What is surgical abortion?
A surgical abortion is performed by a doctor and takes about 10/15 minutes.
Before the abortion, you will be summoned to a preliminary examination, where your abdomen will be ultrasound scanned, so that you can see how far along you are in the pregnancy. Even if you have been examined by the doctor when you were referred for an abortion.
If you have not yet been tested for chlamydia in connection with your abortion referral, you will also be tested for chlamydia. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the abortion to either a nurse or a doctor at the same time as you are being examined.
The day before the abortion
The abortion procedure usually takes place under full anesthesia. If you are going under full anesthesia, it is necessary that you meet fasting. This means that you must not eat or drink for six hours before the procedure. You are not allowed to smoke or to chew gum either.
You should also not wear make-up or nail polish on the day the abortion is to take place. This can make it difficult to observe your circulation during the anaesthetic. Before you enter the operating room, you must also take out earrings, piercings and contact lenses.
It is possible to bring a friend with you on the day of admission.
Or you can bring a family member.
However, the person in question cannot enter the operating room, but is referred to a waiting area until the operation is over.
Often, the evening before the procedure, you will have to take some tablets, or you will be told to insert one or two suppositories into the vagina. The tablets or suppositories soften the cervix. This makes it easier and more gentle to expand the cervix in connection with the abortion procedure.
The tablets or suppository can cause stomach pains similar to those you get when you are about to have your period. The pain can be alleviated with painkillers. The tablets can in some cases trigger the abortion and affect the fetus. Once the tablets have been taken, it is therefore no longer possible to revoke the desire for an abortion.
The abortion procedure
A doctor will perform the abortion, and a nurse will also be present during the entire procedure. You will be anesthetized by either a local anesthetic of the cervix or full anesthesia through a needle placed in a vein on the back of the hand.
When the anesthetic works, the doctor gently dilates the cervix and the uterine cavity is emptied of pregnancy tissue with a suction. The procedure ends with you being given a medication that causes the uterus to contract and thereby reduce bleeding.
The procedure itself lasts only 10-15 minutes. You wake up quickly after the procedure. In most cases, you will be able to go home after a few hours.
After the procedure
After the procedure, a nurse will look after you until you are fully awake. Some women will feel fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting. However, these symptoms will quickly disappear. After a few hours you can go home.
You should make sure you are picked up. You may not drive a car until 24 hours after the operation. You must make sure you are not alone until the next morning. If you have small children, you should have them looked after the next morning.
Smerter efter indgrebet
De første par dage efter indgrebet kan der være menstruationslignende smerter.
Du kan eventuelt afhjælpe smerterne med almindelig håndkøbsmedicin. Følg anvisningen på pakken.
Possible complications
Complications following an abortion are rare. If the uterus is not completely emptied of pregnancy tissue, heavy bleeding can occur. If this happens, it is necessary to make another scraping. If you get pelvic inflammatory disease, it can be treated with antibiotics.
In very rare cases, the uterus may be punctured during the procedure. It may require binocular surgery, but does not cause long-term discomfort.
To avoid pelvic inflammatory disease, during the period when you are still bleeding, you must:
- Avoid intercourse without a condom
- Avoid tampons/menstrual cups
- Avoid bathtubs, swimming pools and sea bathing, but you can safely take a shower and use pads.
Your body after the abortion
After a surgical abortion, there may be minor bleeding or spotting up to a week after the procedure. This is completely normal. However, if you experience heavy bleeding, fever, foul-smelling discharge or pain within the first day, this may be a sign that you have pelvic inflammatory disease or that the uterus has not been completely emptied of pregnancy tissue. If you get these symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately. It can be your general practitioner, the on-call doctor or the emergency room.
The first period usually comes 4-6 weeks after the abortion. You must contact your own doctor if you have not had your period 6 weeks after the procedure to ensure that the pregnancy has not continued despite the abortion procedure. This only happens in extremely rare cases.
After a miscarriage, your body needs a few days to adjust to not being pregnant. This means that nausea, chest tightness etc. can continue for a week after the procedure. If your pregnancy symptoms do not disappear after that time, or if you otherwise suspect that you are still pregnant, you must see a doctor
Control after the abortion
You should arrange a check-up with your own doctor a week after discharge. Here the doctor will check whether the abortion has been completed.
It is a good idea to arrange the time for this check already before the abortion. You can also talk to the doctor about which contraception you can use in the future.
Contraception after abortion
You can become pregnant immediately after the abortion. It is therefore important that, before the abortion, you decide with yourself what type of contraception you want to use after the abortion and in the future to avoid getting pregnant again.
You can talk to your doctor both before and after the procedure about which contraceptive method suits you best.
Some forms of contraception such as the IUD and IUD can be inserted at the same time as the abortion procedure itself - this can be an advantage because you may already be sedated.
You can read more about the different forms of contraception here.
Advantages of surgical abortion
- It's fast
- You can choose to sleep during the abortion
- You experience less bleeding and will bleed for a shorter time than with a medical abortion
- There is less pain than with a medical abortion
- You can have an IUD placed in connection with the abortion
- You can have a birth control stick inserted while you are anaesthetised
Disadvantages of surgical abortion
- You may be under general anesthesia, and there may be discomfort after the anesthesia
- There is a risk of infection
- There is a small risk of complications with full anesthesia
- Damage to the uterus can occur in rare cases
What is medical abortion?