Changes

The type of surgical procedure varies with the gestation of the pregnancy.

The type of surgical procedure varies with the gestation of the pregnancy.

Suction aspiration is a surgical procedure which can be performed under local or general anesthetic. It most often used in the first trimester of pregnancy (the first three months). Suction aspiration involves dilating the cervix and passing a suction curette (similar to a vacuum hose with an extremely sharp end) into the womb. In order to dilate the cervix, prostaglandin may be used as in early medical abortion described above. The suction curette is used to remove the pregnancy. The suction and cutting edge dismembers the fetus and the products are extracted by suction.  

[[Suction aspiration]] is a surgical procedure which can be performed under local or general anesthetic. It most often used in the first trimester of pregnancy (the first three months). Suction aspiration involves dilating the cervix and passing a suction curette (similar to a vacuum hose with an extremely sharp end) into the womb. In order to dilate the cervix, prostaglandin may be used as in early medical abortion described above, though it is more common to use metal dilators. The suction curette is used to remove the pregnancy. The suction and cutting edge dismembers the fetus and the products are extracted by suction.  

After the 15th week of pregnancy, dilatation, curettage and evacuation are performed in addition to suction. This procedure is carried out under a general anesthetic. A wire loop is used to break the fetus apart and parts which cannot be removed by suction are removed piecemeal by forceps.  

After the 15th week of pregnancy, [[dilatation and evacuation]] (D&E) is typically performed. A toothed forceps, such as a Sopher forceps, is used to grasp parts of the fetus and twist them off, as well as to crush and extract the skull. Suction is used to remove remaining soft tissues as well as the placenta. After about 20 weeks of pregnancy, the [[abortionist]] will often kill the fetus with a lethal injection on the first day of a multi-day procedure, both to ensure that there is no [[abortion survivors | live birth]] and to allow fetal tissues to soften overnight for easier dismemberment.<ref name="Haskell">Haskell, M.: "Dilation and Extraction for Late Second Trimester Abortion," Presented at the National Abortion Federation Risk Management Seminar, September 13, 1992</ref> Successive changes of [[laminaria]] are used to dilate the cervix to allow for extraction of the fetal parts.

==Partial Birth Abortion==

==Partial Birth Abortion==