Expert: Dr. Harriet Johnson - 11/30/2009

Question
My girlfriend is pregnant.she is 18 years old and we have decided to get an abortion because we are both in school and not ready for it.can you please explain how its done and the side effects it will have on her. We want to know the whole process.how long will it before she is back in school.please help as soon as you can.we will be waiting

Answer
Hi,

It depends if she has a medical abortion or a surgical abortion so I will explain both procedures.

Medical abortion:
She will be given Mifepristone at a clinic and Misoprostol to take home with her to take a few hours later. After taking these she will start to bleed and expel the embryo which should occur a few hours after taking the Misoprostol. She will have a follow up appointment about two weeks after the abortion to make sure it is complete and that she has no left over tissue in her uterus.

The side effects are that the abortion may be incomplete which means that she would have to have a surgical abortion to complete the procedure. She may experience cramping, nausea, diarrhea, heavy bleeding, infection.

Surgical abortion:
A curette is a long, looped shaped knife that scrapes the lining, placenta and fetus away from the uterus. A cannula may be inserted for a final suctioning. This procedure usually lasts 10 minutes with a possible stay of 5 hours.

The side effects are cramping, nausea, feeling faint. Less frequent side effects include heavy bleeding, blood clots, damage to the cervix and perforation of the uterus. Infection due to retained products or infection.

She can return to school after about a day, however I recommend she doesn't return until she feels ready.