Unplanned Pregnancy - Considering Abortion
Follow the link for information on Abortion Law in WA
An unplanned pregnancy can raise many concerns and questions. Knowing all the choices you have and talking them over with someone you trust may make the decision easier. If you haven’t had a pregnancy test, your doctor or FPWA can arrange one for you. A simple and accurate test can tell if you’re pregnant right after you miss a period. Don’t wait to find out. It is very important that your pregnancy be confirmed early.
If you are pregnant and don’t know what to do, your doctor or a FPWA counsellor can talk over your choices with you. The counsellor will help you look at all these choices so you can decide what is right for you. Counselling is completely confidential.
If you decide to have an abortion, a referral can then be made at a time when the risk of complications is at its lowest, up to 12 weeks from the first day of your last normal period.
What is an abortion?
It is a way of ending (or terminating) a pregnancy through a medical procedure. Most abortions are done before 12 weeks of pregnancy by vacuum aspiration (suction), which removes the pregnancy and tissue lining the uterus. This is a safe, simple, low risk procedure. Abortions can also be performed later in pregnancy, but the procedure is more difficult and the risks increase as the pregnancy advances. Abortions are performed at special clinics and hospitals. You will need to see your own doctor or a FPWA doctor to discuss the risks associated with abortion and with pregnancy before you can be referred for an abortion.
How much does it cost?
Between $120 (for Health Care card holders) and $250 for pregnancies up to 12 weeks, and up to $750 for later pregnancies. For those not eligible for the Medicare rebate (ie overseas visitors) the full cost of around $500-$750 applies. Some private health insurance hospital cover plans will meet the entire cost of the termination.
What if money is a problem?
Sometimes special arrangements can be made. Women with serious financial problems can discuss this with the clinic.
How long does it take?
The actual procedure takes between 10 and 15 minutes, but you spend between two and four hours at the clinic to allow for pre abortion counselling and time to recover. The procedure may take a little longer if you are over 13 weeks pregnant.
Will I be given any medication or anaesthetic?
Some doctors may prescribe medication to relax you before the abortion. Most abortions in WA are done under a light general anaesthetic or ‘twilight sleep’. You are asleep for the procedure, but wake up shortly afterwards. Whether you have a general, twilight or local anaesthetic can be discussed when arrangements for the abortion are made. Afterwards you will be given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.
What happens during the actual procedure?
The doctor may examine you internally or perform an ultrasound before the procedure. You will then be given an injection into a vein in your arm to put you to sleep. The cervix (opening to the uterus/womb) is gently dilated (widened), and then a thin tube is passed through the cervix and into the uterus to remove the contents by suction.
How will I feel afterward?
It’s hard to say since people are so different. There is usually some bleeding and it is quite common to have cramps (like period pain) for a short while after an abortion. Some women feel tired or sick after the procedure so it’s advisable to plan to rest afterwards. Most women feel fine in an hour and leave the clinic within two hours after the procedure. You shouldn’t drive for 12 hours after the anaesthetic, so you need to arrange other transport.
During the few weeks following an abortion you may experience emotions ranging from relief, sadness, anger, guilt, doubt, depression, renewed energy, remorse, or "back to normal". There is no right way to feel afterwards. It is important for you to realise that to experience a range of emotions is normal, and it is important to have someone to talk to. You could make an appointment with a FPWA counsellor to give you the opportunity to discuss these matters fully.
When will my next period come?
No two women have the same experience. You may bleed or spot for a couple of weeks after the abortion or have no bleeding at all. Your regular period usually comes in four to eight weeks. If you start birth control pills right away, your period should come at the end of the first packet.
What should I watch for after the abortion?
Some women may experience fever, severe pain or heavy bleeding (needing more than one pad an hour). You should call the doctor who performed the abortion if you have any of these problems. Problems are unlikely if you follow the instructions your doctor gives you. Instructions may include not taking tub baths, not using tampons, or not having intercourse for a few weeks because of the danger of infection. If for some reason you can’t get in touch with the doctor, call FPWA, a hospital or your GP.
Do I need a follow up examination?
A follow up examination is very important to make sure there are no problems. You should see your doctor 10 to 14 days after an abortion so that an examination can be made to make sure there is no infection or ongoing pregnancy. This is also a good time to discuss contraception with your doctor.
Do abortions work 100% of the time?
No medical procedure carries a 100% guarantee, but failure is rare when the procedure is done by an experienced doctor at the correct time.
Is an abortion dangerous?
No. There is a very low risk of complications when a pregnancy termination is done early. In later pregnancies the risk of complications after an abortion rise, but they are still very low.
Possible (but rare) complications
Any medical procedure has some risk of complications. These are rare with an abortion, especially when performed by an experienced doctor.
There is a small chance that you may react to the anaesthetic drugs adversely, or the drugs may irritate the vein where the injection is given.
There is also a small chance of damage to the cervix or uterus. The pregnant uterus is much softer and may be perforated. There is a risk of damage to the muscle of the cervix, particularly if the termination is performed after 12 weeks gestation. This can lead to weakening of the muscle of the cervix in future pregnancies with a risk of spontaneous miscarriage.
Heavy bleeding (needing more than one pad per hour). If you do experience heavy bleeding, contact the doctor who performed the abortion.
Occasionally a second procedure is needed to clear the uterus of retained tissue.
Infection can occur after any pregnancy. If this is recognised and treated early there are usually no problems in the future. If an infection spreads to the tubes and ovaries this is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It is possible that permanent damage can arise leading to infertility in the future if PID occurs.
There is a risk after any pregnancy that some retained placental tissue may continue to grow. This leads to a benign tumor inside the uterus that continues to produce the pregnancy hormones. Very rarely this may become malignant.
It is very rare, but occasionally the lining of the uterus fails to regrow and can lead to permanent sterility.
Depression may be experienced by women who have had a termination of pregnancy, particularly if they had any unresolved issues about their decision to have an abortion. This may require some ongoing counselling to resolve these issues and sometimes requires medical treatment.
Would it be safer to have the baby?
There is more likelihood of complications occurring after a natural miscarriage, or after the birth of a baby. The risks that any woman faces with an ongoing pregnancy depend upon her age (greater risks in the very young, under 16 years, and in older women). Risks are also greater with increasing numbers of pregnancies and with multiple pregnancies (twins). Other medical conditions may be made worse by the physical stress of pregnancy eg. heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease.
Other risks can include haemorrhage, high blood pressure, anaemia, urinary tract infections, diabetes, thrombosis (blood clots), and the risk of developing problems during labour. Overall, the risk of a woman dying with an ongoing pregnancy is about 1 in 11,000, compared to 1 in 260,000 with an early abortion. Your doctor can provide more detailed information.
Will an abortion affect future pregnancies?
An early abortion with no complications does not affect future pregnancies.
How soon can I get pregnant after an abortion?
You could get pregnant the first time you have intercourse. If you don’t want to get pregnant, be sure to use a reliable method of contraception.
For more information...
FPWA
(08) 9227 6177
Quarry Health Centre
(08) 9430 4544
Sexual Health Helpline
(08) 9227 6178
Roe Street Centre for human relationships
(08) 9228 3693
Youth Legal Service
(08) 92021688
Association for the Legal Right to Abortion
(08) 9387 4356
Abortion Law in Western Australia
In May 1998 an act to amend the abortion laws in both the WA Health Act and the Criminal Code was passed. Western Australian women can now safely and legally obtain an abortion without the threat of prosecution.
What the law says
The law requires that a woman faced with an unplanned pregnancy and considering abortion must see a doctor. Her doctor is obliged to provide her with counselling (information) about the medical risk of terminating the pregnancy, and of carrying the pregnancy to term. The doctor must also offer the woman the opportunity of a referral for appropriate counselling relating to termination. The woman can then go to one of a number of abortion providers in WA. The woman is required to sign a consent form and confirm that she has been offered counselling. The doctor must also inform her that post abortion counselling is available.
The Health Act Amendment section 334 states that the performance of an abortion is justified if:
the woman has given informed consent* OR
the woman will suffer serious personal, family or social consequences if the abortion is not performed OR
serious danger to her health will result OR
her pregnancy is causing serious danger to her health
* Informed consent means consent freely given by the woman after her doctor (not the one performing the abortion) has provided her with medical risk counselling and offered her a referral for further counselling, both pre and post abortion, if desired.
After twenty weeks of pregnancy two medical practitioners from a panel of six appointed by the Minister must agree that the mother or unborn child has a severe medical condition that justifies an abortion. In WA, these late abortions can only be performed at King Edward Memorial Hospital.
What about young women?
If the woman is under 16 years of age and supported by a parent, a custodial parent must be informed that an abortion is being considered. The parent must be given the opportunity to participate in the counselling process and in consultations between the young women and her doctor.
The young woman may apply to the Children’s Court for an order to proceed with an abortion without parental involvement.
More about the law
A doctor performing a termination can still be prosecuted under the Criminal Code section 199 if the following points are not adhered to:
(1) abortion must be performed by a medical practitioner in good faith and with reasonable care and skill
(2) abortion must be justified under the Health Act (see above)
(3) penalty for medical practitioners performing unlawful abortion is $50,000
(4) if a person who is not a medical practitioner performs an abortion the penalty is five years jail
Page last updated Mon, 04 Sep 2006 15:08