Which kind of abortion you choose depends on your personal preference and situation. Some people choose a surgical abortion because they want to have their procedure done at a health center, with nurses, doctors, and trained support staff there the whole time. (With the abortion pill, you have the abortion at home.)

Surgical abortions are also much faster than the abortion pill: most in-clinic abortions only take about 5-10 minutes, while a medication abortion may take up to 24 hours to complete.

Before your abortion, you’ll get pain medicine to help with cramping. Some people might get medicine that either makes you relax or puts you to sleep completely. Your nurse or doctor will discuss your options with you.

You’ll also get antibiotics to help prevent infection. The doctor/nurse will also need to open your cervix before the procedure. They will do this by giving you medicine a few hours before your procedure.

A staff person will be in the procedure room the whole time. Their job is to support you and help the doctor or nurse during your abortion.

During an abortion procedure, the doctor or nurse will:

• examine your uterus

• put a speculum in to see into your vagina

• give you a numbing shot in or near your cervix

• open your cervix a bit if needed

• insert a thin tube through your cervix into your uterus

• use a small, hand-held device that removes pregnancy tissue out of your uterus

• possibly use a small surgical tool called a curette to remove any tissue that’s left in your uterus, or check to make sure your uterus is totally empty.

Once your abortion is over, you’ll hang out in a recovery area until you feel better and are ready to leave.

This type of abortion only takes about 5 to 10 minutes. But your appointment will take longer because you’ll need to have an exam, read and sign forms, and stay in the recovery room for up to about an hour after the abortion is done.

Having an abortion feels different for everyone — it can be super painful or just a little uncomfortable. Your level of discomfort can depend on the medications you get, how far into your pregnancy you are, and how much cramping and pain you have. For most people, it feels like strong period cramps.

Your doctors and nurses will help make your abortion as comfortable as possible. You’ll get pain and numbing medications that will make it hurt less and you may get sedation.

You may have a little cramping after your abortion. You’ll probably want to take it easy for a while afterward, but most people feel back to normal the next day.

Some bleeding and cramping is common after an abortion. So plan ahead to make your recovery time more comfortable. Give yourself the rest of the day to relax. Have maxi pads ready, and a heating pad for cramps in case you need it. Make sure you have some pain medication like ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) — but don’t take aspirin because it can make you bleed more.

Here at Affirmative Care Solutions, you can have the surgical procedure done up to 16 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy.

It varies from person to person. You’ll probably have some bleeding and cramping after your abortion, so plan on resting in a comfortable place afterward.

Most people are back to their regular activities within a day. You can take pain medication like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). You can also put a heating pad or hot water bottle on your belly or have someone rub your back.

You may have a range of emotions after having an abortion. Most people feel relief, but sometimes people feel sad or regretful. Many people feel all these things together. However you feel is totally normal — everybody’s experience is different.

Abortion starts a new menstrual cycle, so your period should go back to normal 4-8 weeks after your abortion. When your next period will come may also depend on your birth control situation.

If you’re not on hormonal birth control, you can expect your period by 8 weeks after your abortion. If you’re not using hormonal birth control and you don’t get your period 8 weeks after your abortion call us.

Keep in mind that you can get pregnant very quickly after an abortion, even if your periods aren’t back to normal yet. So if you don’t want to get pregnant again, it’s a good idea to talk to your nurse or doctor about birth control.

You can have sex as soon as you feel ready.

Surgical abortions are extremely effective. They work more than 99 out of every 100 times. Needing to get a repeat procedure because the abortion didn’t work is really rare.

Surgical abortions are very common, and it’s one of the safest medical procedures you can get.

But like any procedure, there are some risks. The chances of problems get higher the later you get the abortion, and if you have sedation or general anesthesia.

Serious complications are really rare but can happen. These include:

• the abortion doesn’t work and the pregnancy doesn’t end

• some of the pregnancy tissue is left in your uterus

• blood clots in your uterus

• very heavy bleeding

• infection

• injury to your cervix, uterus or other organs

• allergic reaction to medication

These problems are really rare, and they’re usually easy to treat. If your abortion doesn’t end your pregnancy or get all the pregnancy tissue out, you may need another procedure — but this isn’t common.

In extremely rare cases, some complications can be very serious or even life-threatening. Call your doctor right away if you have:

• heavy bleeding from your vagina that soaks through more than 2 maxi pads in an hour, for 2 or more hours in a row

• severe pain or discomfort in your belly that medication doesn’t help

• a fever of 100.4 or higher

You can go back to work, school, driving, exercise, and most other normal activities the next day if you feel up to it.

You can get pregnant right after your abortion, so it’s a good idea to talk with your nurse or doctor about birth control as soon as you can — they can help you find a method that’s right for you. You can start using birth control immediately after having an abortion.

This depends on your health history, the length of your pregnancy, and your personal desires. If you do receive anesthesia, we offer :

• Numbing/Local Anesthesia: This is done for all procedures and involves a numbing medicine being injected into the cervix at the beginning of the procedure. It reduces the pain that is felt during and after the procedure but does not take away all of the discomfort of the procedure.

• Oral Medications (Medications by mouth): We offer a wide range of medications that can be taken by mouth to help with discomfort during the procedure. Depending on whether or not you have a driver/ride after the procedure, and your medical history, all patients are eligible for all of these medications as well and they include both pain medications and medications to help relax you and make you less anxious/worried about the procedure.

We understand that having an abortion can be a difficult choice and that some people close to you may not support your decision. Due to this, we hold patient confidentiality in the highest regard. We will never inform another person of your abortion unless you specifically ask us to. Your information is completely confidential, and we will not share it with anyone.