While abortion clinics are known for their controversial procedures, they offer general reproductive health care services as well. Clinics like the Women’s Center provide respectful reproductive counseling so that women can make informed choices. These clinics may provide ultrasounds, pregnancy tests and counseling at no cost and help you find financial assistance.
Family Planning
Abortion clinics may help you choose a birth control method through confidential counseling appointments. Birth control pills, Intrauterine devices (IUD), vaginal rings, and diaphragms are some of the birth control methods available.
Abortions
Your abortion choices are limited by state law and the pregnancy’s age. Some procedures are best during the first trimester while others are reserved for second or third trimester pregnancies.
Surgical Abortion
Health problems and financial issues may render pregnancy dangerous for the mother. After choosing to end your pregnancy, you choose the specific termination procedure. Your surgical abortion choices are:
- Aspiration
- : Your doctor passes a tube into your uterus, then the contents of your uterus are sucked out. Sometimes the doctor will use a tool called a curette to make sure the uterus is completely empty. Early Vacuum Aspiration and Manual Vacuum Aspiration are used to terminate first trimester abortions as are RU486 (the morning after pill) and Mifepristone, a progesterone inhibitor.
Dilation and Evacuation: The doctor uses instruments to gently clear out your uterus. Suction Curettage and Dilation; Curettage (D&C), Dilation and Evacuation (D&X), and Prostaglandin inhibitors are second and third trimester termination procedures.
If you wish to avoid a surgical procedure at the clinic, you may choose a chemical abortion using medications that work over a span of a few days.
Chemical Abortion
Chemical abortions employ two separate medications. First, your health care provider gives you a pill that blocks progesterone. Since progesterone keeps the uterine lining intact, its being blocked makes this lining disintegrate, ending the pregnancy. Within 3 days of taking the progesterone blocker, you will take the second medication, misoprostol causing the uterus to empty.
A woman’s reproductive health also impacts her own financial health along with that of her family. Her overall physical well being is inextricably linked her spacing pregnancies and allowing her body to fully recover between births.
When you are ready to take control of your reproductive health, consider visiting one of your local abortion clinics. They understand how difficult your decisions may be and embrace a woman’s right to determine her reproductive destiny.
