Procedures are available as soon as a woman has missed her period, this eliminates unnecessary time delays and provides immediate access to health care.

We know it can be difficult to make reproductive healthcare choices....particularly when deciding not to continue a pregnancy. We provide women with safe, legal, and confidential services in a compassionate and supportive setting.

SURGICAL ABORTION
Early surgical abortion is a very safe and effective method of pregnancy termination. With early vacuum aspiration abortion, complications are extremely rare and the risk of injury or infections is minimal. Patients complete a medical history form which include any current or past health problems, surgeries, pregnancies and allergies. Initial evaluation will include height, weight, blood pressure, hemoglobin (anemia) testing, and RH blood typing. The procedure is performed by vacuum aspiration (D&A) which is a vacuuming of the contents of the uterus, no cutting is involved. Early surgical abortion is highly successful (higher than 99% success rate), requires only one office visit to complete, takes only a few minutes to perform (the procedure takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes), is predictable ( you know when the procedure is complete), there is minimal if any discomfort, bleeding is usually minimal and medical staff is always present. You are ambulatory immediately after the surgery and able to resume normal activities the next day.

MEDICAL ABORTION
Medical (non surgical) abortion is a process where two medications are used in sequence, the first to stop the pregnancy and the second to expel it from the uterus. It takes several office visits, it is not completely predictable (the abortion usually occurs within 24 hours,), bleeding can be very heavy and cramping can be severe. Both bleeding and cramping usually lasts longer than with a surgical procedure. Heavy bleeding and severe cramping are not complications but a normal part of the non surgical abortion and are to be expected. The failure rate with a non surgical abortion is greater than with the surgical abortion and requires a surgical procedure if unsuccessful. It can be more natural, like a miscarriage, but does require that you notify and have available a support person who is aware of what you are doing, in the event you need immediate medical attention. This procedure is not recommended for patients who live further than one hour away from the facility.

EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION
Emergency contraception, or emergency birth control, is used to keep a woman from getting pregnant when she has had unprotected vaginal intercourse. "Unprotected" can mean that no method of birth control was used. It can also mean that a birth control method was used but did not work - like a condom breaking. Other things can happen as well that put a woman at risk for getting pregnant. A woman may have forgotten to take her birth control pills. She may have been abused or forced to have sex when she did not want to. Emergency contraception should never be used as a regular method of birth control. There are effective methods of birth control that women can use on a regular basis to prevent pregnancy.

How does emergency contraception work?
The two hormones prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg or change the lining of the uterus in such a way that a fertilized egg can not implant. The emergency contraception must be used with 72 hours of having unprotected sex. But, the sooner, the better. If you have had unprotected sex more than once since your last normal menstrual period, and at least one of these times was more than 72 hours ago, you may already be pregnant. If you are already pregnant, the Morning After Pill, will not work. If you do not use the MAP, researchers have found your chance of getting pregnant is from 1% to 30%. The MAP can cut down your risk of pregnancy by 75% if used in the first 72 hours. The MAP is not 100% effective, so you could still get pregnant using it. The risk is that the hormones in the MAP could harm the developing pregnancy. If you know you absolutely do not want to be pregnant and you would have an abortion if the MAP did not work, then you are the right candidate for the MAP. If you became pregnant on the MAP and would not have an abortion, then you should consider another course of action.

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