Review of surgical abortion methodsSponsored link. 1st and 2nd Trimester Abortions:About 90% of abortions are done in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy. 9% are done in the second trimester. If an abortion has been decided upon, it is best to do it early in pregnancy, because the likelihood of complications is very much reduced. Rather than risk having the need for an abortion, many women are choosing Emergency Contraception (a.k.a. the Morning After pill) very soon after unprotected intercourse in the off chance that they might otherwise become pregnant. (Unprotected intercourse refers to penile-vaginal sexual activity without birth control, or when a condom broke, or when a diaphragm became dislodged.) If taken immediately, this pill will prevent ovulation and/or conception; thus pregnancy cannot occur. Other women wait for two weeks or so and use a home pregnancy kit to determine if they are pregnant. They can then choose Non-surgical, Medically Induced Abortions including RU-486, or Manual Vacuum Aspiration if these procedures are available in their local clinic. The alternative is to wait until she reaches the 6 week point in pregnancy and then opt for a surgical abortion. Most physicians are reluctant to perform surgical abortions before the 6th week of pregnancy because the embryo is too small. A few physician will agree to perform abortions during the 5th week of gestation. At the Orlando Women's Center 1 a surgical abortion typically takes on the order of three hours:
The selection of a surgical abortion technique depends primarily on the stage in pregnancy:
3rd Trimester Abortions:At this stage in pregnancy, the fetus is probably viable. That is, it has a chance of surviving outside the woman's body. The supreme court decision "Roe vs. Rae" allows individual states to place very severe limitations on third trimester abortions. In addition, the medical societies in the states of the US and provinces in Canada have regulations that prohibit the termination of a pregnancy at this stage, unless it is to preserve the life of the mother. Medical associations usually place a limit of 20 or 21 week gestation. Some states and associations allow later termination if the pregnancy was induced as a result of rape or incest, or if the continued pregnancy would pose a very serious health risk to the woman. Of all the pregnancies that are terminated, fewer than 1% are done in the third trimester. One main justifications for such a late termination of pregnancy is that the fetus has a severe genetic defect. Often the defect cannot be detected until very late in pregnancy; when it is, the woman and her partner almost always choose to terminate the life of the fetus. A second justification is that the fetus has died. Baptists for Life, Inc describe two termination methods:
There is a consensus among physicians and researchers that the fetus is unable to feel pain until the 26th week of gestation. A committee in the U.K. has recommended that if the fetus is near or passed the 26 week, that pain killers be used to prevent the fetus from pain.) References:
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