What is a surgical abortion?
There are several options a woman can choose from when she needs to terminate a pregnancy. Options include medical abortion which involve taking medication and surgical abortion.
Surgical abortion is also called in-clinic abortions. They are typically more effective than medical abortions. The two types of surgical abortions are :
- Aspiration abortions (the most common type of surgical abortions).
- Diluation and evacuation (D&E) abortion.
The type of abortion a woman has often depends on how long its been since her last period. Both medical and surgical abortion are safe and effective. The choice on what type of what type of abortion depends availability, or access, how far along the pregnancy is and the patients preference.
Preparation for Surgical Abortion
- Arrange for someone to preferably drive you home after the procedure.
- You can’t eat for a certain amount of time before the procedure, which will be specified by your doctor.
- Don’t take any medications or drugs for hours before the surgical abortion without discussing it with your doctor first, this includes aspirin and alcohol, which can thin the blood.
Menstruation and sex
You should wait to have sex for at least one to two weeks after the surgical abortion, which can reduce the risk of infection. You should wait for this period of time to use tampons, or insert anything in your vagina.
Surgical Abortion After Care
It is important that you take all the time you need to look after yourself post-abortion . We are here to support you. Here are our recommendations to help your recovery after a surgical abortion.
- Use sanitary pads suitable for heavy flow, not tampons or menstrual cups. This is to avoid infection, and keep track of your bleeding. Wait until after your next period before using tampons or menstrual cups
- Your vagina will clean itself with naturally discharge. Do not use a douche as this can disrupt the normal bacteria in the vagina and increase risks of infection.
- If you’ve been given antibiotics, make sure you take all the tablets you are given as instructed.
- Drink plenty of water
- We advise you to not have sex for 2 weeks to avoid the risk of infection.
- Avoid swimming for 2 weeks to reduce risks of infections.
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