Abortion Procedure: Non-Surgical                           RU-486 or the Abortion Pill. This procedure must be used within 49 days of the start of your last period, and usually requires 2 visits to your care proider.  

There are 2 steps to RU-486:                                                             STEP 1:  You are given an oral dose or injection of one of the following drugs:                                                        METHOTREXATE -stops pregnancy in the uterus. It can also stop a pregnancy in the fallopian tubes (ectopic pregnancy)* MIFEPRISTONE - blocks the hormone progesterone.  Without progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down, ending the pregnancy. (Each drug affects the body differently. Your care provider will decide which is best for you.)    

STEP 2:  You will receive the drug MISOPROSTOL - in pill or suppository. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and expel the contents. (About 90% to 95% effective.)                                    If the drug is ineffective, a surgical abortion must be performed. What you can expect:  Strong cramping, nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain.

• Call a doctor if:
• You experience overly heavy bleeding - soaking more than 2 maxi-pads per hour, more than 2 hours in a row.
• Bleed too heavily for over 12 hours
• Pass clots larger than lemons
• Run a fever
• Fell nausea or vomit for over 4 hours
• Pain continues after using pain reliever
• Have an allergic reaction to the medication.                                                                     

Candidates for RU-486 must be able to complete the regimen of drugs and make between one and two visits to the care provider.

Abortion Procedure: Manual Vacuum Aspiration Used up to 7 weeks after your last period

For this procedure you lie on your back with your feet in stirrups.  Your cervical muscle is stretched with cone-shaped metal rods until the opening is wide enough to allow surgical tools to pass into your uterus. The Manual Vacuum Aspiration method empties the contents of the uterus with suction.  It is used for very early pregnancies.

Abortion Procedure:  Dilation and Curettage (with Suction Aspiration) Used within 6-14 weeks after your last period.

For this procedure you lie on your back with your feet in stirrups.  The care provider applies a shot of anesthesia to your cervix to reduce pain.  Your cervical muscle is stretched with cone-shaped rods until the opening is wide enough to allow surgical tools to pass into your uterus.  A suction machine is used to remove the contents of the uterus. This is a blind prodedure as the medical practitioner is unable to see inside the uterus. When dilation and curettage is combined with the procedure, a loop-shaped knife is used to scrape the wall of your uterus.  This helps free the fetus and the placenta from the wall and reduces the size of the contents and to enble them to pass more easily from your body.

Abortion Procedure:  Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) Used within 13 to 24 weeks after your last period.

Because the fetus is more developed and cartilage is turning to bone, the care provider introdues another medical instrument. It reduces the size of the fetus so that it may pass throgh the pervix.  The procedure requires that your cervix be opened in the same fashion as the Suction or D and C methods, only wider.  There is a greater risk to your reproductive organs with D and E.

If an abortion procedure is delayed beyond 16 weeks other medications will be used to insure a complete abortion. Please speak to a counselor at Today's Choice to discuss these advanced procedures.

Abortion Procedure: Dilation and Extraction (D&X) Used from 20 weeks after your last period to full-term..

Also know as Partial-birth abortion, this procedure takes 3 days.During the fist two days, the cervix is dilated and medication is given for cramping.  On the third day, the woman recives medication to start labor.  After labor begins, the care provider uses ultrasound to locate the bay's legs.  Grasping a leg with forceps, the doctor delivers the baby up to the baby's head.  Next, scissors are inserted into the base of the skull.  A suction catheter is placed into theopening to reove the skull contents, the skulls collapses and the baby is removed.