Early Surgical Abortion: 3 to 6 weeks pregnant

Prior to a decade ago, it was rare for medical personnel to perform abortions on patients 6 weeks or less. Reasons for this are the increased chance of retained (left behind) tissue because the pregnancy sac was so small it was easier to miss. This can lead to uterine infection, and heavy vaginal bleeding. There are times when the entire pregnancy is missed when there is the attempt to perform surgical procedures on patients that are less than 6 weeks from their last period. Other complications that occur are a higher risk for cervical (lower womb) tears, difficult dilation (opening) of the cervix, and uterine perforation (a hole or tear) which can lead to infection, bleeding, hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus, or even death of the patient.

There has been a great demand from women to have their abortion procedures carried out earlier for several reasons. Some of them are: 1) reduction in pregnancy symptoms which include nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, swelling, weight gain or loss, dizziness, headaches and fatigue. These symptoms can lead to a significant loss of school, work, and other activities that a women are required to do on a daily basis. 2) moral and ethical reasons where the less developed the pregnancy, the less guilt there is regarding the abortion procedure and 3) there is a faster recovery time and one can generally resume their normal activities the same day and may engage in sexual intercourse 24 hours after the procedure is performed if less than 6 weeks pregnant. 4) bleeding only lasts for 2 to 3 days. 5) one may take a bath after 24 hours instead of waiting for at least 2 weeks when over 6 weeks pregnant.

With the advancement of medical equipment, medications, instruments and training, performing early surgical abortions are performed throughout the U.S. and the world by specially trained Physicians in this area. Performing sonograms (ultrasound) and visualizing the small gestational sac (pregnancy) inside the uterus is crucial. A pregnancy cannot be seen until 3 to 4 weeks within the uterus. One then needs to determine whether the cervix needs to be primed (soft and easy to dilate) by either giving medication that causes contractions of the uterus, or by inserting a piece of sterile seaweed inside the cervix that causes it to dilate. This helps reduce the chance of cervical tears, uterine rupture, or retained pregnancy tissue while performing the procedure. Performing an ultrasound while simultaneously carrying out the termination procedure can help reduce the chance of retained tissue or uterine rupture.

The surgical procedure at less than 6 weeks consists of placing a speculum (used for Pap Smear) inside the vagina and then numbing the cervix using lidocaine followed by dilating (opening) the cervix and placing a small sterile catheter (smaller than a straw) inside the uterus and removing the pregnancy. There is cramping involved that lasts from 10 to 15 minutes. Bleeding usually lasts from 3 to 4 days. For most patients, IV sedation is not required but it is available if the patient requests.

In conclusion; with medical advances, early surgical abortion procedures are in high demand, and can now be carried out around the time of the patient’s first missed period (4 weeks) efficiently, with minimal complications, and the majority of patients return back to their routine activities the same day. Abortion Clinic, Florida Abortion Clinic, Tampa Abortion Clinic