The decision to terminate a pregnancy is an extremely personal one for most couples. For whatever reason, the best option for a pregnant woman may be to end the pregnancy. If detected early, an abortion can be quick and relatively free of major discomfort, but as the pregnancy evolves, so does the complications and severity of abortion options.
Abortion Pills
A medicinal abortion is an option for women in the early stages of pregnancy. Generally, between 7 and 9 weeks women can take a combination of medicines: either mifepristone or methortexate, which weakens the connection between the embryo and the uterus, and then another drug, misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract and push the embryo out.
Manual Vacuum Aspiration
Up through the seventh week following a woman's last menstrual cycle, a procedure called manual vacuum aspiration can be performed. This procedure includes a long thin tube inserted in the vagina and used to suction the embryo from the womb.
Suction Curettage
Suction curettage is the most common type of surgical abortion procedure. This encompasses a combination of stretching the cervix, suctioning and cutting out the embryo. The cervix must be stretched to accommodate a larger embryo, and both suction and cutting are necessary to completely detach the embryo and pull it from the body.
Dilation and Evacuation
An abortion performed after 13 weeks of pregnancy is often referred to as a "D and E." These include the widening and softening of the cervix, more so than in other surgical abortions, and the suctioning out of the fetus.
Intact D and X
An Intact D and X is a late second- or third-term abortion. This includes having a physician medically collapse or crush the fetus's head and then deliver its body as normal. Abortions are rare after 24 weeks of pregnancy, unless there is a medical condition that warrants such an extreme measure as an Intact D and X. Because of the severe nature of this form of abortion, congress outlawed it in 2003.
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