Late Term Abortion

If you are in your 3rd trimester, and your doctor is recommending abortion, or you are considering it for another reason, there may be other options. Receive a FREE SECOND OPINION from Rockville Pregnancy Clinic's highly trained specialists and licensed OB/GYNs. They will review your pregnancy history, provide a sonogram and discuss your personal situation. Be informed before you make this very important decision. Your health and well-being are our first priority. Our services are confidential, safe, and free.

A late term abortion takes place over three days/visits, using local anesthesia, and is associated with increased risk to life and health of mother.

Procedure

• Day 1 - The process begins with a long five to six inch needle being injected into the baby's heart, often with the aid of ultrasound, filled with potassium chloride or digoxin causing the baby's death by an immediate heart attack.
• Day 2 - At this stage of the pregnancy, the mother's cervix is tightly closed, and therefore must be dilated (a forced widening of the cervix) enough to remove the larger baby. Cervical dilation is achieved by using laminaria, thin tampon-like sticks made of seaweed that expand the cervix gradually. This dilation process is not only unpleasant but often painful for the mother.
• Day 3/4 - Once the cervix is sufficiently dilated, the laminaria are removed. Sometimes, as soon as the laminaria are taken out, the baby slips right out due to the cervix being so enlarged. In the case where the baby is not easily delivered, a cervix clamp or a speculum is squeezed into the cervix and forceps are inserted through the now larger opening and into the uterus to dismember and remove the baby in pieces. A curette may be used to scrape away any remaining parts of the baby or placenta along the uterine lining.