How long does an abortion take?

We would love to be able to tell you exactly what you can expect to feel during your abortion, but unfortunately there is no one answer to this question that will be true for everyone. Some people experience very little pain, like mild period cramps, and some people experience very intense pain, which feels more like the pain of the contractions you’d have when giving birth. The type of abortion you have will affect how long you’re in pain for and whether or not you can be sedated during the abortion. If you’re 13 weeks, 6 days pregnant or less, you may have a choice between the abortion pill (also called medication abortion) and the abortion procedure (also called in-clinic abortion). The other thing that may affect your decision if you’re concerned about pain is that the abortion procedure itself only takes 5 to 10 minutes, while the abortion can take several hours if you choose the abortion pill. If you have the abortion procedure, you may have the option to be sedated with IV medication. If you have “conscious sedation” administered this way you’ll be awake but very relaxed, and the procedure should be virtually pain-free. If you have general anesthesia, which is a type of IV sedation that puts you to sleep completely, you won’t feel or experience anything during the procedure—you’ll simply wake up when it’s over. If you’re not sedated, the painful part of the abortion will typically only last five to ten minutes. You should be offered pain medication that you can take by mouth if you’re not choosing sedation, and you may also be offered anti-anxiety medication that you can take by mouth. You will also have a numbing medication injected into your cervix. Many people find that any cramping is gone by the time they leave the health center, but you may experience some cramping or pain after the procedure. A heating pad should help reduce pain after the procedure. The level of pain people experience when having a medication abortion varies. For some people it may be similar to a heavy period and for others it may be more intense. If you choose the abortion pill, you can take over-the-counter pain medications or your provider may prescribe you pain medication for you to take at home. In addition to pain medicine, you may find that using a heating pad reduces pain. Other techniques like breathing exercises and meditation can also help with pain.

If you’re having an abortion procedure, you may have the option to have IV sedation during your procedure. If you have “conscious sedation” administered this way, you’ll be awake but very relaxed, and the procedure should be virtually pain-free. If you have general anesthesia, which is a type of IV sedation that puts you to sleep completely, you won’t feel or experience anything during the procedure—you’ll simply wake up and it will be over. Sedation generally costs extra.

During the abortion, you’ll be undressed from the waist down with a sheet over your lap. If you prefer, you can wear a long, flowy skirt or dress, and then you can just remove your underwear and pull the skirt up. (Just keep in mind that if you wear a jumpsuit or romper, you will have to take the whole thing off.) You’ll lie back on an exam table with your feet in stirrups—just like when you go to a gynecologist or other provider to get a Pap smear or a swab for a yeast infection. The health care provider will use a speculum to separate the walls of your vagina in order to get a good view of the cervix, and they will then inject numbing medication into your cervix. For abortions early in pregnancy, the provider will then dilate (open) your cervix. Soon after, the abortion provider will use a gentle suction to empty your uterus. The procedure itself typically takes only a few minutes to complete. If your pregnancy is more than 16 weeks along, you may need an extra step to dilate your cervix more before the procedure to make it easier to complete the abortion. You’ll either take a medication to dilate your cervix, or a health care provider will insert a special dilator called laminaria into your cervix. The laminaria will slowly expand and open your cervix gradually. This kind of abortion is called a D&E—dilation and evacuation. The dilators—whether it’s medication or laminaria—may take a few hours or overnight to work. After your cervix is properly dilated, the abortion provider will use suction and some tools to gently empty your uterus.