The UnRestrict Minnesota Guide to Procedural Abortion
We all deserve the opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and fulfilling life—and sometimes that can include having an abortion.
Minnesota has abortion providers across the state dedicated to providing their patients with quality, patient-centered care. Most of these clinics are independently run and have been serving their communities for decades.
If you are in your second trimester, or just want a quick process to move on from, an in-clinic procedural abortion may be the best option for you.
The Basics: What is Procedural Abortion?
Procedural abortion is the general phrase for an in-clinic abortion procedure in which the physician is directly removing the pregnancy. There are two types of options that are based on how far along into the pregnancy you are. This type of abortion is completed in a doctor’s office and there are no incisions.
Aspiration Abortion
ASPIRATION ABORTION
Aspiration abortion is a quick 5-10 minute procedure in which the physician uses a gentle suction to empty your uterus. Depending on your comfort level the clinic may be able to provide you with moderate or deep sedation. Note: If you choose to have sedation you will need a friend or loved one to come with you to the appointment and bring you home.
After the procedure, the you will spend time in an after care room in the clinic where there will be juice, tea, and snacks, and where the clinic team will monitor your body for around thirty minutes or until you are ready to go home.
Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) Abortion
DILATION AND EVACUATION (D&E) ABORTION
For people later in their pregnancies (beyond 14-16 weeks), dilation and evacuation (D&E) is recommended. This procedure uses gentle suction and medical tools to safely empty the uterus. Because pregnancies advance each week, this procedure lasts a little longer than the aspiration abortion—about 10-15 minutes.
And, as the pregnancy progresses, you may also be required to have a multi-day process in which you have a first appointment where the physician inserts small dilators into your cervix and then a second appointment the following day to complete the abortion.
Afterwords, you will spend time in an after care room in the clinic where there will be juice, tea, and snacks, and where the clinic team will monitor your body for around thirty minutes or until you are ready to go home.
How can I get a procedural abortion?
Community partner and abortion fund Our Justice keeps an updated list of abortion clinics in and around the state of Minnesota, as well as the types of procedures they offer. You can click this link to view that information.
After I got my abortion, I felt relief. I felt good. I always felt it was the right choice, still to this day.
Ashley
There are no good abortions, no bad abortions. There’s only the abortion you need.
Liz
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Join the millions of Minnesotans who agree everyone should have the power and ability to make healthy decisions about their own bodies, decide whether and when to become a parent, and raise healthy children in our communities if we decide to become parents.