Terminations - Procedure
The Procedure
If you are considering having a termination of pregnancy, prior to the procedure you will have a consultation with the doctor. The doctor will take a medical history and conduct an ultrasound to determine where the pregnancy is and to make sure it corresponds with dates. The consultation will also include discussion surrounding the pregnancy and reasons for the termination.
Next you will be given an anaesthetic that will make you feel very sleepy and drowsy to the point that you don’t know what is happening, you won’t feel any pain and very likely won’t remember anything. This anaesthetic is very effective and very safe because it doesn’t make you paralysed where you stop breathing. You are asleep but still breathing on your own.
The termination procedure is very simple, quick and safe, and only takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Firstly an internal (vaginal) examination is performed to see which way the uterus is positioned. Then local anaesthetic will be injected into either side of the cervix. This numbs the area so it may be stretched open slightly. A thin plastic tube is then inserted into the womb and gentle suction is used to remove the pregnancy tissue, and then the procedure is finished.
Afterwards you are transferred into your own private recovery bay for a minimum of 1 hour. You may have 1 person accompany you, if you like. Some people experience a little cramping after the procedure, like a period, and that’s because the uterus is contracting down after it has been emptied. Extra analgesia may be given, if required.