Fact
What happens before an abortion
Before an abortion there is normally an assessment. It usually covers confirming the pregnancy and how long it has lasted, reviewing health history and current medicines, any tests the service uses, a conversation about the options available and what each involves, and consent. Practical planning matters too, particularly transport, time, and who if anyone you want with you.
This page describes what appointments commonly involve. It does not give you preparation instructions. Anything about eating, drinking, medicines, or timing comes from your clinician or provider.
The appointment flow
Services organise this differently, and some steps happen by phone or online rather than in person. In general the assessment covers the following.
Confirming the pregnancy and how long it has lasted. This is usually done with an ultrasound. The length of the pregnancy affects which options apply, so it is confirmed rather than assumed. The gestational age page explains how pregnancy is dated and why the answer is often different from what people expect.
Health history. Existing conditions, current medicines including anything bought without a prescription, allergies, and previous pregnancies or procedures.
Tests. What is used varies by service. Blood tests are common. Ask what is being tested and why if you want to know.
A conversation about options. What is available in this situation, what each involves, and what the practical differences are.
Consent. Consent means being told what a procedure or medicine involves, what the alternatives are, and what the risks are, and then agreeing freely. You can ask questions, ask for something to be repeated, ask for more time, or change your mind.
What to bring
Exact requirements come from the facility, but people commonly need:
- Photo identification, if the service asks for it.
- Insurance details, if you have insurance and are using it.
- A list of your current medicines, including doses if you know them.
- A method of payment, or details of any financial help you have arranged.
- Contact details for someone who can take you home, if sedation is planned.
Instructions about eating, drinking, and medicines
This site does not give those instructions. They depend on whether sedation is planned, which medicines you take, and how the service works. A general rule found online can conflict with what your facility needs, and following the wrong one can mean an appointment is postponed.
Ask the facility directly, and follow what they tell you.
Planning the practical side
- Time. The procedure itself may be short, but the appointment usually is not. Ask how long to plan for, and whether more than one visit is expected.
- Transport. If sedation deeper than a local anaesthetic is planned, someone will usually need to take you home, and you will usually not be allowed to drive.
- Work or study. Ask what the service expects in terms of recovery time. It varies, and the answer depends on the method and on the individual.
- Responsibilities for others. If you look after children or another adult, arranging cover in advance is worth doing early.
- Support. Whether anyone comes with you is your decision. Facilities differ in whether a companion can be in the room, so ask.
- Privacy. If privacy matters to you, the privacy section of the access hub covers what you can control and what you cannot.
Questions to ask, in a form you can print
Print this page or save it. Nothing you write on it is sent anywhere, because this site has no forms and stores nothing you type.
- How long have I been pregnant, and how was that confirmed?
- Which methods are available to me here, and why those?
- What will happen at each appointment, and how many appointments are there?
- How long should I plan to be here?
- What is offered for pain and for anxiety?
- Will I need someone to take me home?
- What should I expect over the next few days?
- What follow-up is included, and how do I arrange it?
- What are the signs that mean I should call you, and what number do I use at night or at the weekend?
- What will this cost in total, and what is included?
- Is any financial help available, and how do I apply?
- What happens to my records, and who can see them?
If you have not chosen yet
Deciding is yours, and this site does not run a quiz, score an option, or nudge toward an outcome. If it would help to talk it through with someone whose job is to support the decision rather than steer it, the pregnancy options page explains what non-directive counselling means and where to look for it.
If anyone is pressuring you toward or away from any outcome, that is worth naming. The pregnancy options page links to confidential support for that situation.