Abortion is a medical procedure that a doctor performs to terminate your pregnancy.
Abortion can only take place under certain conditions. Before you can get an abortion, you have a consultation with a general practitioner or other doctor to support you to make a decision.
Consultation to help you make a decision
A doctor talks with you about your situation, the different options you have for your pregnancy and various methods of contraception.
You have the right to decide yourself if you terminate or continue with the pregnancy. The doctor informs you about all the possible options in order for you to make your own decision.
A woman can have an abortion without the consent of her partner. Women aged 16 and older are allowed to decide for themselves if they want to have an abortion. Women aged under 16 need the permission of a parent or guardian. If this is not possible, go to your general practitioner or directly to an abortion clinic. Parental permission is often not required in that case.
Methods of abortion
Up to 13 weeks of pregnancy, there are 2 methods to carry out an abortion:
- Abortion pill:
Up to 9 weeks of pregnancy (counted from the first day of the last menstruation).
You have to take 1 pill in the clinic or at the family doctor's office and go home afterwards. After 1 or 2 days you take more pills. The abortion pill causes a miscarriage.The fertilized egg cell will come out of the vagina with blood and blood cloths. You will have painful cramps. How much pain you will have differs per person. The amount of blood you lose is also different for everyone. For most women the amount is like that of a heavy menstrual flow.
You will be advised on the painkillers that you can use. Possible side effects are nausea, cold chills, fever and diarrhea. It could be nice to have a person with you to support you. On average the blood loss will take 2 to 3 weeks, but it can be shorter or longer.
- Vacuum aspiration (sometimes known as suction curettage):
Up to 13 weeks of pregnancy (counted from the first day of the last menstruation).
The doctor will give you a local anaesthetic before starting. The uterus will be numbed with injections. This could give a short and sharp pain. The doctor will then use a thin tube to empty the uterus through the vagina. You can have cramps as they do this, which can be compared with severe menstrual cramps. At some clinics it is also an option to be given an anaesthetic so that you are asleep during the procedure and feel nothing.
The procedure takes about 10 minutes. After the procedure the advice is to stay in the abortion clinic for a while to recover. If you have had an anesthetic, you will not be allowed to drive a car home. You will receive antibiotics to prevent an infection and you will be advised about pain medication.
You can have stomach cramps for a few more days. You will be advised about the pain medication you can use. Often you will also lose blood, similar to a regular menstruation. Often the blood loss will stop within two weeks.
From 13 weeks onwards (counted from the first day of the last menstruation):
There are various methods for an abortion after 13 weeks. After this procedure you usually stay in the clinic for a longer time in order to rest. An abortion after 13 weeks is not available in all clinics.
Emergency solution
After an abortion, you can still become pregnant.
Abortion is not a method of contraception. It is a solution in case of emergency.