Texas Laws Have Changed...

As of January 1, 2004, a pregnancy of more than 15 weeks can only be terminated in a hospital or an ambulatory surgery center. These procedures CANNOT be performed in a clinic or physicians office.. AARON Women's Clinic of Houston and Southeast Texas is the FIRST AND ONLY abortion provider with a certified ambulatory surgery center which enables us to provide abortion services up to 25 weeks. You will find a team of professionals who have specialized in middle and late second trimester pregnancy terminations (16 to 25 weeks) both elective and fetal anomaly (abnormal) indications for more than 30 years with a complication rate less than continuation of a pregnancy to full term and much less than the national average for providers. The counseling and nursing staff are specially trained in the emotional and medical care of second trimester patients. All procedures over 16 weeks are performed under deep “PAIN FREE” anesthesia administered by licensed anesthesia personnel. This medication is extremely effective in eliminating all discomfort which also increases the safety of the procedure.

Patients have a real-time ultrasound for determination of gestational age (length of pregnancy) as a compulsory, integral part of their initial routine evaluation of medical history, laboratory tests, counseling and physical examination. The procedure performed for terminations 16 to 25 weeks is cervical dilation and instrumental evacuation (D&E) which is the safest method of second-trimester abortions. The advantages of the D&E procedure for the second trimester patient are significant and have been well substantiated by evolving literature. The following are excerpts. The complications rates are lower in most respects (to comparison with amnio-infusion and prostaglandin techniques)...the time of the procedures is predictable...The patient does not experience a prolonged and painful labor, which may be unproductive...Another significant advantage is the greatly reduced time of the abortion process, thereby requiring an overall decrease in the amount of analgesia and fluid monitoring...We believe that the advantages the D&E offers for pregnancy termination are significant in selected cases of critically ill women when compared to the risks inherent in intra-amniotic instillation methods or in continuation of the pregnancy even as late as 20-25 week gestation...There are no medical contraindications to D&E. D&E has always been the procedure of choice for second trimester pregnancy terminations at our facility. All terminations are preceded by serial multiple laminaria treatment over one to two days to dilate and soften the cervix gradually and sufficiently. After adequate cervical preparation, the evacuation procedure is performed under deep pain free anesthesia administered by our certified anesthesia staff. Gentle currettage is performed to complete all procedures.
From initiation to completion of the second trimester termination, two or three successive visits (days) are usually required, however, for those patients who have a history of previous Ceasarean sections, cervical cryocauterization, or any other cervical anomalies that may hinder or impede adequate cervical dilation an extra visit may be required.

Be cautious of facilities who claim they can perform an abortion procedure up to 15.6 weeks in one day. Abortion facilities that routinely perform these procedures in one day can possibly be jeopardizing your reproductive integrity by forcing dilation and weakening the cervix.





When a desired pregnancy reveals the unfortunate diagnosis of a disorder of pregnancy (fetal anomaly, genetic disorder, or fetal demise), our staff is specially trained and qualified to provide the emotional and medical care necessary at this difficult time. Our Physician and staff are skilled in handling these intricate procedures. Over the past thirty-two years, our Physician has had experience with fetal anomalies including anencephaly, Trisomy 13, 18, and 21(Down syndrome), open spina bifida, meningomyelocele, hydrocephaly, neural-tube defects, Potter syndrome (renal agenesis), gastroschisis (intestinal herniation through a defect in the interior abdominal wall), severe cleft lip/palate, cystic hygroma, severe skeletal dysplasia, Klinefelter syndrome, Mosaic Turner syndrome, and other very significant abnormalities. Our goal is to make this difficult decision as tranquil as possible.

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Serving Texas & Our Nation For Over 30 Years