Abortion Information
· Is Abortion Safe?
· When can I do an abortion
· Spontaneous abortion
· Induced abortion
· Abortion procedure
· Surgical abortion information
· Suction-aspiration abortions
· Surgical dilation and evacuation abortion
· Abortion Pill Information

Abortion Information

The term abortion is used for several different forms of embryo or foetus expulsion from the uterus. The two main types of abortions are spontaneous abortions and induced abortions. Spontaneous abortions are more commonly referred to as miscarriages, since the term abortion have become more or less synonymous with induced abortion in every day English. In medical texts with abortion information, the term abortion can however be used for spontaneous abortions as well as for induced abortions.

Spontaneous abortion information

A spontaneous abortion can be caused by a wide range of factors. It can be caused by a foetal problem, such as a chromosomal number discrepancy or other severe defects. It can also be caused by accidental trauma, infections, unhealthy reproductive organs or environmental factors. Spontaneous abortions are generally defined as foetus expulsions that take place during the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy. Miscarriages are very common, but it is difficult to determine exactly how common since a lot of women experience miscarriages before they even know that they are pregnant. An early miscarriage can easily be mistaken for a normal or unusually heavy period and obtaining reliable spontaneous abortion information is therefore difficult.   

Induced abortion information

There are several ways of inducing abortions. When discussing abortion information, we typically distinguish between chemical abortions and surgical abortions. Chemical abortions are commonly known as medical abortions since so called abortion pills are used to induce the expulsion of the embryo.

Surgical abortion information 

There are several different ways of performing surgical abortions. The choice of method is chiefly determined by the length of gestation, since some methods are more suitable for early abortions while others are necessary for late abortions. Detailed abortion information regarding surgical abortions will therefore vary depending on which type of surgical abortion method you wish to find more abortion information about. 

Surgical abortion information – first 15 weeks

During the initial 15 weeks of pregnancy, a so called suction-aspiration abortion is the most commonly used form of surgical abortion. This type of abortion is also referred to as vacuum abortion or Suction/Surgical Termination of Pregnancy (STOP).  

There are two types of suction-aspiration abortions: Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) and Electric vacuum aspiration (EVA). During manual vacuum aspiration, a manual syringe is used to remove the embryo/foetus. During electric vacuum aspiration, an electric pump is used. These two different techniques are very similar; the main difference is only the mechanism used to create suction.

Surgical abortion information – 15th to approximately 26th week

Abortions performed after the 15th week but before the 26th week call for a different abortion method. The most commonly used one is known as surgical dilation and evacuation, commonly abbreviated D&E. During a D&E, the cervix will be opened up and the uterus will be emptied. Surgical instruments and suction are combined during this type of abortion.

D&E should not be confused with D&C. D&C (dilation and curettage) is a standard gynaecological procedure that can be used for a broad selection of reasons, including abortion. Abortion information from the World Health Organization (WHO) does however recommend this abortion method only in situations where better methods, such as those described above, are not available. D&C is instead more commonly used to investigate abnormal bleedings and to examine the uterine lining in order to detect cancer.