You can abort 1 twin and still keep the other twin alive.
To abort 1 twin a needle is used to insert some medicine to stop the heart of one of the twins in the womb.
An abortion is a medical procedure to end a pregnancy growing in the womb (uterus).
Surgical procedures to induce an abortion are done in clinics or hospitals.
A medical abortion can end an early pregnancy at home with prescription medicine – usually mifepristone (RU-486) followed by misoprostol.
The type of abortion you get will probably depend almost entirely on how far you are along in your pregnancy.
If you’re in your first trimester, you’ll likely have a vacuum aspiration.
If you’re in your second trimester (meaning that it’s been more than 13 weeks since your last menstrual period), you’ll likely have a dilation and evacuation, or D&E.
If you’re further along than that, you might have a dilation and extraction, or D&X.
Almost all abortion procedures are outpatient, which means you won’t have to stay overnight in the doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital.
In general, abortion is very safe. It comes with small risks, like any medical procedure does.
If you want a surgical abortion, you need to go to a doctor or a nurse with special training in a clinic or hospital. It can be very dangerous to try and end a pregnancy on your own.
If you want to have a medication abortion at home, it’s important to have access to accurate information, reliable abortion medications, and safe, nonjudgmental, and supportive care within the formal medical system in case you need it.
Restrictions on surgical and medication abortions vary by state.
Doctors who provide abortions are required to follow the laws of the states where they’re licensed to practice medicine.
If they don’t, they could risk losing their license or facing criminal or civil penalties.
If you’re not sure what your state’s abortion laws are, you could consider using the state-by-state guide on AbortionFinder.org, which has other helpful resources, too.
Most abortions done in the U.S. take place in the first 12 to 13 weeks of pregnancy.
If you opt for an in-clinic abortion in your first trimester, you’ll have a vacuum aspiration, which you may also hear called a “suction abortion.”
In most cases, your cervix doesn’t need to be prepped or dilated for this procedure.
But if you’re more than about 10 to 12 weeks pregnant, your health care provider may take steps to open your cervix a bit before getting started so that the medical tools can access your uterus.
They’ll likely insert little sticks made of sterilized seaweed that absorb moisture and expand, called laminaria.
Once you’re ready for the procedure, your health care provider will have you lie on an exam table with your feet in stirrups, like you’re having a pelvic exam.
When you’re comfortable and sedated, if you so choose, your health care provider will insert a medical tool called a speculum into your vagina to keep it open, and swab your vagina and cervix with an antiseptic solution called Betadine.
They’ll inject an anesthetic into the cervix to numb it, holding your cervix in place with a grasping instrument.
They’ll then insert a small tube attached to either a hand-held syringe or a suction machine into your uterus, and clear out its contents.
From start to finish, the abortion procedure takes several minutes.
Afterward, your doctor will check to make sure that the procedure was successful, and then let you rest for about 30 minutes under observation.