MESSAGE TO PATIENTS WHO HAVE COME FOR A PREGNANCY TERMINATION Welcome to our clinic, This message is meant to inform you about the procedure we follow and to answer some questions which people often ask. Once the formalities are completed at the reception desk, you will be called by the counsellor for an interview in order to prepare you for the intervention. This is NOT a psycho social evaluation about your choice and its reasons; it is an informal meeting to answer your questions, alleviate your fears and set you at ease. The counsellor will review with you the medical questionnaire which you have completed; then, if you wish, you may discuss with her the subject of birth control. If, after the interview, you have other questions or worries, feel free to ask the doctor about these.You have the right to know exactly what to expect, and the doctor will be happy to answer you. As we suggested, you are probably accompanied. We advise you, for safety reasons, not to drive any motor vehicle until 12 hours after you departure from the clinic. People close to you are very important to you,undergoing an abortion. Their support before and after the abortion is of first importance. At the clinic, their role will be limited but nevertheless essential. You will understand that, for more objectivity, you will meet with the counsellor on your own at least for the first part of the interview. If then you wish to have somebody with you, you will be pleased to do so. The access to the operation room will be limited to you only, but the person with you will be allowed to visit you shortly in the recovery room. During the procedure itself, experience has shown us that you will be safer physically and better supported emotionally if you are accompanied by a professional used to that kind of intervention. Some time after the interview with the counsellor, you will be called by the recovery room nurse; she will guide you to our private washroom in order to get changed into a gown and empty your bladder, saving some urine to analyse if needed. Then, you will be assigned a valet for your clothes and a long chair for you to relax while waiting for the doctor. The nurse will check your Rh factor (blood type). If you don't have the Rh factor (Rh negative), you will be given, during the procedure, a solution of antibodies for Rh factor. In the operating room, an ultrasound examination will be done first; this is a simple and absolutely painless procedure done on an empty bladder; we put a small device on your stomach, coated with jelly, which transmits to a television set a picture of your internal organs. This way, we can tell exactly how many weeks of pregnancy you are. Consequently, we can use the smallest instruments possible with full knowledge of your anatomy to proceed with the abortion with greater comfort and safety. After this, the nurse will set you up on the operation table, and the doctor will do a gentle vaginal examination. Then, a small nasal mask will be put on your nose for you to inhale nitrous oxide (laughing gas); this will help you to relax, will numb feelings and might even bring you into a light sleep if you want to let yourself go. Don't worry, this gas is harmless to your health, even if you suffer from asthma. Then, before the operation starts, a plastic catheter will be inserted in a vein in your arm and you will be given an intravenous painkiller tranquiliser drug through it. This catheter will remain in your vein as long as you are in the clinic. This way, we can administrate any medication you may need during or after the procedure without any more manipulation. We will also put a small device at a tip of one of your fingers to measure the level of oxygen in your blood and to read your pulse. All of this for a greater safety. Most of the patients are given, by the catheter in their arm, a strong painkiller that will prevent most of the pain and anxiety you could suffer from, during the intervention. Each patient has different needs and we respect that. Again, be assured that we use safe medications and that the dosage is adapted to each and every patient. In any case, the nurse will remain at your side all the time to look after you, to hold your hand and to explain what is happening. In short, you will have a warm human contact at all times. While the doctor set up his instruments, you will have time to breathe enough gas for it to develop its analgesic effect ( this is a slow process). The doctor will start by inserting a warm speculum in your vagina. He/she will take culture swabs on your cervix for the detection of chlamydia (sexually transmitted disease). Then, he will proceed with the local anaesthesia that may cause dry mouth and buzzing in the ears. The technique that will be used to do the abortion is dilatation, suction and curetage. This is known as the safest way to do an abortion. If the ultrasound revealed that you are more than twelve weeks pregnant, laminaria tents will be inserted in the cervical canal and you will have to come back the next morning for the abortion. A laminaria is a stick of compressed seaweed the size of a wooden match, it absorbs water from your cervix and, over a period of twenty four hours, it grows to the size of your small finger; consequently it enlarges the cervix and softens it, thus enabling us to perform the abortion without any difficulty or ill effect on your cervix. If you are pregnant from 17 to 20 weeks, the abortion will be completed the 3rd day, after two insertions of laminarias. The whole procedure will last about fifteen minutes; right after, we will bring you to the recovery room where you will rest for as long as you like (one hour at least). We will make sure that you are confortable, that you are bleeding normally and we will serve you a light snack. You will also be given written post abortion informations. Before you leave the clinic, we will review those informations with you to make sure that you do not have any questions.
In summary the major risks concerning the procedure are:
Therefore, major complications are very uncommon:
Recording to American Statistics (W. Hern 1990) In fact, these statistics would be even lower if we were to identify patients with poor health, to begin with.
Probably not at all or very slightly. Most patients are amazed because they did not feel any pain at our clinic; we have the best reputation for this. Our goal is to provide a safe and painless abortion; we are very generous with pain killers and our anaesthetic protocol is set up for total comfort. Also our doctors are the most gentle and they work with delicate care while keeping full attention to your reactions. Is there any chance for me to become sterile after this? Not at all. Because the method we use respects the anatomy of the reproductive organs and all instruments are sterilized and manipulated with aseptic technique to prevent infection. As a matter of fact, many research studies found that women who had abortion were more fertile than the general population and uterine currettage is often used as a mean to cure infertility. Finally, we want you to know that we are pleased that you put your confidence in us. We wish that your stay at the clinic will be put under the best possible conditions. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to tell us. Have a good day. The Clinique médicale
Fémina staff |
