedure is used up to seven weeks from the date of your last period. This drug has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for abortions. The procedure can cause excessive bleeding and cramping. If the abortion is not complete, you will be scheduled for a surgical abortion.

Suction Aspiration

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:18:53 +0000

For this procedure you lie on your back with your feet in stirrups, and the doctor applies a shot of anesthetic to your cervix to reduce pain. Your cervical muscle is stretched with cone-shaped rods until the opening is wide enough to allow the abortion tools to pass into your uterus. Then the doctor guides the suction device through the cervix and into your uterus. When the suction machine is turned on, you feel the strong force of the vacuum which is used to pull the placenta and fetus into parts small enough to pass out of your body through the suction tube.

Dilation and Curettage

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:19:33 +0000

The doctors opens your cervix, as in a suction procedure, but in this case the abortion is done with a loop-shaped knife which is used to scrape the wall of your uterus, cutting the fetus and placenta into smaller parts-which are pulled out of your body through the cervix. There is a higher risk of your uterus being perforated with this procedure. A general anesthesia is usually required.

Dilation and Evacuation

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:20:15 +0000

Because the bones of the fetus are larger and stronger by this time, the doctor uses a medical instrument resembling pliers to pull the fetus into smaller parts and removes those parts from your body through the cervix. This procedure requires your cervix to be opened wider than with suction or D & C procedures, and there is a greater risk of harm to your reproductive organs.

Dilation and Extraction

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:20:54 +0000

Laminaria (a type of seaweed that expands when moist) is used to dilate the cervix over a two-day period. On the third day, the membranes are ruptured. An ultrasound is used to locate the lower extremities. The doctor then uses large forceps to grasp a leg, and pull it down into the vagina. After the body is delivered, the skull is lodged at the cervical opening. The doctor makes an incision in the base of the fetal skull, inserts a suction catheter and empties the contents of the baby’s skull. Damage to your body may occur due to extensive stretching of the cervix during the procedure.