Surgical Abortion – Information

Your Pregnancy Situation – Considering Surgical Abortion?

Are you considering a surgical abortion in Whittier, California?

An unplanned or unexpected pregnancy can include many emotions like surprise, anxiety, confusion, fear, and others. Helping you through your emotions and understanding the facts is important.

Obria Medical Clinics at Whittier, Pasadena, and Compton are where you can get a possibly FREE pregnancy assessment including pregnancy testing plus ultrasound plus options counseling, medically accurate facts, answers to your questions, and respectful compassionate help that you want and need. We are here to walk with you through your pregnancy options for you to make the best decision for your situation.

We can help address your questions – for example, some of the questions you may be wondering about:

Am I pregnant?
How do I know if I’m pregnant?
I don’t have health insurance. How can I get medical care?
What about my future?
What do other pregnant women do?
What options do I have?
Are there pros and cons of abortion?
What are the details, risks, side effects, and costs of abortion?
What if I’m not sure about my pregnancy decision? Or I change my mind?
What will my parents say?
Should I tell the father? How do I tell him?
How will I finish school?
What will my classmates/professors/teachers think?
How can I provide for a child?
Where can I get parenting education?

Often when women and men in this local area are dealing with an unplanned or unexpected pregnancy, they tend to search for an abortion clinic in Whittier to get abortion procedure information and any other abortion info they can.

It is important to understand that both types of abortion are medical procedures:

Medication abortion (abortion pill)
Surgical abortion

Like any medical procedure, it is important that you fully understand what you will experience before, during, and after the abortion procedure. You have the right to know everything about abortion before making such a serious decision.

Miscarriage. Approximately, 10 – 20% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage, which is a spontaneous loss of a pregnancy.¹ If there is no heartbeat you may not need to make the difficult choice to abort. We can explain details about this during your visit.

Surgical Abortion – Summary

This type of abortion is a surgical procedure in a clinic or hospital. There are several types of surgical abortions:

Suction Aspiration
Dilatation and Curettage (D&C)
Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E)

Each procedure is described below and is dependent upon how far along you are in your pregnancy.

Pregnancy Assessments

Pregnancy Assessment is to confirm you are pregnant and help you examine your pregnancy options. We will give you compassionate confidential care, evidence-based medical information about all your options, and non-judgmental support no matter what you decide to do about your pregnancy.

Our Pregnancy Assessment services – might be FREE depending on patient insurance / income. However, no patient is ever turned away due to inability to pay!

FREE Lab-grade urine pregnancy test, confirmed by a nurse.
FREE Ultrasound exam if you have a positive pregnancy test – this will help define realistic options. This is a way to see inside you– it is a very useful diagnostic tool.
FREE Discussion of all your pregnancy options, so you can make an informed decision.

Our professional medical staff are available to discuss any questions you may have regarding an abortion, barriers to continuing a pregnancy, as well as abortion procedures, costs, and risks associated with abortion near you. The types of abortion near you that may be available depend on factors such as how far along you are in your pregnancy.

While Obria does not perform abortions or refer to abortion clinics, we are here to help you examine all your pregnancy options (abortion, parenting, adoption) including the details about each option (procedures, risks, side effects, and more), so you can make the best choice for your situation.

No matter what choice you make, we respect you and will be there for you.

SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT – 30 second online form or Call (562) 902-2273

Other Testing

STI/STD test. We also highly recommend that you be tested for STDs/STIs. If you have an infection, it should be treated before an abortion, so the infection does not spread during the procedure. Obria provides low to no cost (Free) STD/STI testing. No one is turned away due to inability to pay.

Blood test. It is recommended to get your blood type and Rh factor tested. If you are Rh-negative, you will need a RhoGAM injection to protect future pregnancies. We can provide referrals for this.

Cautions About Surgical Abortion

There are potential costs to surgical abortion, including financial, physical, mental health, family, and others. If complications or issues exist, then additional medical care may be required. We can discuss the details of these issues during your visit.

Surgical Abortion Procedure(s) Details^2,3,4,5

Suction Aspiration – Also called Manual Vacuum Aspiration, this is a surgical abortion procedure generally performed within 7 weeks from the last period. The cervix is stretched open with dilators (metal rods), and a hollow plastic tube is inserted into the uterus. The fetus and the remaining contents of the uterus are removed using a handheld suction device.

Dilatation & Curettage with Vacuum Aspiration (D&C) – Also called Suction Curettage, this is a surgical abortion procedure usually employed in the first trimester.⁴ The doctor opens the cervix with dilators (metal rods) and then empties the uterus via a hollow instrument connected by tubing to a suction machine. After suctioning, the doctor may scrape the walls of the uterus with a loop-shaped curette to ensure that the fetus, placenta, and contents of the uterus are completely removed.

Dilatation & Evacuation (D&E) – A surgical abortion procedure generally performed in the second trimester, between 13 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. A cervical preparation agent (laminaria stick or medication) is inserted into the vagina or cervix (in some cases orally) to start the dilating process. On the day of the procedure, the physician will use dilating rods to further enlarge the cervical opening. The fetus is removed with forceps, along with the placenta and other tissue. A curette may then be used to scrape the uterus to make sure that all tissue has been removed.

Surgical Abortion Risks

American Psychological Association (APA) research states, “It is important that women’s varied experiences of abortion be recognized, validated, and understood.”⁶

Having a surgical abortion is a major decision with emotional and psychological consequences.⁷ If you’re considering this procedure, make sure you understand what it entails, side effects, possible risks, complications, and alternatives. Therefore, an abortion decision should not be made without careful thought and understanding all the details. It’s important to know the potential impact it could have on your body and future health.

Abortion health risks, danger of abortion, and abortion side effects vary by the type of abortion procedure, your specific physical and mental health conditions, and how far along in the pregnancy you are.

Surgical Abortion Side Effects^2,3,4

The following may occur during and/or after a surgical abortion:

Cramping of the uterus or pelvic pain
Diarrhea
Headache
Dizziness
Fatigue
Vaginal bleeding
Nausea
Vomiting
Emotional or psychological distress

Surgical Abortion Complications (Potential)^2,3,4

These are some possible complications that may occur:

Excessive bleeding/Hemorrhage
Infection of the uterus
Infection of the fallopian tubes (which can cause scarring and cause infertility)
Puncture (perforation) of the uterus
Scarring of the uterine lining (suction tubing, curettes and other abortion instruments may cause permanent scarring of the uterine lining)
Damage to the cervix (creating complications with future pregnancies)

Long-Term Abortion-Related Health Risks

There is literature to support the possibility of these future abortion related health care risks:

Mental Health Impacts⁷
Future Pre-term Deliveries⁸
Infertility & Future Childbearing (if complications occur)^8,9

Abortion Clinic Issues

If you think that abortion is your best choice, consider carefully researching abortion clinics for the abortion procedure. Here are a few questions to ask:

Is the abortion provider a licensed medical clinic?
Will a licensed OB/GYN physician will be performing the abortion procedure?
Do they clearly and completely explain your legal rights?
What type of post-abortion care, both physical and emotional, do they provide, if any?
Do they provide reviews from other patients who have used their abortion services?

Ask to speak with other patients who have used their services to understand their experience – the positives and negatives.

Get Help

No matter what choice you make, Obria respects you and will be there for you.

Pregnancy Assessment services – might be FREE depending on patient insurance / income, including: FREE medical grade urine pregnancy verification testing verified by a nurse, FREE pregnancy confirmation via Ultrasound, and FREE pregnancy options education. However, no patient is ever turned away due to inability to pay!

SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT – 30 second online form or Call (562) 902-2273

Citations

¹ Mayo Clinic. (n.d.) Miscarriage. Retrieved August 9, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pregnancy-loss-miscarriage/symptoms-causes/syc-20354298

² Mayo Clinic. (2021). Dilation & Curettage (D&C). Retrieved August 8, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/dilation-and-curettage/about/pac-20384910

³ Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Dilation & Curettage. Retrieved August 8, 2022 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/4110-dilation-and-curettage-d–c

⁴ Cooper, D.B. & Menefee, G.W. (2022). Dilation & Curettage. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved August 10, 2022 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568791/

⁵ IPAS. (2020). Dilatation & Evacuation (D&E) Reference Guide. Retrieved August 10, 2022 from https://www.ipas.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/DESTRE18-DilationEvacuationReferenceGuide.pdf.

⁶ American Psychological Association (APA), Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. (2008 / 2009). Report of the Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved July 11, 2022 from https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/amp-64-9-863.pdf

⁷ Zareba et al. (2020) Psychological effects of abortion: An updated narrative. Eastern Journal of Medicine. Retrieved August 10, 2022 from https://jag.journalagent.com/ejm/pdfs/EJM_25_3_477_483.pdf.

⁸ Mayo Clinic. (n.d.) Could and elective abortion increase the risk of problems in a subsequent pregnancy? Retrieved August 12, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/expert-answers/abortion/faq-20058551#:~:text=While%20many%20studies%20have%20shown,birth%20and%20low%20birth%20weight

⁹ Mayo Clinic. (2021). Incompetent Cervix. Retrieved August 8, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/incompetent-cervix/symptoms-causes/syc-20373836