What Are the Types of Abortion? When Can You Get One?

Abortion can be a really touchy topic. When I went to Planned Parenthood once (this year actually, and it was for BC , not an abortion though), they had a volunteer escorting women through the door, because anti-abortion protesters were shouting at them (with a megaphone too!) from across the street. The police were watching the protesters too, but the shouters were careful to not insult anyone, so I guess the cops couldn't do anything about it. They must have been there just in case it all escalated.

So I asked the volunteer, and she told me the protesters were there every single day. The protesters would tell women that they were terrible for all different kinds of reasons. These people and their signs with graphic images of babies, were why the whole volunteer program was started.

So, people can be really judgmental about abortion. I feel like people should have a choice no matter what. So even if you hate or love this mytake, here's the information on abortion:

What Are the Types of Abortion? When Can You Get One?

Planned Parenthood: Abortion

There are two kinds of abortion in the U.S. — in-clinic abortion and the abortion pill.

Abortions are very common. In fact, 3 out of 10 women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old.

If you are under 18, your state may require one or both of your parents to give permission for your abortion or be told of your decision prior to the abortion. However, in most states you can ask a judge to excuse you from these requirements.

Planned Parenthood: In-Clinic Abortion Procedures at a Glance

What are the types of in-clinic abortions?

Suction abortion (also called vacuum aspiration) is the most common type of in-clinic abortion. It uses gentle suction to empty your uterus. It's usually used until about 14-16 weeks after your last period.

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) is another kind of in-clinic abortion procedure. It uses suction and medical tools to empty your uterus. You can get a D&E later in a pregnancy than aspiration abortion -- usually if it has been 16 weeks or longer since your last period.

How effective are in-clinic abortions?

In-clinic abortions are extremely effective. They work more than 99 out of every 100 times. Needing to get a repeat procedure because the abortion didn't work is really rare.

When can I get an in-clinic abortion?

How early you can get an abortion depends on where you go. In some places, you can get it as soon as you have a positive pregnancy test. Other doctors or nurses prefer to wait until 5-6 weeks after the first day of your last period.

How late you can get an abortion depends on the laws in your state and what doctor, abortion clinic, or Planned Parenthood health center you go to. It may be harder to find a health care provider who will do an abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy, so it's best to try to have your abortion as soon as possible.

Why do people choose an in-clinic abortion?

Some people choose in-clinic abortion because they want to to have their procedure done at a health center, with nurses, doctors, and trained support staff there the whole time. (With the abortion pill, you have the abortion at home.)

In-clinic abortions are also much faster than the abortion pill: most in-clinic abortions only take about 5-10 minutes, while a medication abortion may take up to 24 hours to complete.

Planned Parenthood: The Abortion Pill

How does the abortion pill work?

"Abortion pill" is the popular name for using two different medicines to end a pregnancy: mifepristone and misoprostol.

Your doctor or nurse will give you the first pill, mifepristone, at the clinic. Pregnancy needs a hormone called progesterone to grow normally. Mifepristone blocks your body's own progesterone. You'll also get some antibiotics.

You take the second medicine, misoprostol, 24-48 hours later, usually at home. This medicine causes cramping and bleeding to empty the uterus. It's kind of like having a really heavy, crampy period, and the process is very similar to an early miscarriage.

How effective is the abortion pill?

The abortion pill is very effective. For people who are 8 weeks pregnant or less, it works about 98 out of 100 times. From 8-9 weeks pregnant, it works about 96 out of 100 times. From 9-10 weeks, it works 93 out of 100 times.

The abortion pill usually works, but if it doesn't, you can take more medicine or have an in-clinic abortion to complete the abortion.

When can I take the abortion pill?

You usually can get a medication abortion up to 70 days (10 weeks) after the first day of your last period. If it has been 71 days or more since the first day of your last period, you can have an in-clinic abortion to end your pregnancy.

Why do people choose the abortion pill?

Which kind of abortion you choose all depends on your personal preference and situation. With medication abortion, some people like that you don't need to have a procedure in a doctor's office. You can have your medication abortion at home or in another comfortable place that you choose.

You get to decide who you want to be with during your abortion, or you can go it alone. Because medication abortion is similar to a miscarriage, many people feel like it's more "natural" and less invasive.

So if you need to get an abortion, it's your choice. Like I said, I know many people are still against it, but you can't stop someone from getting one. I'm glad so much information is available about it, and that it's legal to get abortions too.

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Most Helpful Girl

  • Those women are making a very difficult-- and personal-- decision. They deserve support, not harassment, and kudos to you for volunteering!

    And those images you mention, --in addition to being a blatant scare tactic-- are so often dishonest/misleading-- it's common practice to mislabel the age of the fetus (ex. claiming nearly fully formed fetuses as first trimester, even in some cases sinking so low as to steal images of stillborn)
    thinkprogress.org/anti-planned-parenthood-group-caught-passing-stillbirth-photo-off-as-abortion-3f83027b668d

    • Great link!

    • thanks!

Most Helpful Guy

  • Not going to troll on here. Although I'm pro life, I can imagine that having an abortion can be an extremely painful decision for most women to make.

    My issue is how some radical feminists are now demanding tax payer funded abortions which in in my opinion is completely insane. Why should I have to pay for somebody's else's mistake that I COMPLETELY disagree with.

    Birth control however is a different story (ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure).

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What Girls & Guys Said

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  • i am not pro-abortion and therefore won't have one, even though i definitely don't want kids.

    i won't judge someone for having one, though i think it's a decision that should not be taken lightly and i would encourage people to explore all other options before committing to something so final.

    abortion is not, nor should it ever be, a primary form of birth control, and that's my only real issue with the "pro-choice" stance. i'm just as grateful as anyone that sex doesn't have to mean pregnancy, though i also take responsibility for my reproductive health by taking appropriate measures to ensure that i don't get knocked up in the first place (yes, there's a very small percentage who conceive via rape or incest, but that's an exception, not a rule).

    abortion hurts women and the psychological damage caused by it is a very real problem. there is empirical evidence to suggest that abortion causes symptoms that mimic those of ptsd, and some doctors are now calling it post-abortion stress disorder or post-abortion syndrome.

    many studies prove that there are physical side effects as well. weakening of the cervix, miscarriage or birth defects in subsequent pregnancies, infection, bleeding... and those are the ones considered "minor" side effects. even in so-called "safe" environments, surgical abortion is not without risk.

    to those who say, "oh, but some people feel relief afterward" or whatever, sure. but that doesn't invalidate the hundreds of thousands of women who do suffer horrendous consequences because of it.

    anti-abortion? don't have one. but, if you're anti-pregnancy, you should also be practicing safe sex to avoid getting pregnant.

    /tangent.

    -von

  • Very informative MyTake.

  • It's called never conceiving in the first place. Murder not necessary. And don't try to give me the 0.5% of times that it's rape. There are so many ways for couples to "get off" today, that pregnancy only happens because you already made a choice.

    Some of us would love to settle down, marry someone, do things the right way, and have kids - but for various reasons, can't.

    Then there are the selfish ones out there; who want all the sex in the world that they will never ever have a "right" to, and not only believe that their wants constitute "rights," but also somehow believe that there should be no consequences for what they do ever; or else that everyone else should have to foot the bill.

    It's not hard to see why a certain book says that the latter category "will never enter Heaven."

    • Yeah well you have no say so please sit down and be humble. When you get a uterus, ovaries and a vagina then you can talk

    • @AngelLove85 : Men have to pay in other ways. Lifelong. To think that doesn't matter shows me which of us truly lacks humility.

  • Abortion is a subject I don't really care for, but I think a woman should have the right to make her own decision on. At the same time, I don't think the government should be funding abortions, or even birth control. That's not a government function.

    • I agree that it's insane, ludicrous bullshit that feminists want taxpayer's to pay for abortion. However I feel differently about birth control. Yes it's not fair that we have to pay for other people promiscuous behaviors. But lets face it, you can scream abstinence to people until they are blue in the face and they are still going to do it. I would rather see these people get free birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies/spread of STDs even if I have to pay a small fraction of it. There are too many kids growing up without their parents (or worse people having abortions) on the streets. Rather prevent these problems.

  • Women have the roght to choose. Those same protesters wouldn't p*ss on a single mother if she was on fire. Just ignore them. At one point i was pro-life and very anti-abortion but then i grew up. I realized women aren't baby making machines. We have choices and lives to lead that dont need children. Im still a woman though I haven't given birth and its no guarantee i ever will. we need Planned Parenthood, women need to make their own decisions on their OWN fertility.

  • Interesting read.

  • Hey, there should be a guide for men who leave and disown their children

  • I applaud this take and your bravery at admitting you went to planned parenthood. There was nothing wrong with what you did.

    • Thanks, but you made me edit! I went for BC lol

  • I find disturbing the fact that abortion is used in a non terapeutical way, for the sake of been free of parental responsibility. What I am saying is not that women's don't have the right to decide to conceive a child, the problem here is the promotion of "lack of responsibility", the idea of "it doesn't matter if I am preagnant, I can abbort"... Really I don't care what the law says over there, I find it wrong to abbort under the circumstance I mention.

  • Well I'm glad women are able to have aces to safe methods of abortion.

  • amazing and insiteful mytake. But those who made up their minds won't change their mind

  • Coat hanger…

    • Coat hanger? That's for the poor in red states.

    • THE RICHpoor in red states just buy a plane ticket, like they did in the fifties.

  • Too much informative article.

  • I wish my wife knew this three years ago so she could have had one

  • informative

  • This is interesting I didn't know about all the different kinds and the laws

  • Yet another finds out that pregnancy is a natural consequence of sex.

  • With all the different birth controls out there... there shouldn't be as many abortions as there are. Not that I want to make it illegal... but really.

    • By facilitating access to BC Planned Parenthood avoids more abortions than it does abortions. Defunders should think about that.

    • @jacquesvol Thank you!

    • @jacquesvol what is wrong with you? I'm not speaking out against birth control.

  • The ethics of abortions are questionable, but there are so many other reasons why I think the ability to choose is more important. Good to see it seems like a fairly easy and safe process.