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Abortion Education

If you are considering abortion you probably have lots of questions. We are here to help you sort through your questions and concerns in order for you to make an informed decision. However, we do not offer or refer for abortions.

The information provided below is quoted from the Pennsylvania Department of Health booklet:
Abortion Making a Decision.

(Please note that Mifepristone and Mifeprex are also known as RU486.)

The Abortion Pill - Mifepristone

Mifepristone is a drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for pregnancy to continue. Mifepristone, when used together with another medicine called misoprostol, is used to end an early pregnancy (49 days or less since your last menstrual period began).

It is important that you understand the need for two follow-up visits with your health care provider and that you have access to a medical facility in case of an emergency.

You and your provider should discuss the benefits and risks for you of using Mifeprex (mifepristone).

Day 1 at your provider’s office:
  • Read a medication guide
  • Discuss the benefits and risks of using Mifeprex to end your pregnancy.
  • If you decide this is right for you, you will sign a Patient Agreement.
  • After getting a physical exam, you will swallow three tablets of Mifeprex.
Day 3 at your provider’s office:
  • Your provider will check to see if you are still pregnant
  • If you are still pregnant you will take two misoprostol tablets. If you are not already bleeding after taking Mifepristone, you probably will begin to bleed once you take misoprostol. Bleeding or spotting can be expected for an average of 9-16 days and may last for up to 30 days. Your bleeding may be similar to or greater than, a normal heavy period. You may see clots and tissue that come from your uterus. This is an expected part of ending the pregnancy.
  • Misoprostol may cause cramps, nausea, diarrhea and other symptoms. Your health care provider may send you home with medicines for these symptoms.
About Day 14 at your provider’s office:
  • This follow-up visit is very important. You must return to the provider about two weeks after you took Mifeprex to be sure you are well and that you are not pregnant.
  • Your provider will check whether your pregnancy has completely ended. If it has not ended, there is a chance that there may be birth defects. If you are still pregnant, your provider will talk with you about other choices you have, including a surgical procedure to end your pregnancy.

Surgical Abortion:

First Trimester (first three months of pregnancy) - Vacuum Aspiration:
  1. The doctor will spray or inject medicine on your cervix to prevent you from feeling pain.
  2. A catheter (a soft, clear tube similar to a long straw) will be inserted into your cervix. The catheter is connected to a machine that acts as a vacuum cleaner.
  3. The fetus is sucked out of the womb through the catheter.
  4. If more than six weeks has passed since your last normal period, the doctor must first gently open (dilate) the cervix. He or she will use a larger, firmer tube (a curette) to remove (evacuate) the fetus.
Second Trimester (fourth, fifth and sixth months of pregnancy) – Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)
  • The doctor may insert a sponge like material into the cervix. As the sponge gets wet it becomes larger, opening the mouth of the cervix. The doctor will remove the sponge two to sixteen hours later.
  • The doctor uses forceps to remove the fetus or fetal parts. The doctor may also suction the fetus or fetal parts by vacuum aspiration using a larger catheter than described for the first trimester. The afterbirth is commonly removed by vacuum aspiration.
  • If the age is determined to be late in the second trimester, the doctor may elect to perform the abortion by labor induction. Labor can be started by injecting medicines or salt water into the fetal bag of waters (amniotic sac). The medicine can be injected into the bags of waters by cleaning the belly (abdomen) to kill germs on the skin; putting numbing medicine (anesthetic) into the skin; and pushing a needle through the skin into the bags of waters. Medicine may also be injected into your bloodstream through your vein to induce labor. Labor usually begins in two to four hours. When an abortion is performed late in the second trimester the doctor may elect to inject medicine into the fetus to terminate it before doing the vacuum aspiration.
    • Third Trimester (between 24 and 38 weeks gestation)
    1. An abortion at this stage of pregnancy may only be done if your physician reasonably believes that it is necessary to prevent either your death or a substantial and irreversible impairment of one of your major bodily functions.
    2. When a pregnancy is ended at this stage, one of two procedures is performed: labor induction or cesarean section.
    3. Labor can be started by injecting medicine directly into the bloodstream (vein) of the pregnant woman. Labor and delivery of the fetus during the third trimester is similar to childbirth.
    4. If labor cannot be started by injecting medicine into the pregnant woman, or if she is too sick to undergo labor, a cesarean section may be done.

    Source: Abortion, Making A Decision (Booklet). Pennsylvania Department of Health (n.d.). N.p. n.p.