Abortion Procedures

February 22, 2006

 Manual Vacuum Aspiration
One of three forms of vacuum
aspiration:
MVA, EVA (electronic) and D&C
Key Distinction: MVA uses an IPAS manual
syringe
Used through first 14 weeks after last
period
Vacuum Aspirations account for 90%
 MVA: The Procedure
Speculum inserted
Possible injection of numbing medication
in/near cervix
Dilation:
Increasingly thick rods
Absorbent Dilators- take in fluid/stretch cervix (generally
overnight)
Medication
Tubeinserted into uterus via cervix
Hand-held pump flushes uterus
 MVA: Relatively Speaking
Considered to be one of the safer forms of
abortion
Procedure is 5-15 minutes long (others take
longer)
99.5% Effective
Procedure is repeated for the 0.5% failures
Lower Cost
Quieter than a machine pump
Can remove full gestational sac
 MVA: Side Effects
Despite being a safer method, MVA
still has its side effects:
Abdominal cramping/pain
Bleeding
Several days of heavy bleeding
Spotting for up to 6 weeks

Rare, but more severe, complications:

Uterine/Cervical perforation
PelvicInfection
Excess Bleeding
 MVA in Moldova
Moldova is located between Russia and
Romania
50 Years of Legal Abortion
NAF funds the improvement of their abortions
Began the MVA Project in Moldova in 2002
Dilation and Curettage (D&C)
Curettage: Using a loop-shaped knife to
remove tissue from the uterus
Common gynecological surgical procedure
Following miscarriages,
To treat excessive mentral flow
Used for first trimester abortions
As an independent procedure: May use the
knife to dismember the body, followed by
cleaning out the uterus.
Often involves dilation followed by suction
of the contents of the uterus
 D&C: Why Its Uncommon
Considered a relatively risky abortion
procedure

Ashermans Syndrome: excess tissue seals the

uterus shut

WHO recommends D&C only if vacuum

aspiration unavailable

1972: D&C accounted for 23.4% of abortions

2002: D&C accounted for 2.4%
 Dilation and Evacuation
(D&E)
Surgical procedure

Mostcommon second trimester

abortion procedure, 12-24 weeks
Baby doubles in size from weeks 11-13,
and becomes too large to extract with
suction aspiration techniques
 D&E: Procedure
Dilation of cervix (1-2 days)
Conical rods or absorbent dilators

Forceps inserted, baby dismembered (10-15

mins)
twisting of limbs, spine snapped, skull crushed

Bodymay be reassembled outside of uterus to

ensure completion

Possibleultrasound to confirm that the uterus

is empty
 D&E: For the Mother
Sedatives, painkillers, general
anesthesia, numbing injections to the
cervix during procedure
Possible Complications:
Perforation of uterus
Cervical laceration
Incomplete removal
Infection
Inability to become pregnant
Hemorrhage
 Medical Abortion (RU-486)
Three steps
First, either a dose of mifepristone in tablet form or
an injection of methotrexate is given.
Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone. Without
progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down, ends
pregnancy in the uterus, and causes vaginal bleeding.
Methotrexate stops pregnancy in the uterus. It also stops
those that develop in a fallopian tube ectopic
pregnancies.
Second, another medication called misoprostol is
taken in tablet form. This causes the uterus to
contract and empty with vaginal bleeding.
Third, the woman must return to the clinician for
follow-up to make sure the abortion is complete.
Available first 63 days of pregnancy (9 weeks)
 RU-486: How it Works
Most women who use mifepristone have the abortion
within four hours of taking misoprostol. About 10
percent of women who use mifepristone have the
abortion before they take misoprostol as early as
a day after taking mifepristone. For others, bleeding
begins within 24 hours of taking misoprostol. The
process usually takes about a week.

About 50 percent of women who use methotrexate

have the abortion the same day they take
misoprostol as early as five days after taking the
methotrexate. It happens within a week for another
3540 percent. The whole process can take up to 14
days.

In some cases, bleeding may occur for up to four

weeks
 RU-486: Side Effects
Can cause serious birth defects if pregnancy
continues

Bleeding as if a heavy period

Strong cramps

Temporary abdominal pain

Feel uncomfortably warm

Have fever and chills

Feel nauseous or vomit

Diarrhea
 Saline Abortions
(Saline Amniocentesis)
A needle is inserted through the mothers
abdomen and 50-250 ml (as much as a cup)
of amniotic fluid is replaced with a solution of
concentrated salt.
The baby breathes and swallows the solution,
and usually dies 1 to 2 hours later from salt
poisoning, dehydration, hemorrhages of the
brain and other organs, and convulsions.
The babys skin is often stripped or burned
off by the salt solution.
The mother goes into labor about 33 to 35
hours delivers a dead baby
Used after 16 weeks
Complications for the Mother
Hypertonic saline may initiate a
condition in the mother called
"consumption coagulopathy"
(uncontrolled blood clotting throughout
the body) with severe hemorrhaging as
well as other serious side effects on the
central nervous system
Seizures, coma, or death may also result
from saline inadvertently injected into
the womans vascular system
Partial-Birth Abortion (D&X)
This form of abortion
takes place in the fifth
and sixth months of
pregnancy, or
approximately 20-26
weeks
With the help of an
ultrasound, the
abortion doctor grabs
the babys legs with
forceps and repositions
the child in the birth
canal in the breech
position, legs first
 Partial-Birth Abortion
The abortionist
delivers the entire
child, except for the
head, which he
purposely leaves in
the canal so the
medical definition of
birth does not
occur
 Partial-Birth Abortion
With a scissors, the
abortion doctor
punctures the base
of the living babys
skull and spreads
the scissor blades
apart to widen the
hole
 Partial-Birth Abortion
A catheter is inserted
into the resulting
hole, and the
contents of the childs
skull is sucked out,
causing him or her a
brutal, painful death
The collapsed head is
then removed from
the birth canal
 The Tragedy
When the child is partially delivered, he or she is
often kicking and moving his or her arms, very
obviously a person and very obviously alive
Like most abortion procedures, partial-birth is
only performed on a child who has serious
mental or physical disabilities about 20% of the
time; in at least 80% of cases, the mother
simply chooses abortion because the child is
unwanted
By the time the baby is killed, he or she is only
inches from a medical definition of live birth,
and nearly all victims of partial-birth abortion
are viable at the time of the procedure
adoption would be a perfectly plausible solution
if the mother couldnt care for the child
 Despite What They Say
This procedure is NEVER necessary to protect the
mothers health; in fact, it is likely to be painful and is
potentially damaging to her fertility.

Labor is induced by artificially dilating the cervix over a

period of three days, which could result in the condition
known as Incompetent Cervix and interfere with the womans
ability to have children in the future

The child is partially-delivered in the breech position, a

position undesirable for safe live birthsmaneuvering the
baby into this position can cause uterine rupture

Surgical instruments are inserted into the birth canal,

increasing risks of infection or uterine puncture

Regardless of pro-choice claims to the contrary, partial-birth

abortion is definitely not the safest method for the mother
 References
http://www.optionline.org/abortion.html
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/reference/dilation_and_cu
rettage
http://www.thedoctorslounge
.net/gynecology/diseases/abortion. htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/dilation-and-curettage
http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/ASMF/asmf5.html
http://www.webmd.com/hw/womens_conditions/tw1469.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilation_and_evacuation
Reproductive Health Tech. Project:
http://www.rhtp.org/abortion/mva/default.asp

Planned Parenthood:
http://plannedparenthood.com/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/abo
rtion/pub-abortion-surgical.xml#1097785696224::8279011707666963798
FWHC Services:
http://www.fwhc.org/abortion/ab-procedures.htm
National Abortion Foundation:
http://www.prochoice.org/international/training/moldova.html