We take every effort to insure that your abortion will be as comfortable as possible. Most patients tell us that with the local anesthesia they felt only mild cramping or no pain at all. If you choose to have the intravenous medication you will probably have no memory of the procedure.

Studies indicate that properly performed abortions have little or no effect on future fertility.

In our office, it is performed from 9 weeks to 15 weeks gestation. It can also be offered between 5 weeks to 9 weeks gestation if desired by the patient or if deemed safer than the medical abortion under certain medical conditions.

Before You Arrive

• Masks are required.
• Do not eat or drink anything for 6-8 hours.
• Bring a form of ID. Your escort should also have a form of ID. We will keep copies for your records.
• Come with a trusted adult who can bring you home after the procedure. It is not safe to drive nor is it wise to take a taxi or Uber.
• Wear comfortable clothes.
• Bring a change of underwear, pads and tampons.

Before Surgery:

• We review the medical history and perform a medical exam.
• We perform an ultrasound to check for the location, age and condition of the pregnancy.
• We check for uterine or ovarian abnormalities such as fibroids or ovarian cysts.
• We draw blood for the RH factor to see if someone’s blood is RH positive or negative.
• We place an intravenous catheter through which we can later give medications.
• For patients who have never had a vaginal delivery before, we may opt to soften the cervix using a medication that causes cramps. It is called Misoprostol. It will thin out the cervix and make it softer and easier to open up and perform the suction. This process is gentle and requires at least a few hours of waiting until the cervix has ripened and is ready. It protects the cervix from tearing.

During Surgery:

• We place you in the operating room and attach monitors for your blood pressure, pulse and oxygen. The monitors stay on for your safety until the end of surgery.
• We use an antibiotic before surgery to prevent infection.
• We inject through the intravenous catheter medications for the relief of cramps, anxiety and pain.
• We inject an anesthetic medication on to the cervix to prevent the sensation of pain.
• We wait until you are relaxed, pain free and stable before beginning the surgery.
• The cervix is gently dilated with special instruments called dilators.
• We then use a suction catheter attached to a suction machine to evacuate the pregnancy.
• We perform this part with ultrasound guidance to make sure that the process is effective and successful. We check for bleeding and for any remaining tissue. If none, then, you are ready for the recovery room. Your surgery has finished!

After Surgery:

• Once in the recovery room, we place you on the monitor again and watch your blood pressure, pulse and oxygen until the relaxing medications have worn off.
• We take you to the bathroom to check the amount of bleeding you are having.
• We review your recovery home instructions for your medications, contraceptive treatment and overall plan for recovery.
• We offer you a light snack before your leave to quiet your thirst and hunger.
• Your partner or trusted friend can now take you home.

Pharmacy Services

Before you go home, stop at our pharmacy to pick up ibuprofen, Misoprostol, anti nausea medication and a heating pad. You may want to get additional pads or tampons.

If you desire privacy, do not use your insurance. You may get these medications at our office pharmacy for an additional cost.

Medicaid doesn’t cover any treatments associated with abortion care.

Nearly 100% effective and over 95% safe.

Rarely, patients may experience more bleeding than usual – but under our care – this is temporary as it is immediately treated.

The use of ultrasound during surgery prevents the known complications of the procedure such as pocking a hole in the wall of the uterus and leaving clots or tissue behind.

Rare risks include:

• Infection that we prevent using antibiotics before and after surgery.
• Severe bleeding that may require hospital evaluation and treatment.
• Allergic reactions to medications that are usually treated successfully in our office.

We do so immediately during and after the procedure with the use on ultrasound.

We do so again, a week later, when we repeat the ultrasound and do an exam to make sure the uterus has no infection, no clots and that healing is complete.

During this visit, we check the effectiveness of your recently prescribed contraception and we offer wellness services.

During the initial evaluation, if we identify serious medical or surgical conditions that require special anesthesia or surgical treatments, then, we will refer you to our hospital medical professionals.

Patients that may require such treatments have conditions such as:

• Blood clotting deficiencies.
• Anomalies in the uterus and cervix making the surgery technically difficult.
• Heart and lung abnormalities such as prior heart surgeries and asthma.
• in the uterus from prior surgeries such as caesarian sections with abnormal placental placement over the scars that can cause severe bleeding during evacuation of pregnancy.
• Severe allergies to commonly used medications.
• Poor intravenous access that prevents office intravenous therapies for a safe outcome.

These conditions may result in severe bleeding and health complications which are best dealt with in the hospital.

Antibiotics – To prevent an infection and protect future fertility.

Anti–nausea pills – To prevent serious nausea and vomiting.

Pain killers – To improve the pain from normal but strong uterine cramps.

Birth control pills – To return the cycle back to normal and to protect against new pregnancy.

Bleeding prevention – To use as needed in case of heavy bleeding.

Antacid medication – To help the stomach heal from nausea and vomiting and acid inflammation.

Intravenous hydration – To rehydrate the body after prolonged nausea and vomiting and dehydration, a condition called Hyperemesis gravidarum.

Rhogam Shot – To prevent the formation of harmful antibodies that can destroy future pregnancies. These antibodies form from the mixing of fetal blood with maternal blood during the pregnancy termination.

We offer:

• Antibiotics to prevent an infection thus protecting the uterus, tubes and ovaries and preserving future fertility.
• Testing for sexually transmitted infections in case of exposure during unprotected intercourse.
• Multiple treatments against Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Trichomonads, Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma and B strep.
• Partner testing and treatment.