Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can a family member be with me during the procedure?
- To ensure your privacy and that of other patients, only clinical staff is allowed in the patient care area.
- You will be re-united with your party immediately after your recovery.
Q: Do abortions cause psychological problems?
- Psychological problems after an abortion are rare. Most women feel relieved.
- The American Psychological Association has reviewed studies on abortion and found that the “wealth of available data suggests that most women will not suffer lasting psychological trauma.”
- Proper counseling with our doctor and our staff can alleviate anxieties and prepare you for a speedy and emotionally uneventful recovery.
Q: How much will I bleed?
Abortion pill (Mifeprex or RU 486 / Misoprostol):
- Heavy bleeding and passing clots is common with the abortion pill.
- It is heaviest in the first five days.
- Bleeding then becomes lighter.
- The bleeding usually lasts 9 to 14 days, occasionally a bit longer.
Surgical abortion:
- Usually light bleeding from 1 to 7 days, but may continue on and off up to 4 weeks.
- Taking your prescribed birth control pills may stop the bleeding sooner.
Q: How painful is the procedure?
Abortion pill (Mifeprex or RU 486/ Misoprostol):
- From mild to very strong cramping on and off throughout the miscarriage process.
- Pain pills help.
- The majority of pain lasts the first few days of bleeding and then decreases just as the bleeding does.
Surgical abortion:
- From mild to very strong cramping during the procedure.
- Pain medication is available throughout.
- The medications are given intravenously, intramuscularly, or by mouth as decided by the doctor.
Q: Is abortion safe?
- It is safer to have an abortion than to go through labor and delivery.
- A first trimester abortion (5-13 weeks) is 11.8 times safer than childbirth.
- A second trimester (14-23 weeks) abortion is also safer than childbirth.
Safety details:
Abortion pill (Mifeprex or RU 486 and Misoprostol):
- Both medications have been formally studied and found to be safe. Complications are rare.
- Childbearing ability is not affected, barring rare serious complications.
- There have been extremely rare reports of serious infections that went undiagnosed and ended in death.
- Contacting the office and speaking with the doctor will diminish such chances.
- If you become ill, hospitalization and other treatments may be required to ensure your recovery.
- You need to follow instructions and take your medications as prescribed by the doctor.
- It is important to take your antibiotics.
- Report any troubles as outlined in our instructions.
Surgical abortion:
- First trimester abortion (less than 3 months) has less than 1% complication rate, and is at least l0 times safer than childbirth.
- Childbearing ability is not affected, barring rare serious complications.
- Severe infections are rare.
- Treatment may require intravenous antibiotics hospitalization and additional surgery should the oral antibiotics not help.
- You need to follow instructions and take your medications as prescribed by the doctor.
- It is important to take your antibiotics.
- Report any troubles as outlined in our instructions.
Q: What are the chances of failure?
Abortion pill (Mifeprex or RU 486 / Misoprostol):
- Failure rate 5% or less.
- Success rate varies with the age of pregnancy and protocol used.
- When it fails, a surgical abortion is necessary to complete the process.
Surgical abortion:
- Failure rate 1% or less. (This could happen when the pregnancy is very early on).
- Should that happen the abortion procedure will need to be repeated.
Q: When can I eat after the procedure?
- You can eat as soon as you leave the office after the procedure.
- Light meals are recommended as your stomach may be queasy from the medications for at least 12 hours.
- Be sure to follow medication instructions.
- Some medications like Motrin need to be taken with food to prevent stomach ache.
- Others, like Docycycline, should NOT be taken with dairy products as the medication can be poorly absorbed.
Q: Can a doctor tell if I have had an abortion?
- Usually not.
- Keeping the procedure and its circumstances to yourself is your choice.
- But if medical problems arise and you need to be seen by a doctor, you should tell them you had a pregnancy termination as this may affect your medical care.
- In this case, if you had a medical abortion (abortion pill) you should bring to the doctor the documents describing the medications you received.
Q:How long do I have to be off from work or school?
- Most women return to school or work within a day or two after the procedure.
- Should the doctor decide you require a longer absence from your activities, a discrete letter will be provided.
