You are here:
- Home
- Health/Fitness
- Women's Health
- Abortion
- Pathology Report/Follow-up visit
Abortion/Pathology Report/Follow-up visit
Advertisement
Question
The clinic I had opted to have a surgical abortion procedure at has told me that in the event that I cannot make my follow-up visit, they will not mail the pathology report either to my physician or myself. As I already know I will not be back in the state where the procedure will be performed but rather back in the state where I (and my doctor) live, is there an exam that she can do to determine if there are any problems/residual tissue? Also, can the clinic refuse to do this legally? I had thought that the signing of a simple HIPAA release form could take care of this... My health plan does not cover this procedure and my doctor cannot perform it, which is why I am going to a clinic in another state in the first place. Thank you for any insight you may have...
Dear Sky,
The pathology report is usually of little value. It will not tell you if you have retained tissue. Retained tissue is really diagnosed by symptoms. If you do not have cramping within a week of your procedure, or prolonged bleeding, then you do not have retained products. However, if you want to obtain the records, I'm sure you could sign a medical release form to have them be sent to your doctor.
I hope this is helpful,
Doctor Joan
Related Articles
- What to expect if you have an abortion - Surgical Abortion
- Understanding Informed Consent
- Donor Tissue - Are Donor Tissue and Grafts Safe
- LEEP Procedure - LEEP Procedure for Cervical Dysplasia
- Excerpts from Roe v. Wade (1973) - The Supreme Court's Case for Abortion: The Court Looks at Three Anti-Abortion Arguments
Answers by Expert:
Doctor Early Options
Expertise
We are a group of family doctors who provide abortion care for over a decade. We can answer any health or medical related questions about early abortion, including the aspiration procedure, the abortion pill (RU486), or surgical abortion. We run a practice called Early Options, located in New York City: http://www.EarlyAbortionOptions.com. The practice is dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. There are other family doctors around the United States who practice a similar approach to early abortion care: see http://www.EarlyAbortion.com. Please do not ask "private" questions so that other women can learn from your experience. Please tell me what country you are from so that we can better help you.
Experience
Experience in the area: We are all board certified family doctors who have special training in early abortion and reproductive health. Dr. Joan Fleischman is the founder of Early Options (earlyabortionoptions.com) dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care.
Organizations:
National Abortion Federation
American Association of Family Physicians
Education/Credentials
Dr. Joan Fleischman, Founder
M.D., Harvard Medical School
M.P.A., John F. Kennedy School of Government
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.