In case you are thinking about pregnancy termination options you should know that the options you have to depend on the gestational age.
If you are in your first trimester you can choose from medical abortion and surgical abortion. Before making your mind up, you should get a sonogram.
Options for pregnancy termination in the first trimester
As it has been mentioned before, if you want to terminate your pregnancy in the first trimester most probably you will have the option to choose between surgical and medical options. However the medical termination is an option only in the first 9 weeks.
Misoprostol and methotrexate
This is a type of medical pregnancy termination possibility that is available for women in the first 7 weeks of pregnancy. The truth is that the medication combination isn’t really common in the U.S. since now mifepristone, which is more effective, is also available.
Misoprostol and mifepristone
When it comes to pregnancy termination options, this is a possibility that pregnant women have in the first 7-9 weeks of their pregnancy. This is one of the most common ways of pregnancy termination and the same procedure is known under different names.
Manual vacuum aspiration
This is another possibility for pregnancy termination that is available in the first 3-12 weeks of pregnancy. The good news is that it is a less invasive procedure. However women receive local anesthesia to their cervix to reduce the discomfort that they experience.
Aspiration
The method of pregnancy termination can be used up to the 16th pregnancy week. This procedure is known under different names, including suction curettage, vacuum aspiration and D&C. The procedure itself is more invasive than the others that were previously mentioned.
The second trimester
As you might already know the medication based pregnancy termination options aren’t available starting with the second trimester. However there are some other options that you can opt for, but these are more invasive than the medication based ones.
D&C
This pregnancy termination options is also called dilation and curettage. The procedure itself can be used until week 16th of pregnancy. After this time you have the possibility to choose dilation and evacuation known as D&E. This is another kind of surgical procedure.
Induction abortion
If you are thinking about methods of pregnancy termination, you could also consider the induction abortion. The procedure is rarely performed. It consists of the injection of urine, salt water or potassium chloride into the amniotic sac. Patients receive Pitocin through their IV and prostaglandins are inserted into the vagina.
There is a lot to know about the pregnancy termination options. The best thing you could do is to get a sonogram to determine precisely the baby’s gestational age and then talk to your doctor about the possibilities that you have. He or she will tell you about your options but in the end it is you that will have to make the decision. Make sure that the decision you will make will be an educated one and that you won’t regret it.
