Abortion or Termination in Calderdale and Huddersfield
An abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy; there are several types of abortion. The treatment used depends upon the gestation of the pregnancy and the woman’s medical history.
Abortion is legal in England, Scotland and Wales (but not Northern Ireland) under the Abortion Act 1967 and the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act 1990.
The law states you can have an abortion if:
- You are less than 24 weeks pregnant
- Two doctors agree that it would cause less damage to your physical or mental health (or that of existing children) than continuing with the pregnancy
Our clinicians are bound by the regulations and legislation of the Abortion Act 1967. Our doctors will only agree to perform abortions for reasons that are within the law. We do not sanction abortion based on the gender of a foetus.
Guidelines for doctors state that women should not have to wait more than 2 weeks from the first referral to the time of first seen in the clinic. As required by the Abortion Act 1967 we submit signed HSA4 forms to the Chief Medical Officer. The HSA4 is used by the Department of Health to monitor compliance and also to produce government statistics. All data statistics is anonymised.
How to access our service
The service is totally confidential and can be accessed by:
- Calling us directly 01422 224979 or 01422 224962
- Referral from contraception and sexual health (CASH) clinic, midwife, a specialist clinic, or your own GP (choose and book)
Abortion treatments
Your treatment options will depend on how many weeks the pregnancy is, your medical suitability and your personal choice.
There are two types of abortion treatment:
Medical abortion: The abortion pill (up to 17 Weeks + 4 days)
The abortion pill involves taking medicines to end the pregnancy.
Under 9 weeks gestation treatment can be offered to complete at home, if clinically suitable.
9-18 weeks gestation treatment will be carried out as an inpatient on the ward, but will be sent home later that day.
Surgical abortion up to 9 weeks of gestation
Surgical abortion involves a minor operation that may be done with local anesthetic (MVA – Manual Vacuum Aspiration). This is carried out as an outpatient procedure and you will be sent home the same day, normally within a few hours.
Pregnancy remains
After any MVA abortion and medical abortion the pregnancy tissue is collected and stored separately from other clinical waste. It is then sent for incineration (burning) and is disposed of in a caring manner.
With early medical abortion (up to 9 weeks gestation), you will pass the pregnancy either at home or another place of your choosing. You can discuss at your appointment how to dispose of the pregnancy remains. Gestation more than 9 weeks has to stay in the hospital until the treatment is complete. You will be going home same day if there are no complications.
If you have any other questions about the disposal of the pregnancy remains, please ask us.
Aftercare
Most women recover quickly after an abortion. How much pain and bleeding you experience afterwards can vary.
Everyone will have a different experience after either a medical or surgical abortion has been completed. Usually you will experience some bleeding this can last 10-14 days and can continue up to your next period and may be unpredictable, irregular, or prolonged.
It's important you use sanitary towels and not tampons or menstrual cups to help prevent infection. It’s also normal to have crampy pains (cramps).
Pregnancy symptoms will start to settle after a couple of days. Nausea and vomiting are one of the first symptoms to disappear after treatment. (It is common to have tender breasts for several weeks.)
Different feelings may come up for people after an abortion, including sadness; this is normal.
When to get help
Contact Ward 4C on 01422 224979 or seek medical advice if you become unwell during the 24 hours following your treatment. For example:
- Continuous and heavy bleeding that soaks 2 or more pads in an hour for 2 hours in a row
- Severe allergic reaction
If you've had a positive pregnancy test 4 weeks after your abortion pill treatment or 3 weeks after Manual vacuum aspiration under local an anaesthetic - please call the clinic to make a follow up appointment for repeat scan and further management.
Important things to remember
As part of your abortion aftercare, you should avoid sex for 2 weeks following treatment. It’s very important to know that it is possible to get pregnant almost immediately following an abortion. If you do not want to become pregnant, we recommend that you have contraception ready for after your treatment as you can produce eggs within 5 days after abortion and you are fertile. We can discuss different types of contraception with you to help you find a method that suits you to use immediately after the abortion.
You should not have a bath for 48 hours after your abortion as this could increase the risk of infection. You can have a shower, but as you may be feeling light-headed, for your safety please do not have a shower without someone there with you.
