First trimester surgical abortion: Vacuum aspiration
Suction or curettage aspiration is a 10 minute procedure through the vagina manually (MVA) or using an electric pump (EVA)
With manual vacuum aspiration you use a syringe while with an electric vacuum aspiration you use a pump. Choice is determined by gestation of the pregnancy.
Local anesthetic is injected to your cervix, a surgical instrument is used to hold the cervix for dilation after which a suction device is used to remove the fetus and placenta.
Second trimester surgical abortion: Dilation & evacuation
Dilation and evacuation (D & E) is a surgical abortion procedure that involves inserting a synthetic dilator inside the cervix
After injecting numbing medication is used on the cervix a long tube is used to remove the placenta and suctioning to remove any residual material
A dilation and evacuation abortion takes 15-30 minutes. You will need an antibiotic to prevent infection. The recovery period is a few days
Third trimester surgical abortion: Dilation & extraction
Dilation and extraction abortion is also called (D & X, Intrauterine Cranial Decompression or Partial Birth Abortion)
Two days before the procedure a laminara is inserted to dilate the cervix. After your water has broken the fetus legs, shoulders and and arms are removed
The fetus cerebral materialis removed through a skull incision, collapsing the skull making it possible to remove the full fetus from the uterus.
Manual vacuum aspiration surgical abortion (MVA)
MVA (mini-suction or menstrual extraction does not require cervical dilation and uses the suction of a syringe to remove the pregnancy tissue from the uterus.
A thin tube is guided through the cervical opening into the uterus. The syringe is attached to the tube and used to remove fetus tissue
Electric vacuum aspiration surgical abortion (EVA)
Machine vacuum aspiration involves the use of a thin tube (cannula) that is attached by tubing to a bottle and a pump, which provides a gentle vacuum
The cannula is passed into the uterus, the pump is turned on, and the tissue is gently removed from the uterus.
Advantages of surgical abortion
A surgical abortion procedure takes a short time (usually less than 10 minutes) and has a high success rate of 99% compared to 95% for medical abortion pills.
Surgical abortions are more predictable and just require a single appointement. The majority of woman experience mild cramping and bleeding after a surgical abortion.