abortion
If your period does not come when you expect it, and you have had sexual intercourse during the unsafe period, it is possible that you are in the early stage of pregnancy. By doing a pregnancy test, which can be obtained from the chemist, you can determine whether you are pregnant or not.
Such a test can be done within a week after feeling that you are late.
There are two ways to break off pregnancy, the abortion pill, and vacuum aspiration. The abortion pill is only used for early pregnancies, up to three weeks after your menstruation was due. When you have been overdue for more than three weeks, only vacuum aspiration is used. The further the pregnancy is, the more time the treatment takes.
Abortion pill
The abortion pill really consists of four or five tablets. The first three are taken in the clinic. They cause the fertilized egg to lose its hold on the lining of the uterus. The other one or two are taken 48 hours later, in the cinic, or at home. They cause the uterus to cramp, which can be quite painful. The lining of the uterus breaks down and the fertilized egg is lost in the bleeding that follows.
Vacuum aspiration
Aspiration means suction. Aspiration is prescribed when you are more than 3 weeks overdue up to 14 or 15 weeks. In vacuum aspiration, a thin, round-ended plastic tube is eased into the uterus through the vagina. The contents of the uterus are then sucked into the tube. It is possible to have local or even general anaesthetic. You go home after a few hours.
Late abortions
Late abortions, for those who are between 15 and 22 weeks overdue (usually through extraordinary circumstances), usually require an overnight stay at the clinic or hospital. You are given a general anaesthetic, narrow forceps are used to remove most of the contents of the uterus and then vacuum aspiration is used to remove any remaining tissue.