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THE DAY OF YOUR ABORTION

     You probably won't have to take more than one day off from your school or work. Take a shower or bath on the day of your appointment.

Try to have someone go with you to keep you company and to take you home on the day of your abortion. If you have to go alone, arrange to be picked up and taken home. If you have decided that you can't tell your parents, then you will probably want to arrange to go to the house of a friend or relative afterward, so you can rest for a few hours.

At the clinic you will be asked for your medical history. This will include all that you have been able to remember or find out about diseases and operations you have had, including previous abortions and pregnancies, and what birth control method you are using. You will also be asked questions about allergies, especially to drugs like penicillin and sulfa. Be sure to let them know about any drugs or medicine you are taking.

You will be asked to give a sample of urine for another pregnancy test and to check for infection. They will also take blood samples and you will be asked to undress, to put on a gown, and to go into the examining room. You will be given a physical exam, including an internal exam.

For the pelvic exam, you will lie on the narrow table with your hips down at the end. Your feet will go into a pair of stirrups, one on each side of the table. In order for the person examining you to see the walls of the vagina and the cervix, an instrument will be inserted into your vagina. Then a small, cotton-tipped stick will be used to pick-up cells from the vagina for tests. One will be a Pap test for cancer and one to make sure you don't have gonorrhea.

The person examining you will put two fingers into your vagina and press on your abdomen with the other hand to see how big and hard your uterus is and whether your cervix has gotten soft. When you are not pregnant, the cervix feels like the tip of your nose; when you are pregnant, it feels softer.

You may have to wait at the clinic for a while for the results of your tests. While you are waiting, you will probably talk to a counselor.

The counselor will explain what an abortion is and discuss your reasons for wanting one. She will let you talk about your feelings and will discuss birth control methods. You may want your boyfriend, husband, or parent with you in the counseling room, but you have the right to complete privacy if you choose.

When it is time for the abortion, you may be given a pill to relax you. Then you will be asked to lie down on the table just as you did for the exam, and you may be given a shot to numb your cervix. The whole thing will be over in about ten to twenty minutes. The abortion itself probably won't hurt anymore than a case of menstrual cramps.

Afterward, the doctor will check you. Some of the removed tissue will be sent to the lab, where it will be studied to make sure the abortion is complete. While this is being done, you can go into another room to lie down for a while.

Be sure to get the results of all your tests from the clinic. If you don't have them by the time you leave, ask when they will be ready. Then call back to find out what you should do to get any necessary follow-up treatment. These tests were done for your protection, so it makes sense to use the results

.

If you have to stay in a hospital for your abortion, it is a whole different experience. You get prepared for an operation and you have to recover from it afterward just as you would from any other operation.

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AFTERWARD

     Most women have some bleeding and cramps for about two weeks after an abortion. Some have light spotting for up to four weeks afterward and some have no bleeding or cramps at all. This light spotting is not a regular menstrual period. The next period should begin about four to six weeks later. A woman on birth control pills will get her period after the next package of pills is finished. Anyone who has just had an abortion has to be careful about infection; to prevent it, use only sanitary napkins, not tampons, until after your next period. Don't use any vaginal sprays, douches, or suppositories. When you go to the bathroom, and especially when you have a bowel movement, be sure to wipe away from the vagina. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Take showers or sponge baths instead of tub baths for the next couple of weeks, and don't have sexual intercourse until after your next checkup.

You will be asked to come in for the next checkup about two weeks after the abortion. It is very important not to skip this visit, even if you feel okay.

DANGER SIGNS

     Call the doctor or clinic right away if any of these things happen;

  1. Heavy bleeding.
  2. Chills, or a temperature over 100 degrees
    (Tylenol, aspirin, and pain pills containing aspirin will bring temperature down, so if you are using any of these for pain, take your temperature first.) If you think you have a fever, have the nurse at school or work take it for you. You don't have to tell her why.
  3. A rash anywhere on your body.
  4. Heavy cramps or pain in the lower abdomen and pelvic area.
  5. A bad-smelling discharge from your vagina.
  6. Burning smelling when urinating.
  7. Pain or swelling in your legs.
  8. A period as much as eight weeks late.

YOUR FEELINGS AFTWERWARD

     No one can tell ahead of time how she is going to feel about anything. But studies show that most women who ask for abortions and are allowed to have them feel relieved afterward. If your feelings are mixed, it is important to talk about them with you counselor.

Why can't you just skip birth control altogether and have an abortion every time you get pregnant? Because any operation puts a strain on your body, and an abortion is an operation. After two or more abortions you may be less likely to be able to have a baby later on, when you are ready for one.

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