When does planned parenthood do abortions

The most widely used methods for abortion do not prevent a woman from becoming pregnant later. Keep in mind that you can get pregnant in the weeks right after an abortion. This is a good time to start using birth control that works well and fits your lifestyle. It will probably take you 1 to 3 weeks to heal and feel better after an abortion. You should not have sex during this time. But when you do have sex again, be sure to use a condom for several weeks or for as long as your doctor tells you to.

This will help to prevent infection. Exams and tests are used to diagnose a pregnancy and to check for any health conditions you may have that need special consideration. Regardless of whether you know that you would continue a pregnancy or have an abortion, your evaluation will include a medical history, a physical exam, and some laboratory tests.

A physical exam before an abortion includes:. Laboratory tests before an abortion include:. An ultrasound may be done to check your uterus size and shape and to make sure the pregnancy is in the uterus. A transvaginal ultrasound done in the first trimester is the most accurate method of learning how long you have been pregnant. Medical abortion is the use of medicines to end a pregnancy. Depending on the medicine used, a medical abortion can be done up to about 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Medicines currently available in the United States for inducing abortion are:. See the What to Think About section of this topic for a comparison of medical abortion and surgical abortion. A surgical abortion ends a pregnancy by surgically removing the contents of the uterus.

Different procedures are used for surgical abortion, depending on how many weeks of pregnancy have passed. Care before and after a surgical abortion includes a physical exam and lab tests, education about what to expect, self-care instructions, symptoms that mean you should call your doctor, and birth control planning.

See the What to Think About section of this topic for a comparison between medical abortion and surgical abortion. Your abortion options are affected by your medical history, how many weeks pregnant you are, and what options are available in your region.

Not all medical or surgical choices for an abortion are available in all parts of the United States or around the world. In the U. The following table lists some of the differences between the most commonly used medical and surgical abortion procedures. Does not require general anesthesia though it can be used. Local anesthesia , with or without a calming sedative, is typical. In extremely rare cases, leads to severe infection and death about 1 out of , , slightly higher rate than after surgical abortion.

Pain associated with a medical or surgical abortion ranges from mild to severe and depends on each woman's physical and emotional condition. Some fetal birth defects or medical problems are not commonly diagnosed until the second trimester, when most routine screening tests are done.

There are fewer abortion options during the second trimester. Research suggests that the hormonal changes during pregnancy may be protective and reduce the risk of breast cancer. In the past, there has been concern that an abortion might interrupt these protective hormonal changes and possibly increase the risk of breast cancer.

But more recent, carefully done studies have led experts to conclude that there is no link between having an abortion and breast cancer. Your health professional will give you information about what to expect after an abortion. Normal symptoms that most often occur include:. Follow your doctor's instructions on what to do at home. Call your doctor now if you have any of these symptoms after an abortion:.

Call your doctor for an appointment if you have had any of these symptoms after a recent abortion:. It's possible to become pregnant in the weeks right after an abortion procedure.

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Skip Navigation. Topic Overview Is this topic for you? What is an abortion? Abortion is the early ending of a pregnancy. When should you see a doctor?

How will you know what decision is right for you? Carefully think through your choices, which are to: Have a baby, and support and raise your child to adulthood. Have a baby, and place the baby for adoption. Have an abortion. When can an abortion be done? Before Wednesday, no law banned abortions earlier than 20 weeks of pregnancy nationwide.

Many states had tried to enact early gestational bans, but they had all been blocked by courts. The Supreme Court refused to block Texas' law, which allows anyone to sue a person they believe is providing an abortion or assisting someone in getting an abortion after six weeks.

The law does not make exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. On Friday, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas won a court battle to protect their employees from some lawsuits. A judge granted them a temporary restraining order against Texas Right to Life, stopping the largest anti-abortion rights group in the state from suing Planned Parenthood abortion providers and health care workers under the law.

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Wade be overturned. Friday's report categorizes the states most at risk of banning access to abortion depending on existing state laws dealing with access to abortion and other reproductive services as well as legislative attitudes toward reproductive rights. According to the report the number at risk has grown since , the last time the groups conducted similar research. In , 20 states -- where at least 25 million women of reproductive age lived -- were considered "primed" to ban access to safe and legal abortions.

Just three years later, if Roe is reversed, abortion access could be at risk for at least 11 million more people.

Of the 36 million women and even more trans men, and nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people for whom safe and legal reproductive abortions are in question, at least 5. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton this week acknowledged that residents are traveling outside the state to obtain abortions, following an argument from the Biden administration that the way the ban impacts interstate commerce gives the Justice Department the authority to bring a lawsuit challenging it.