Abortions take place in NHS hospitals or in private clinics.
In England, the majority of women can choose to have an abortion, which is funded by the NHS, either at an NHS hospital or at a private clinic. In Scotland most abortions are carried out through the NHS in an NHS hospital.
If you are not sure about how many weeks pregnant you are, you may need to have an ultra sound scan and/or an internal examination.
There are two main methods of abortion: the medical and the surgical method.
An early medical abortion (EMA) is one that can be carried out before 9 weeks of pregnancy.
This is a two-stage procedure, which involves separate visits to the unit.
A list of any medical conditions that you may have will be taken by the clinic or hospital to make sure the medicines used in this type of abortion are suitable for you.
Vacuum aspiration, or suction termination, is a procedure that uses gentle suction to remove the pregnancy from the womb. The procedure usually takes 5-10 minutes and can be carried out under a local anaesthetic (where the area is numbed) or general anaesthetic (where you are put to sleep).
To soften the cervix (the entrance of the womb) and make it easier to open, a tablet may be placed in the vagina a few hours before the abortion.
After this type of abortion, you will usually be able to go home the same day. However, following the procedure you may bleed a little for up to 14 days.
As well as being used for early abortion, the same medicines can be used for abortion later in pregnancy. However, the abortion will take longer, and more than one dose of medicine may be needed.
After the procedure, you can return home the same day, but sometimes an overnight stay in hospital is required.
Surgical dilation and evacuation (D&E) is a procedure that is carried out under general anaesthetic.
The cervix is gently stretched and dilated (opened) and the pregnancy removed.
The procedure usually takes 10-20 minutes to perform and you may be able to return home the same day. You may have some bleeding for up to 14 days.
There are two options for a late abortion carried out at 20-24 weeks. Both require an overnight stay in hospital.
Women vary greatly in their emotional responses when considering abortion. To make a fully informed decision it may well be helpful for you to have the opportunity to look at all the options and possible outcomes.
Your may feel that your circumstances affect your freedom to make a decision.
Centres listed on Pregnancy Choices Directory offer a safe place to consider and discuss all your options.
To find out more about abortion, contact an advisor for non-judgemental help & advice — check the list of Pregnancy Choices centres to find your nearest centre.
You may also like to:
You may be able to refer yourself to an abortion provider, without seeing your GP, if you prefer:
You will be able to discuss abortion options with all of these abortion providers.
Free services are available — use these links to find confidential help: