As healthcare and mental health professionals, we are committed to 
meeting your needs in this difficult and confusing time.
Our services are free and confidential and your health and safety are important to us. We offer pregnancy testing, ultrasound, and professional counseling.
The choices we as women face today are complex and carry with them a whole set of issues that we are better off knowing about at the outset rather than finding out too late.
Making an informed decision about your pregnancy
Find out just the facts about pregnancy at JusttheFacts.org.
The Right to Choose Includes the Right to Know
When you are faced with an unplanned pregnancy you have several options. The problem is, it's hard to think clearly when you are feeling stressed, or anxious. It's tough to imagine the future and the impact this one decision will have on your life. This booklet will help you sort things out so you can decide with a clear mind.
Here are your basic choices: you can carry the baby to term and parent him or her yourself, you can release the baby for adoption, or you can have an abortion. Before you decide, you deserve to have as much information as possible. This booklet contains facts about life before birth, abortion techniques, and abortion risks. It answers questions commonly asked by women who are thinking about having an abortion. At the end of the booklet is an important list of questions to ask a doctor before you decide-so you can make an informed decision.
This is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life. Despite the stress - you need to weigh your alternatives. Before you choose, carefully consider the options based on information, not just emotion. Use your head to guide your heart.
An unwanted pregnancy affects other people, too. Talk to these people as calmly as possible. This will probably include the father, a good friend who can be trusted, and your parents.
Of course, you are the one who will be most affected. You will want to take responsibility for this decision-because you, more so than the others, will live with the outcome.
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"I Wish I Could Have Been Told"
Millions of women have had abortions. Some claim no regrets, however, many face a startling awareness when they become pregnant years later for a planned child. They wished they had seen an ultrasound or had been told about the remarkable abilities of their unborn baby before making that decision. Here are a few brief , descriptions of life before birth.
At 8 weeks after conception a heart beats, brain waves can be detected, fingerprints are developed, and the fetus responds when touched. |
Day 1 The second your egg is fertilized by a sperm, it contains the plans for every detail of the baby's development, including sex, hair and eye color, and height.
Week 3 The brain, spinal chord, and nervous system develop.
Week 4 The heart begins to beat.
Week 5 Arms with hands & fingers, legs with feet & toes, and eyes can be
seen.
Week 6-8 Brain waves can be detected.
Week 9 The body is nearly complete. Internal organs are present and functioning. Changes after the ninth week are primarily changes in size, rather than appearance.
Week 13 The baby moves vigorously and can make a tight fist. The mother will not be able to feel movement until the fourth or fifth month. The fetus can experience pain.
Month 4 The baby is 8-10 inches long and weighs 1/2 pound.
Month 5 The baby may jump in response to a loud noise.
Month 6 If the baby was born during this month and given special care, he or she could survive.
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Abortion Procedures: Before Fourteen Weeks
MEDICAL ABORTIONS
RU-486
RU-486 is a medical abortion that is used very early in pregnancy, no later than nine weeks after your last period. Your doctor would either inject you with Mifepristone or give you an oral dose. This drug stops the natural function of your body. The lining of your uterus softens and breaks down. Two days later you would return to the clinic for a checkup. If the fetus hasn't been expelled, you would be given another drug (Cytotec or Misoprostol) to make your cervix dilate, and your uterus contract to push the fetus from your body, similar to labor. This procedure can cause cramping, bleeding, nausea and diarrhea. In some cases, this procedure results in a failed abortion. If so, the doctor will want to surgically extract the fetus.
METHOTREXATE (MTX)
This drug was invented to fight cancer. It attacks cells that are growing rapidly and prevents them from multiplying which kills the embryo. Methotrexate is usually given as an injection. About a week later you insert vaginal suppositories of Misoprostol that causes contractions. This method is used up to seven weeks from the date of your last period. This drug has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for abortions. The procedure can cause excessive bleeding and cramping. If the abortion is not complete, you will be scheduled for a surgical abortion.
SURGICAL ABORTIONS/SUCTION ASPIRATION
For this procedure you lie on your back with your feet in stirrups, and the doctor applies a shot of anesthetic to your cervix to reduce pain. Your cervical muscle is stretched with cone-shaped rods until the opening is wide enough to allow the abortion tools to pass into your uterus. Then the doctor guides the suction device through the cervix and into your uterus. When the suction machine is turned on you feel the strong force of the vacuum which is used to pull the placenta and fetus into parts small enough to pass out of your body through the suction tube.
DILATION AND CURETTAGE (D & C)
The doctor opens your cervix, as described above, but in this case the abortion is done with a loop-shaped knife which is used to scrape the wall of your uterus, cutting the fetus and placenta into smaller parts and pulling them out of your body through the cervix. There is a higher risk of perforating your uterus with this procedure. A general anesthesia is usually required.Abortion Procedures: After Fourteen Weeks
DILATION AND EVACUATION (D&E)
Because the bones of the fetus are larger and stronger by this time, the doctor uses a medical instrument resembling pliers to pull the fetus into smaller parts and removes those parts from your body through the cervix. This procedure requires that your cervix is opened wider than with 'Suction" or "D and C" methods, and there is greater risk of harm to your reproductive organs.Abortion Procedures: After 22 Weeks
PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION
Laminaria (a type of seaweed that expands when moist) is used to dilate the cervix over a two-day period. On the third day, the membranes are ruptured. An ultrasound is used to locate the lower extremities. The doctor then uses large forceps to grasp a leg, and pull it down into the vagina. After the body is delivered, the skull is lodged at the cervical opening. The doctor makes an incision in the base of the fetal skull, inserts a suction catheter and empties the contents of the skull. Damage may occur due to extensive stretching of the cervix during the procedure.
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Physical Risks
As someone considering an abortion, you have the right to be aware of these complications.
HEMORRHAGE
Sometimes women bleed heavily during an abortion or a few days afterwards. With a medical abortion (RU-486) bleeding lasts 13-15 days or more. Occasionally it is necessary to receive a transfusion to replace the lost blood. Sometimes a second curettage procedure or a hysterectomy is needed to stop the bleeding.
INFECTION
The uterus is susceptible to infection right after an abortion especially if part of the fetus or placenta is accidentally left inside of you. Infections are even more of a risk if you have Chlamydia or Gonorrhea. Symptoms are pain and fever. This is generally treated with antibiotics but sometimes another curettage procedure must be used. if untreated, a very serious infection can develop and could result in infertility.
PERFORATION
Sometimes the tools of abortion are accidentally pushed through the wall of the uterus during an abortion. If the instrument damages one of your internal organs, it may be necessary to do major surgery to repair the damage. This complication can cause extensive bleeding.
EFFECTS ON LATER PREGNANCY
Injury to the cervix may cause the early loss of a later wanted pregnancy. Scarring which blocks your fallopian tubes, may also occur. This can keep you from becoming pregnant in the future. The risk of miscarriage in later pregnancies is higher if a woman has had two or more abortions.
CONTINUED PREGNANCY
The fetus may be growing in the fallopian tube rather than in your uterus. An abortion procedure would miss this. The continued growth of the fetus in your tube is dangerous and potentially fatal.
BREAST CANCER
A number of scientific studies show a link between abortion and breast cancer.
DEATH
Death has occurred after abortion, although it is rare. When abortion is done after the first three months of pregnancy, the risk of death increases. The cause of death by abortion is usually from heavy bleeding or from complications with the drugs used for pain.
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Emotional Risks
Some women experience an immediate feeling of relief following an abortion, but many find themselves later coping with feelings they did not expect. They may have a difficult time talking about these feelings. Some psychologists have labeled these problems as Post Abortion Stress.
The symptoms of Post Abortion Stress, listed here, span a wide range and can effect men who have lost a child to an abortion as well as women.
ABORTION STRESS:
Sadness, Long-term grief reactions, Anger, Sexual dysfunction, Guilt, Flashbacks, Memory repression, Anniversary reactions, Hallucinations, Suicidal ideas, increased alcohol & drug use, Difficulty keeping close relationships. |
ONE WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE
"I had an abortion when I was 19. It seemed like a really logical thing to do. I could hardly pay my bills and wanted to get a decent job. My boyfriend didn't say much. He wanted to be supportive and thought his silence was support. We later married, and admitted that we both regretted the decision.
We were surprised at how much we mourned the loss of that baby. We have both been depressed at various times, have experienced intense anger with each other over the abortion, and felt a lot of shame. Finally both of us spent time in a support group for people who have had abortions. I never expected that I would carry this emotional weight into my 30's. We now have two children but we still regret the one we lost to that quick abortion decision."
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A Permanent Decision
Unlike many decisions in life, the consequences of a decision to abort are permanent and serious.
"The public is misled into believing that legal abortion is a trivial incident, even a lunch- hour procedure. There has been almost a conspiracy of silence in declaring its risks. This is medically indefensible when patients suffer as a result."
- Stallworthy |
Women who abort are seldom warned of the possible consequences-a serious violation of medical ethics.
You may be asked to sign a consent form at the clinic before having an abortion. Read the form carefully. By signing the form you will be accepting the risks.
If you decide to have an abortion after weighing the risks, take this information along with you. Ask the doctor to explain the risks listed here.
Don't be intimidated. It's your body, and you will suffer the effects if anything goes wrong.
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The content of this web page is taken from the brochure
"Making an Informed Decision About Your Pregnancy"
Frontlines Publishing, 2001
Click here for references for the information above.