Your medical termination when you are between 10 and 18 weeks pregnant

A medical termination involves taking medication on two separate visits to terminate the pregnancy (this is sometimes called abortion). This procedure can be done up to 17 weeks and 6 days pregnant at Rotherham.

It is a two step process involving taking different medications. There is no surgery or anaesthesia (pain relief or being put to sleep) involved in this.

After your first telephone consultation, you will be given an ultrasound scan appointment to confirm your how far along you are in your pregnancy. We can offer inpatient medical terminations if you are over 10 weeks pregnant. 

You will be given two appointments, two days apart.

These appointments involve administration of two different medications called Mifepristone and Misoprostol. Mifepristone is a medication that blocks the action of progesterone, a hormone that is essential to a developing pregnancy. It is used with another medication called Misoprostol, which softens your cervix (neck of your womb) and causes your womb to contract. 

This method of treatment is unsuitable for some people. Please let medical staff know if you have any medical conditions or if you take any medications. 
 

As with all clinical procedures there is a risk of complications, which are:

• some pregnancy tissue may remain in up to 5 in every 100 terminations, which may need further intervention or treatment
• less than 1 in 100 people will get an infection after a medical termination of pregnancy
• excessive bleeding requiring a blood transfusion happens in around 1 in every 1,000 procedures
• 1 out of every 1,000 medical terminations do not work and the pregnancy continues

You will be given one Mifepristone tablet to swallow. You will be allowed home soon after this.

If you vomit (are sick) within 30 minutes of taking the tablet, you must contact the Pregnancy Advisory Service as the medication may not be effective and you may need to take another dose. 

We expect that you will be able to do normal activities, but you may get some bleeding and/or period-like pains. If you start to bleed, use sanitary pads and avoid tampons or menstrual cups. If you experience any pain, please take pain relief (such as paracetamol or ibuprofen). 

If you get any of the following: 

• have to change your pad every 30 minutes
• pass a large palm size blood clot
• feel unwell in any way

you must attend an Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC).

It is unlikely you will pass the pregnancy at home after this medication, however it does happen to a small number of people. If this happens, please phone at any time for advice.

• Pregnancy Advisory Service – 01709 424542
• Ward B11 – 01709 424542

You will be asked to return two days after your first visit. It is very important that you keep this appointment.

If you decide not to proceed, please contact the service as soon as possible to plan your ongoing care.

Your second appointment will be two days after your first visit. 

Please bring any prescribed medicine or inhalers with you for this visit as well as an overnight bag in case you need to stay in hospital.

You can bring someone to stay with you at this visit. However, there are no facilities for children; you need to make alternative arrangements for childcare. Please let staff know if this is going to be a problem for you. We advise for you to have an adult to escort you home after the procedure.

You will be asked if you have had any pain or bleeding. If you have had any other symptoms, please tell the nurse. 

You will then be shown into a private room, the nurse will check your details and give you the second medication by inserting four tablets of Misoprostol into your vagina. These tablets will make your womb contract and your cervix open. This will help your body to let the pregnancy tissue out. 

You will be encouraged to walk around in the room after the Misoprostol has been inserted. This is when vaginal bleeding will begin, and it is likely to be heavier than a normal period. You will also start to get contraction-like pains, and we can offer you a range of prescribed pain relief to help with this.  

1 in 10 to 1 in 100 people will have the following side effects:

• nausea (feeling sick)
• vomiting (being sick)
• diarrhoea (runny, urgent poos)
• headache
• dizziness 
• hot flushes / sweats 

You must use a bed pan every time you go to the toilet so that the nurse can check to see if you have passed the pregnancy. If you are uncomfortable going to the toilet alone to pass the pregnancy, please ask the nurse to come with you.

During your stay you may eat and drink as normal.  

If the pregnancy does not pass, you will be given another dose of two Misoprostol tablets orally (by mouth) every three hours for you to swallow if the pregnancy has not passed in this time. 

If the termination is not progressing, or if the staff are unsure if everything has passed, or if there is a lot of bleeding, the nursing staff may offer to examine your vagina and cervix. You will have a vaginal examination before you leave to check whether the termination of pregnancy is complete and that you are safe to go home.

You may need an overnight stay with this procedure, so please bring an overnight bag with you. We advise that you stay in hospital until the procedure is complete. If you have not passed the pregnancy after the medication, we suggest that you are admitted to the ward for some rest and then we will carry on with the treatment. 

If your blood group is rhesus negative you will be recommended to have an Anti-D Immunoglobulin injection.

All tissue from a termination of pregnancy is disposed of in a sensitive way. If you wish to discuss this further, please ask a member of staff. You will be asked to complete some documentation about this.

The whole process usually takes 6 to 8 hours, however it can vary. There is the possibility of staying the night if you have a lots of bleeding or if the procedure is incomplete. 

It is normal to bleed for up to three weeks after the termination. Some people bleed for less time, while others may bleed until their next period. If bleeding continues beyond three weeks, or if it becomes heavy, please contact the Pregnancy Advisory Service.

You should not use tampons or menstrual cups until the loss has stopped to reduce your risk of infection.

Contact the Pregnancy Advisory Service or your General Practice (Doctors) if:

• your bleeding is not reducing 
• you are passing large clots larger than a 50p
• your pain is getting worse
• you have a fever (are hot with a temperature above 38 degrees Celsius)
• you have a bad smelling vaginal discharge
• you are feeling generally unwell 
   

You should not have sex until you have stopped bleeding.

It is possible to become pregnant again five days after this procedure, so it is important to start your contraception immediately.

People may experience a wide range of emotions after a termination of pregnancy. Making a decision like this can be very difficult, which is why there is support available before, during and after treatment, if you want to access this service.

If you or your partner would like to be referred to the Counselling Service, please speak to a member of staff.

Abortion Talk runs the UK’s first and only free, confidential talk line for anyone who needs a safe space to talk about their abortion experience.

Visit www.abortiontalk.com/find-support 

Call 03330 909 266. The talk line is open Mondays and Wednesdays, 7pm to 10pm 
 

Pregnancy Advisory Service 

01709 424542 
Monday to Thursday, 8am to 6pm  

Early Pregnancy Advisory Unit (EPAU)

01709 427072
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. Closed on Bank Holidays

Ward B11

01709 424349 
Please contact on weekends, Bank Holidays or 4pm to 8am.

Please see your own General Practitioner or call NHS 111 if you feel unwell and cannot get through to any of the above numbers. Alternatively, attend an Urgent and Emergency Care Centre.