What’s the difference between a Surgical Abortion and a Medical Abortion?

When you have a medical abortion, whether an early medical abortion or abortion pill, you will be given drugs called Mifepristone and Prostaglandin. These drugs cause your cervix to contract and break down the lining of the womb removing the foetus along with it. This results in symptoms similar to having a natural miscarriage. There is usually no need for an anaesthetic and no internal is required so you recover quickly and can go home the same day.

With a surgical abortion you will usually require an anaesthetic and, as the term suggests, you will have a surgical procedure to remove the foetus from your womb. These methods are more invasive as you would have a Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) process. Your cervix will be dilated and the tissue will be removed. This carries with it a greater risk of damage to your cervix. Due to you having an anaesthetic you will take a little longer to recover and would normally have an overnight stay in hospital.