Methods of provision of abortion

Safe induced abortion may be provided for women who meet the legal criteria and who want to end their pregnancy. The procedures are carried out at a higher health facility or hospital, so you should refer women seeking help from the abortion service to go to the higher health facility. The methods for provision of a legal abortion depend on the gestational age of the pregnancy and the facilities available locally. They include:

• Medical abortion: where women are given medical drugs to initiate the process of abortion
• Manual vacuum aspiration or MVA: using an instrument like a syringe operated by hand that creates a negative pressure to suck out the contents of the uterus
• Evacuation and curettage: emptying the contents of the uterus using metallic instruments to remove the fetal tissue and clean the inner walls of the uterus.

Remember that women need emotional support before, during and after an induced abortion, just as they do after a spontaneous miscarriage. In the next section, we describe the post-abortion services that you should provide to the women in your community.