Recovery depends on whether you have a surgical procedure or take tablets (medical termination).
If you have a procedure under sedation, it is a definitive process. Immediately after the surgical procedure you will have some minor cramps and bleeding, but these settle quickly. When you are feeling ok, you can leave the clinic, and be transported home by car. We recommend that a friend, or partner accompany you home and stay with you for the rest of the day. You should not drive or make any important decisions on the day of the procedure, but you can mobilize gently and it is good to go a for a gentle walk, to help the uterus ( womb) contract down and expel any blood clot which may be present.
Medical termination of pregnancy can be a longer process and takes place over days and sometimes weeks.
You can go back to work the day after a surgical procedure if you feel ok, both physically and emotionally. Women often find it helpful to resume their normal life as soon as possible and put the procedure behind them.
It helps to keep busy and try to discourage negative self talk.
If you have a medical termination, recovery can take longer, and it may be that you have some pain and bleeding for 2 weeks or more after taking the medication.
Sometimes, women who have had a medical termination of pregnancy, need to have a D&C ( dilation and curettage) if there is incomplete emptying of the uterus.
We may need to follow you up with blood tests to ensure pregnancy hormone levels are dropping and sometimes a formal ultrasound scan with a radiologist.
If you have any concerns or questions after pregnancy termination, you can ring the clinic during opening hours to speak with a nurse or doctor. If you need to speak with us after hours, there is a designated on call number when you can speak with us directly.
It is quite normal to feel some sadness or guilt after terminating a pregnancy. Remember the reasons behind your decision; they are usually because you have considered the health and well-being of the whole family (including that of the child to be) and decided that is in everyone’s best interest not to continue with the pregnancy.
However, it is you who has to make the call. This is hard, because you are the one shouldering the burden of physical and emotional impact.
Support from sympathetic friends and family will help. Be nice to yourself. No woman likes to go through the experience of pregnancy termination, but you are not alone. We have an expert counselor in our clinic (Medicare rebates available) who can help you deal with the emotions that frequently arise after having this procedure.
You should attend for a medical check up, 2 weeks after the termination, (for BOTH surgical and medical terminations), to ensure a complete recovery and answer any outstanding questions.
The doctors at Sydney Abortion Clinic are pleased to see you for this check, and no fees are payable as the consultation is bulk billed to Medicare. If you don’t have a Medicare card, then the follow up is still free, as it is included in your initial payment.
Alternatively, if you wish to see your own GP, we will write to that doctor to explain what has happened to you recently, so that that doctor can continue to look after you.
If you have had a medical termination of pregnancy, you will need an ultrasound scan at the 2 week check. It is not possible to have an IUD fitted at the time of medical termination of pregnancy, though this can be arranged in the weeks following, if recover is complete.
It may be possible to fit an IUD at the time of surgical termination if the pregnancy and we will try and do this for you. Sometimes women prefer to come back later for the IUD fitting after they have recovered from the abortion.
If you have had an IUD fitted, you check the threads yourself ( ask the admitting nurse or your doctor about this) after the procedure. Some women dont want to do this, and we can check it for you if feel that there may be a problem. If an IUD is inserted at the time of surgical termination, there is a slightly higher risk of complications, but this can be outweighed by the benefits of having contraception sorted at the time of the surgical abortion . At the clinic, we will check your IUD with an ultrasound scan , after the procedure, to ensure the device is positioned in the uterus.
For more facts about pregnancy termination click onto our frequently asked questions page.
We are located at:
Clinic 66, 31 Bertram Street, Chatswood NSW, Australia 2067. Click here for map and directions.
Appointment booking and enquiries:
If you would like to make an appointment please fill in the following form and one of our friendly staff will be in contact with you shortly. No referral is necessary to attend our clinic, though your doctor may recommend you.