COVID-19 abortion care advice
We are maintaining a pregnancy advisory service and to help us to do this – WE ASK THAT YOU READ THE PAGES OF THE WEBSITE REGARDING Medical, Surgical and Manual Vacuum Aspiration BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT. You will be called in the days before your appointment to discuss your options, so we can plan your care ahead of your appointment where possible.
Access to procedures under general anaesthetic has been maintained through the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we would like you to understand that in relation to Covid-19, attending once for a medical abortion will be your safest option in avoiding exposure and we suggest that you bear this in mind as you consider your options.
If you wish to have an abortion you can contact our service directly on 01752 431129 to make an appointment. You do not have to be referred by your GP.
If you are unsure what you wish to do you can arrange to see a counsellor in our service by calling 01752 431129. This can either be an appointment just to see the counsellor or as part of the abortion assessment process.
Knowing how many weeks pregnant you are is an important factor in helping you choose the best option for you. This is defined as the number of weeks since the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). Here is a pregnancy
When you attend for your clinic appointment we will do an ultrasound scan to assess how long you have been pregnant – please note this is done with a scan probe inserted into the vagina.
There are 3 types of abortion:
- Medical, available from 5 to 10 weeks of pregnancy (an oral tablet followed by a vaginal tablet)
- Vacuum aspiration, available from 6 to 11 weeks of pregnancy (under local anaesthetic, you remain awake)
- Surgical, available from 6 to 14 weeks of pregnancy (under general anaesthetic, you are sent to sleep)
It is helpful if you can read through these options before your appointment to consider what you would like to do.
If you wish to have an abortion, call us to book an appointment for assessment and to arrange an appropriate procedure.
This FPA page might be helpful to you in thinking through your options.
Some women will have specific wishes regarding their pregnancy tissue following a procedure. For a home medical abortion you can manage this yourself but will have the option to bring pregnancy tissue back to the hospital for sensitive disposal of your choice if that is your preferred option.
If you have a surgical abortion or a vacuum aspiration abortion you will be asked in clinic how you would like us to manage the pregnancy tissue after the procedure. We will explain your options which are shared burial, shared cremation, sensitive incineration, or being unsure (in this case you can have up to 4 weeks to consider, after which shared burial will occur if we do not hear from you). Lastly some women do not feel able to engage with this conversation and will choose not to discuss this further and the hospital will arrange a shared burial in this situation. We will ask you to sign a form outlining which option you wish to choose.