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Abortion 13 – 22 weeks

A pregnancy termination of 13 weeks or more is called a second trimester treatment. The abortion is carried out with the use of some surgical instruments.
Usually the treatment is done under light anaesthetic, unless this is impossible due to health issues, such as illness or obesity (very high BMI).

Preparation

To prepare the uterus for treatment, an hour in advance you are given the medication Misoprostol to soften the cervix. This medication can make you nauseous and shivery and you may experience cramps.

Anaesthetic

In the surgery you will be given a short-acting sleep-inducing drug through a drip connected to your arm. Within 30 seconds you will fall asleep for the duration of the treatment.

Nil by mouth
For light anaesthetic your stomach needs to be completely empty. This means that from 6 hours before the treatment you are not allowed to eat anything, and from 2 hours before the treatment you are not allowed to drink anything. Before this time, you are allowed to drink some tea or water (but not any dairy products).
Please note: For 24 hours after the light anaesthetic, you are not allowed to ride a moped or bicycle or drive a car, motorcycle or motor scooter. If you do and you are involved in an accident, you will not be insured.
Don’t take any major decisions during this period.

The abortion treatment

During the treatment you are in a gynaecological examination chair with support for your legs The treatment is performed by an abortion doctor, assisted by at least one nurse. The doctor inserts a speculum and dilators (thin surgical rods) to display and open your cervix. The embryo (foetus) is removed and the uterus is emptied with the use of special instruments.
For pregnancies up to 15 weeks, following the treatment you can have a hormonal coil (IUD) or contraceptive implant inserted.

After the treatment

After the treatment you will stay in the recovery room for an hour to make sure you are doing OK. For infection prevention you will be given antibiotics. The total length of stay will be between 5 and 6 hours.

After the treatment you may experience cramping and bleeding. The symptoms can last from a few days up to several weeks and will gradually diminish. Pregnancy symptoms will diminish after a week. If symptoms persist or if you have a fever or are unwell, please contact us.

Abortion 18 – 22 weeks

This treatment is only performed in Bloemenhove Clinic Haarlem. Your stay in our clinic will be 6 to 8 hours.

For pregnancies between 18 and 22 weeks treatment is always carried out under sedation (light anaesthetic).

Two to three hours prior to the abortion, you are administered the medication Misoprostol to relax your cervix and cause some dilation. When you are ready for the treatment, you will first be put to sleep. The treatment is nearly identical to the treatment for pregnancies of 13 to 17 weeks. Depending on the duration of the pregnancy, the treatment takes between 15 and 25 minutes. You will wake up immediately after the treatment and stay in the clinic for another two hours to make sure you are doing OK.