Abortion is the premature ending of a pregnancy. This could to be attributed to different reasons which vary from one person to another. Some of kinds of abortions which take place are:

• A spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, occurs when a natural cause ends a pregnancy. If you have had or may be having a miscarriage, see the topic Miscarriage.
• A therapeutic or induced abortion is one resulting from measures taken to intentionally end a pregnancy, using medications (medical abortion) or surgery.

A few things which should be known before undergoing abortion are:

What’s the right decision?

One thing which needs to be kept in mind while thinking about abortion is its two lives and not yours alone to be considered. Hence the decision needs to be a sound one for it’s not only your own future well-being, but your child’s. So it’s important that you make a well-informed decision.

Early pregnancy counseling helps you reach a positive outcome, regardless of whether you continue with the pregnancy or choose an abortion. Family planning clinics offer pregnancy counseling. You may also want to discuss your decision with a trusted person close to you who has a realistic view of how a pregnancy and parenthood would impact your life. Take time to think through your choices, which are to:

• Have an abortion.
• Have a baby and dedicate yourself to supporting and raising your child to adulthood.
• Have a baby and place the baby for adoption.

Types of procedures
Depending on how many weeks pregnant you are, you may have a choice between two or more types of abortion procedures. Medical and surgical methods available differ at each stage of pregnancy. As a pregnancy progresses into the second trimester, only surgical abortion can be used. Risks of second-trimester surgical abortion are higher than risks for first-trimester abortion.

Right person for an abortion
Early manual vacuum aspiration and medical abortion are offered by specially trained medical professionals, including some nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and medical doctors (such as family medicine doctors and gynecologists). Typically, only medical doctors offer machine vacuum aspiration and other types of surgical abortion. Abortion services are most likely to be available in university hospitals and family planning clinics.

Tests needed
Your health professional would ask about your medical history and will do a physical examination, including a pelvic examination prior to performing the abortion. Lab tests will be done to confirm your pregnancy. An ultrasound may also be done to figure out the stage of the foetus.