Medical Abortion vs Surgical Abortion - Abortion Clinic

	Medical Abortion	Surgical Abortion
How far along in pregnancy can I be?	– Up to 7 weeks (49 days) with 97% success. – Success rates decrease as the pregnancy advances.	– First or second trimester with 99% success. – A pregnancy less than 6 weeks may increase the chance of failed abortion.
How long does it take?	– Usually 2 visits to the provider. – Mifepristone pill on day 1. – Misoprostol pill on day 2 or 3. – It usually takes several hours for the abortion to occur. – Follow-up scheduled two weeks from first appointment.	– One 3-4 hour visit to the clinic. – The abortion procedure takes 3 to 5 minutes. – Follow-up visit at your doctor or clinic, or the providers in 2-3 weeks.
How painful is it?	– From mild to very strong cramping off and on throughout the abortion (commonly a 1 to 4 hour period). – Advil or Tylenol recommended as needed.	– From mild to very strong cramping during the abortion (commonly a 5 to 10 minute period).– Pain medication is available during surgery. – Advil or Tylenol as needed afterwards.
How much will I bleed?	– Heavy bleeding and passing clots are common during the abortion process. – Afterwards, you may have some bleeding and/or spotting up to your next period.	– Usually light to moderate bleeding and/or spotting may continue for up to 2 weeks, rarely up to your next period.
Can the abortion fail?	– 97% successful. – When it fails, a surgical abortion is necessary.	– Over 99% successful. – Less than 1% of the time it fails and needs to be repeated.
Is it safe and can I still have children afterwards?	– Yes, it is safe. Both medications have been formally studied and used safely. – Possible complications are rare. – Childbearing ability is not affected, barring rare serious complications.	– Yes, it is safe. Surgical abortion has been formally studied for over 25 years.– First trimester abortion has a less than 1% complication rate, and is at least 10 times safer than childbirth. – Childbearing ability is not affected, barring rare serious complications.
What are the advantages?	– It may seem more natural, like a miscarriage. – No shots, anesthesia, instruments, or vacuum aspirator machine, unless it fails. – Being at home instead of a clinic may seem more comforting and private. – The support person of your choice can be with you during the abortion process.	– It’s more predictable. Less bleeding and cramping than with medical abortion.– It’s quick, over in a few minutes. – It’s highly successful. – Medical staff is present. – It can be done farther along in the pregnancy than medical abortion.
What are the disadvantages?	– It takes several days. – It is not completely predictable. – Medications may cause side effects: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. – Cramping can be severe and bleeding can be very heavy and lasts longer than with a surgical. – Two visits to the provider are necessary, and possibly more. – It fails more often than a surgical.	– It is a procedure – a physician inserts instruments inside the uterus.– Anesthetics and drugs to manage pain during the procedure may cause side effects. – There are possible complications, although in less than 1% of cases. – The woman has less control over the abortion process and who is with her. – The vacuum aspirator may seem noisy.