Many abortions can you have

After 16 weeks, 2 doctors must approve the procedure. Abortions can be performed at up to 24 weeks. After 24 weeks, 2 doctors must approve the procedure. The cost of an abortion will depend on whether it is a medical or surgical abortion, how far along you are and whether you are using a public service or a private clinic. Not all GPs can prescribe a medical abortion and not all chemists stock the medication required.

Depending on where you live, you may need to go to an approved clinic or a hospital. Hospitals and GPs may offer bulk billing or they may be partially covered by Medicare.

For a private clinic, the consultation can cost several hundred dollars. Surgical abortions cost around the same as a medical abortion, but this cost can vary depending on how many weeks along you are and whether you are a public or private patient. Apart from the cost of the actual procedure, many women may need to travel to get an abortion.

Termination services are not easily accessible in rural and remote areas and depending on the law in your state or territory, you may need to travel interstate to have an abortion. Some clinics can offer medical abortion consultations via telehealth video call. Speak to your GP or clinic to find out if this option is available to you.

Yes, you can. Counselling is an important part of the decision making process when you are considering whether to have an abortion. You should understand all of your options and make the decision that is right for you. Your doctor or clinic will talk to you about your choices and offer support services so you can talk to someone.

You should talk to your doctor or clinic about the best type of contraception to use. You can contact the Family Planning clinic in your state or territory. You can also use the Find a Health service or call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on to get help finding a service near you.

Unlike an abortion which ends a pregnancy, emergency contraception prevents a pregnancy from happening. There are 2 types of medication available to prevent pregnancy in Australia. The levonorgestrel pill can be taken up to 72 hours 3 days after unprotected sex. Ulipristal acetate UPA can be taken up to hours 5 days after unprotected sex. Both are available over the counter from a pharmacist without a prescription.

Australia has safe and supportive abortion and family planning clinics that can provide reliable advice. To find these clinics, and for reliable, unbiased information about abortion in your state or territory, contact:. You can also discuss your options with your doctor, or call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on to speak with a maternal child health nurse for information and support.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. This fact sheet is for women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and want information about abortion.

Abortion is when a pregnancy is terminated ended. We protect all the information you give us and use it to deliver and improve care. Your partner can stay to support you, and you can re-join them in the waiting room in between each stage of your consultation and treatment. You can change your mind at any time - we want you to be totally sure.

You can also call if you want to book some or more pregnancy options counselling. There is no proven connection between abortion and future infertility, ectopic pregnancy or other pregnancy complications.

Abortion can be associated with future pregnancies ending before the due date; this risk increases with each abortion but the medical evidence is not enough to show a connection. We use evidence based information to provide you with all the information necessary to make the decision that is right for you.

A healthcare professional will explain all the known risks and complications associated with your treatment choice. Abortion is legal in England, Scotland and Wales providing it meets the terms of the Abortion Act.

The law allows doctors to end a pregnancy if they believe that:. Two doctors must certify that the legal grounds for abortion are met, but do not have to meet the woman personally. Abortion care must be carried out in premises which are licensed with the Department of Health and which are regulated. BPAS provides abortion treatment up to 24 weeks. Abortions after 24 weeks must take place at NHS hospitals.

How long you are in the clinic depends on which treatment you choose. Look at the different treatment options here. Abortion treatment is very safe, especially in the early weeks of pregnancy. No clinical procedure is without risk and these are fully explained to you before treatment. The best treatment for you depends how many weeks pregnant you are, the results of your medical assessment and your preference.

The abortion treatment type we offer you will be based on clinical opinion and best practice guidelines. This depends on the type of abortion you choose, and your own pain tolerance limit. We will make you as comfortable as possible. Current research shows that the senses of the fetus are not developed enough to feel pain before 28 weeks gestation.

Recovery after an uncomplicated abortion usually happens fairly quickly — click here for more information on your recovery. Most women feel relieved after treatment, but some may feel sad or guilty.

Call to make an appointment for post abortion counselling if you feel the need to talk. Most women bleed for weeks - use sanitary towels during this time. The Department of Health has recorded the rate of repeat abortions for many years, and includes a section on repeat abortions in its annual report on abortion statistics. While it may initially seem puzzling why older women have more repeat abortions, a logical, cumulative effect of ageing is responsible.

Put simply, the longer a woman has been alive, the greater time she has had to undergo a repeat abortion. The Department of Health report also provides data on the percentage of abortions that are repeat abortions in women aged under In in England and Wales, this figure was Full sets of annual data have so far been published up to , with figures for scheduled for publication in the near future. Between and , there was a small rise in the number of total abortions, up from , to , The figure was, however, slightly lower than the peak number seen in , when there were , abortions.

In absolute terms, this was estimated to equate to 52, repeat abortions in and 64, in You will need two further appointments, two days apart, in order to take the medications required for a medical abortion. Most women will have a medical abortion if they have a termination this early in the pregnancy. If you decide to have a surgical abortion instead then you will only need one appointment for treatment after the initial consultation. Although the procedure can be completed within just a few days of your initial consultation, it is important to take as much time as you need.

However, it is also possible to take some time to think about your options or talk to someone about the pregnancy. The legal time limit on abortion in the UK is 24 weeks, but most terminations are carried out much earlier.

Later abortions are usually only performed for medical reasons. As well as the overall time limit, there are also limits on when certain types of abortion can be performed.

You can have:. We only perform terminations up to 19 weeks. Different kinds of surgical terminations can be performed by some clinics after this time, but the procedure is more complicated.