What Is Abortion

What is abortion?

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before it comes to term. An abortion can occur by way of medication or surgery, depending on how long a woman has been pregnant.

In a medical abortion, a woman will probably receive one of the following medications: Mifepristone, Misoprostol, or Methotrexate. These will be administered either individually or with one of the others in the following form: oral tablet, vaginal application or injection. To provide an example of how a medical abortion may occur: Using Mifepristone cuts off the uterus from the hormone progesterone. This thins the uterus and the embryo can no longer survive and will be expelled from the woman's vagina. This may be done with the help of Misoprostol, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Misoprostol helps the uterus contract and the embryo to exit.

An in-clinic abortion usually requires surgery. Vacuum aspiration is a procedure used for women between nine and 16 weeks pregnant. It involves the suction of the embryo from the cervix. Women who have been pregnant between 16 and 23 weeks are more likely to have an abortion referred to as a dilate and evacuate (D&E) procedure. In this, the cervix is dilated and forceps are used to remove the fetus.

Late-term abortions take place after a woman has been pregnant for over 24 weeks. These are more expensive and more difficult to find a clinic or hospital willing to perform the procedure.