What are the Different Types of Abortion Procedures?

The abortion procedures that are available to women vary depending on the point at which she wishes to terminate the pregnancy. Most early pregnancies can be ended using an abortion pill, as certain medications can stop the growth of the fetus, after which time labor is induced. There are also surgical procedures that can be used in the first and second trimesters, during which the pregnancy is ended, and the fetus is removed from the uterus. Additionally, some types of surgical abortion procedures are only performed later in pregnancy, and are usually referred to as partial birth abortion.

Most early pregnancies can be ended with a pill, followed by another pill that will induce labor. For example, most women are offered methotrexate in order to end the pregnancy before the seventh week, though mifepristone can be taken up until the ninth week. No matter which pill is given to stop the growth of the fetus, it is usually followed by misoprostol to induce labor, allowing all the contents of the uterus to come out. This is crucial since infection can result if any products of the pregnancy are left behind inside the woman's body.

Surgery, rather than medication, is often required for abortion procedures performed later in the first trimester. Suction aspiration is typically used up to week 12 of the pregnancy, and involves using suction to remove the product of the pregnancy from the uterus. A similar procedure, called dilation and curettage, or D&C, may be used from weeks 12 to 15. The difference between this and suction aspiration is that a long knife that is called a curette may be used in a D&C to scrape the uterus, ensuring that everything is removed. Finally, a dilation and evacuation, or D&E, involves all the same steps as a D&C, with the addition of using forceps to help remove the fetus since it is most effective for pregnancies up to 21 weeks along.

Once the fetus reaches a certain size, such as during the third trimester, it is not an option to just use medication or suction. Abortion procedures performed this late are considered rare, and there are only two main types. Induction abortion involves injecting salt water or similar harmful substances into the sac in which the fetus floats. Afterward, the cervix is prepared for delivery of the fetus, typically requiring the use of both prostaglandins and oxytocin to induce labor. One of the other types of abortion procedures used for the third trimester is dilation and extraction, in which an intact but deceased fetus is delivered.