Make an appointment
Contact an abortion clinic if you are considering having an abortion.
The healthcare staff are sworn to secrecy. This means that they are not allowed to tell anyone about your visit.
At the abortion clinic, a midwife or doctor will examine you to determine how far along you are in the pregnancy.
Together, you will discuss which method of abortion is best for you. There are medical abortions and surgical abortions. Medical abortion is the most common method.
They will also help with contraception, if needed.
The medical abortion process
You go to the abortion clinic, where you are given a tablet that will induce abortion. You will then be sent home with some additional medicine.
One or two days after taking the first tablet, it is time to take the medicines you brought home with you. After a few hours, you will begin to bleed. It is common to see clots of blood as well. The pregnancy is expelled from the body along with the blood.
Some people may have to come back to the abortion clinic and finish the abortion there. This may happen, for example, if you have been pregnant for more than 10 weeks.
The surgical abortion process
A surgical abortion is a minor operation that is performed in a hospital.
First, you will be put to sleep with anaesthesia. The doctor will then insert a tube through the vagina up to the uterus to suction out the foetus.
Once you have woken up from the surgery, you will stay in the hospital for a while before going home.
When can I have an abortion?
You can have an abortion up to the 18th week of pregnancy.
The weeks of pregnancy are counted from the first day of your last period, i.e. they are not counted from the day of conception.
Abortion after week 18
It is possible to have an abortion after the 18th week of pregnancy. However, the National Board of Health and Welfare must give permission for the abortion. A counsellor at the abortion clinic will help you to apply for the abortion.
How you will feel after the abortion
After the abortion, it is a good idea to rest for a day or so.
It is common to bleed afterwards and feel some pain. At first, the bleeding will be similar to a period, or a little more. The bleeding will stop after a few weeks. How long the bleeding lasts varies from one person to another.
An abortion does not make it harder to get pregnant in the future. Nor does it put you at increased risk of a future miscarriage.
Counselling before and after an abortion
It may feel good to talk to someone. Both before and after having an abortion.
You can make an appointment for counselling at the abortion clinic.
When and where should I seek medical care?
There is a risk of getting an infection in your uterus after an abortion.
Seek medical care if any of the following applies to you:
- You develop a fever of over 38°C.
- You have pain in your abdomen.
- You have bad-smelling discharge.
Contact the abortion clinic that performed the abortion. If they cannot attend to you, seek care from an emergency department or a gynaecological emergency department.