Fetal Development throughout the first
fourteen weeks
- Week one - The sperm
joins with the ovum (egg) to form one cell with 46 chromosomes. The
fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube and implants itself into
the lining of the uterus.
- Week three - The brain,
spinal cord and nervous system are taking shape. The heart begins to beat.
- Week five - Brain waves
can be detected and recorded. Fingers are recognized on the hand. The
mouth and nose are forming and beginning to show.
- Week eight - The fetus is
a little longer than an inch. All of the major organs are working - the
heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, liver and intestine. The fetus can
feel and responds to touch.
- Week nine - Fingerprints
are evident. The fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in
its hand. The eyes are completely developed.
- Week eleven - Urination
begins. The head can turn and the fetus can make facial expressions.
- Week fourteen - The sex
has become apparent. Continued development of the muscles occurs. The
fetus is four inches long and weighs over two ounces.
Abortion Procedure Before Fourteen Weeks
1. Suction Curettage (Aspiration)
The patient lies on
her back with feet in stirrups, and the physician applies an injection of
anesthesia to the cervix to help reduce the pain. The physician guides the
suction device through the cervix and into the uterus. The suction machine is
turned on and the force of the vacuum pulls the placenta and fetus parts
through the suction tube into a collection bottle.
2. Dilation and Curettage ( D&C, or sharp curettage)
The physician opens
the cervix using the same procedure as described above, except that the
abortion is performed with a loop-shaped knife which is used to scrape the wall
of the uterus, cutting the fetus and placenta into smaller pieces and pulling
them out of the uterus through the cervix.
This abortion
method is not as common, because it requires more dilation, more time, and is
not as safe as suction curettage.
3. RU-486
RU-486
(mifepristone) is given between the fifth and seventh week after the start of
the woman's last menstrual period. It may be given up to the ninth week,
however the effectiveness diminishes. Mifepristone causes the body to act as
though it is not pregnant and a heavy period occurs. Mifepristone can be given
alone or in combination with prostaglandin for increased effectiveness.
Prostaglandins cause the cervix to dilate and the uterus to contract and push
the fetus from the woman's body, similar to labor.
The procedure takes
approximately three to five days. The first office visit consists of a
physical, an ultrasound and lab tests. On the second visit the woman takes
RU-486. Approximately 36 to 48 hours later the third office visit occurs and a
prostaglandin is given to induce labor. The woman is monitored for a few hours
and sent home. The woman usually aborts the fetus at home. The fourth office
visit is scheduled for one week later. If the abortion has not occurred at this
time, or if there is heavy bleeding, an ultrasound is performed to determine if
the uterus is empty or if parts of the baby or placenta remain. If parts
remain, a D&C will be performed.
Fetal development after fourteen weeks
- Week fifteen - Eyebrow
and eyelashes are apparent. The fetus is over five inches long.
- Week sixteen - The fetus
can yawn, stretch and turn somersaults. The ears are functioning and there
is evidence that the fetus is able to hear.
Abortion Procedure After Fourteen Weeks
1. Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)
In the second
trimester the bones of the fetus are larger and stronger and will not fit
through the suction tubing. The cervix also needs to be dilated more than in
the first trimester. The physician inserts laminaria (a type of seaweed that
expands when it gets wet) a day or two prior to the abortion to help dilate the
cervix. Following the dilation of the cervix, the physician uses a medical
instrument resembling pliers to pull the fetus into smaller parts and removes
the parts from the woman's body through the cervix.
Fetal development after sixteen weeks
- Week seventeen -
Fingernails and toenails are forming. The skin is developing. The fetus is
seven inches long.
- Week eighteen - The
fetus can hear sounds outside of the mother's body. The fetus is twisting
and turning and moving all around.
- Week twenty -The fetus
is now twelve inches in length. The mother can definitely feel the baby
move.
- Month six -The oil and
sweat glands are working. A special skin grows on the baby to protect it
in the womb.
With significant medical care, the baby can
survive outside of the womb at this point.
Abortion Procedure After Sixteen Weeks
Saline, prostaglandin, and urea instillation
procedures, common in the 1970's and 1980's, are rarely used now.
- Saline Abortion
Concentrated salt
solution is injected through the woman's abdomen into the amniotic sac. The
fetus absorbs the solution, which is poisonous, and eventually dies. The saline
also causes the uterus to contract and push the fetus out of the uterus.
- Prostaglandin Abortion
An injection of a
hormone called prostaglandin is injected into the woman's amniotic sac. The
hormone causes the uterus to contract and push the fetus out of the uterus.
- Urea Abortions
Similar to the
saline procedure but not as effective. Urea is used to soften the fetal tissue
to make the delivery easier, safer and not as painful.
Fetal development in the last three months
- Month seven - The baby
can now use the four senses of vision, hearing, touch and taste. The baby
can recognize its mother's voice. The baby is now 15 inches long.
- Month eight - The skin
is thickening. Antibodies are building up. The baby is now approximately
16 inches and weighs almost four pounds.
- Month nine - Toward the
end of the month the baby is ready to be born. The baby weighs between six
to nine pounds and is ready to live outside of the womb.
Late Term Abortions
1. Dilation and Extraction (Partial
Birth)
These abortions are
performed in late term pregnancy and take three days to complete. During the
first two days the woman's cervix is dilated (opened) with laminaria. On the
third day the laminaria is removed and an ultrasound determines the position of
the fetus. The physician grasps a leg of the fetus with forceps and pulls the
leg through the vagina, and then the body is pulled through. The head remains
inside the vagina. The physician makes a cut in the base of the skull of the
fetus using scissors. A suction catheter (tube) is placed in the opening to
suction out the contents. The skull shrinks and is easy to remove. The placenta
is then removed with forceps and the physician scrapes the wall of the uterus
to make sure all parts are removed.
Call 1-888-601-6021 and get information to
make an educated decision about abortion.
We make referrals to physicians that can thoroughly explain the abortion
procedure, including the risks and effects.