Hesperian Health Guides
What to Expect during a Safe Abortion
HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 15: Abortion > What to Expect during a Safe Abortion
Drink plenty of liquids the day before you have an abortion. This will help you recover more quickly.
Someone should discuss family planning methods with you. You can start using some methods the day of the abortion.
When you go to a health center or hospital for an abortion, you should be welcomed and treated with respect. A counselor should talk with you about your decision and explain how the abortion will be done and what the risks are.
- You should be asked when your last period was and whether you might have an STI.
- A health worker should do a medical exam. This includes feeling carefully in your vagina and on your belly for the size of your womb.
- To prevent infection, you should be given a single dose of antibiotic (200 mg of doxycycline, 500 mg of metronidazole, or 500 mg of azithromycin) 1 hour before a suction or D&E abortion.
- During both abortion by suction and by D&E, you will feel strong pains in the lower belly. But soon after the abortion is over, the pains will lessen.
- A health worker should monitor your health for about an hour after the abortion.
- Someone should tell you what to do after the abortion, the danger signs to watch for, and who to contact if you have any health problems.
An abortion that is very different from this could be dangerous to your health.
This page was updated:29 May 2025
Sources
- Ipas (2021) Clinical updates in reproductive health
- Ipas (2017) Steps for performing manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) using the Ipas MVA Plus® and Ipas EasyGrip® Cannulae
- safe2choose Guide to a safe manual vacuum aspiration (MVA)
- UCSF TEACH (2022) Early abortion training curriculum
- UpToDate (2022) First-trimester pregnancy termination: Uterine aspiration
- UpToDate (2022) Second-trimester pregnancy termination: Dilation and evacuation
- World Health Organization (2022) Abortion care guideline