Barring unforeseen but rare complications, pregnancy termination performed by experienced physicians should             not affect your future fertility.

There is discomfort associated with the vacuum termination procedure, as well as with the abortion by pill. 

Cramping may be mild to moderate, and in some cases, relatively uncomfortable. However, in comparison to the alternative delivery, abortion is usually less painful.

Our aim is to make your procedure as comfortable as possible. To help us achieve this goal, a variety of measures         are available to you. The objective is that you should not feel any discomfort that you would not be able to tolerate. 

All our patients are provided triple oral pre-medication at least twenty minutes prior to the procedure. This                    pre- medication is designed to help control pain and nausea and have a sedative effect. Immediately before the    procedure, patients receive additional intravenous anesthesia (which is known by the names "moderate twilight   anesthesia"  or  "conscious sedation"); and a local anesthetic that will numb the cervix.

We offer two levels of moderate intravenous anesthesia, depending on the dosage of intravenous medications that         are administered. The additional dosage is designed to enhance the benefits to the patient while maintaining      unchanged the risks and side effects.  

Regardless of which type of anesthesia you have chosen, you may request more medication anytime you feel     discomfort during the procedure.

The level two, stronger intravenous anesthesia is recommended for anyone who desires to have the procedure     performed as comfortably as possible, specially for patients who may be too nervous and apprehensive; or may         have a lower tolerance to pain. Low pain tolerance is common among women that use drugs such as narcotics,          pain medications, sedatives, sleeping pills, or alcohol. Patients that have never been pregnant, or are either older,          very young or who are terrified of needles; or women who have anatomical cervical or uterine malformations, prior cesarean deliveries or have a large pregnancy, would do best with the level two intravenous anesthesia. 

For reasons pertaining to your safety, we do not recommend general anesthesia (totally asleep) except if the        abortion is performed at the hospital and with an anesthesiologist immediately available. 

When the pregnancy is early, the procedure takes only a few minutes. However, your total time at our center is approximately 2-4 hours due to paperwork, counseling, lab work and recovery.

 

A pregnancy can be terminated as early as 3 weeks LMP, or as soon as it is confirmed by a repeat positive         pregnancy test. An Early Vacuum Aspiration (EVA) can be performed even if the vaginal ultrasound fails to            visualize a uterine pregnancy. Used in conjunction with quantitative blood hCG testing, the EVA may help to            timely detect a possible ectopic (abnormally located outside the uterus) pregnancy, and will terminate a very                   early uterine pregnancy.

If the pregnancy is visible by ultrasound, the patient can elect to have either the EVA or the Medication Abortion.

The Medication Abortion can be done up to 9 weeks LMP. However, the best results are seen when used                      up to 7 weeks LMP.

The upper legal limit of abortion in the State of Florida is 24 weeks. However, if the length of pregnancy is based            on a late second trimester ultrasound, which is less accurate, the upper limit must be lowered to 22 wks to avoid    exceeding the 24 wks limit.

We do not provide termination of pregnancy for fetal indications beyond 24 weeks LMP.

The risk of failed vacuum aspiration is less than 1% The doctor routinelly examines the aspirate, and if necessary, repeates the ultrasound exam before concluding the procedure. This provides immediate and reassuring results.

The failure rate of medication abortion is about 5 to 8%

Patients are instructed to return for a routine follow up examination in two or three weeks following the procedure            to rule out a possible failure. A repeat ultrasound is usually performed in two weeks following a medication            abortion.

If the abortion fails, we will perform a vacuum aspiration at no additional charge. 

Like with any surgical procedure, complications are possible. First trimester abortion has less than 1%        complication    rate. Most complications are minor and can be handled at the office. Serious complications                  are very rare but increase with larger length of pregnancy. The skills of the physician and the general health of               the woman are important factors in determining the risk of complications.

At the All Women’s Clinic our complication rate is below the national average.

Our physician is Theodor Lehrer, M.D., who is Board Certified by the American Board of                         Obstetrics and Gynecology. Doctor Lehrer is nationally recognized for his skills, for his                  30-year safety record and for his excellence in providing first and second trimester abortion.

Abortion is the expulsion of a fetus before it is mature enough to live on its own.

It can be an spontaneous abortion (also known as a miscarriage); or induced.  

Induced abortion can be either legal, - like in North America and in most of the developed world; - or illegal          (clandestine), which is significantly more dangerous.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines legal abortion as a method for terminating an unintended             pregnancy that is brought about safely by a medical procedure that meets accepted standards of medical care.

WHO defines illegal (clandestine) abortion as a termination procedure that is performed either by individuals             without the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to the minimum medical standards,                   or both. 

9. Is abortion dangerous?

Legal abortion and contraception saves women’s lives, improves their quality of life, and provides substantial             health benefits.

Legal restrictions have historically failed to eliminate induced abortion. Instead, they make all abortions            clandestine and unsafe. The estimated worldwide number of maternal deaths from clandestine, illegal abortions          range between 65,000 and 70,000 deaths per year.  For each woman who dies, many other suffer disability from infections, bleeding, damage to bowel and reproductive organs, and secondary infertility. The worlwide          consequences of unsafe abortion are enormous suffering and maternal deaths that are entirely preventable.

Prior to 1970, illegal abortion in the USA caused an estimated 1,000 annual women's  deaths.

 

TABLE A: COMPARATIVE MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOS PER 100,000 EVENTS IN THE USA

                              

Type of Event	Risk of Death
Safe and Legal Abortions in USA	0.6
Obstetrical Delivery in USA	17.0
Ectopic (extra-uterine) Pregnancy	38.0
Unsafe Abortion, worldwide:	300.0

 

It is far safer to have a legal abortion than a clandestine abortion.                                                                            Legal abortion is even safer than going through labor and delivery.

The reported USA maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 vacuum aspiration abortions increases with the stage of pregnancy:

If the pregnancy is under 8 wks LMP, the ratio is 0.1.                                                                                                At 9-10 weeks LMP, the ratio is 0.2                                                                                                                          At 11-12 wks LMP, the ratio is 0.4                                                                                                                            At 13-15 wks LMP, the ratio is 1.7                                                                                                                           At 20 wks LMP, the ratio is 3.3

The response to the question - is abortion dangerous? is drastically different if the referred abortion is legal or               if  the abortion is illegal (clandestine). 

In the USA, the abortion-related mortality has declined dramatically after nationwide legalization. In 1972, the             CDC recorded 24 deaths from all causes recognized to be associated with Legal Induced Abortions, notably        infection, hemorrhage, embolism, and anesthesia complications. By 1990, this figure had fallen to 9 deaths              which translates into a ratio of 0.6 deaths per 100,000 legal abortions and has varied little since. Compared to                 the mortality ratio of legal abortion, the CDC reports a maternal death ratio of 17 per 100,000 live births, which                is more than 28 times higher.

In developed countries, most leading causes of maternal mortality are complications of hypertensive disorders              and pulmonary embolism, which typically strike during the last three months of pregnancy. These deaths may               be prevented by interruption of pregnancy at an earlier stage, thus avoiding the third trimester of pregnancy and             its complications.

It is well established that births that are spaced too closely pose health risks to both the mothers and their           offspring. By reducing the number of births among the most high risk women, specifically the very young, the              very old, and women in poor health, legal abortion has contributed to a rate reduction of not only the maternal       mortality but also the neonatal mortality, low birth weight and preterm births.

Ectopic (extra-uterine) pregnancy typically presents 6-8 weeks after the last normal menstrual period (LMP).                   Ideally, it should be timely diagnosed before the pregnancy ruptures and becomes a life-threatening emergency;       and/or even at an earlier stage of gestation, when the non-surgical, methotrexate medical treatment of ectopic    pregnancy is possible.

In the USA, there has been an increasing proportion of legal abortions occurring before 7 weeks LMP, from 16%            in  1995, to 30% in 2005. There also has been a 90% decrease in the mortality rate of ectopic pregnancy, from            355 deaths per 100,000 ectopic pregnancies in 1970; to 38 per 100,000 ectopic pregnancies in 1989. This           declining mortality correlates with the improved access to medical care early in pregnancy as women become increasingly aware of the benefits of early prenatal care; the benefits of getting the first ultrasound exam early in pregnancy; and the benefits of obtaining an abortion at an early stage of pregnancy, when abortions are         exceptionally safe and may provide the added benefit of leading to a timely diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy.

In the 10 years between 1970 and 1980, legal abortion in the USA is estimated to have prevented 1,500 to               10,000 pregnancy-related deaths and many more thousands of maternal complications.

 

10. Will oppositon to women's reproductive rights ever end?

Every great movement has come from the bottom up. The directives of the eclesiastic hierarchy don't reflect the        views of Catholics as a whole. Polls show that Catholic women are as likely as other women to have abortions and       use contraception; that 50 percent of Catholics support abortion when a woman and her doctor determine that it is       appropriate; and that 78 percent think abortion should be possible when pregnancy is the result of a rape.            

All Women's Clinic appreciates the enlighted support of Catholics for a Free Choice and of the Religious Coalition         for Reproductive Choice.

The following transcript of a letter sent to us by one of their members speaks for itself:

"Dear Reproductive Health Care Provider,

"We write to thank you for the caring and courageous service you provide to women as they seek reproductive                 "health care. The enclosed resolution passed by the Catholics for a Free Choice Assembly and the Religious               "Coalition of Reproductive Choice at their recent conventions convey our feelings about the importance of your           "work and our fervenrt hope that you will be able to conduct i within a safe environment.Please accept our sincere   "support of the physicians and other health care workers who, in the face of threat, continue to provide safe and           "legal reproductive health services. While we affirm the sanctitity of all potential life and all living beings, we have          "voiced a long standing commitment to Choice. We condemn the actions of organizations, groups and individuals         "who turn to violence or cowartly murder to express their opposition to legal abortion and contraception.

"Again, we express our appreciation to you and your colleagues for the important work you do. We will continue to       "urge our colleagues in your community to be supportive of you and your work."  

No. Induced abortion is not a risk factor for future cancers or psychological sequelae.

Numerous medical organizations (namely, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the National     Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the World Health Organization, among others) have found no      causal relationship between induced abortion and breast cancer, and gynecological or non gynecological      malignancies. Some studies suggest a small decrease in the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers.

The American Psychological Association and recent reviews of the literature confirm that the most rigurous studies    show no association between induced abortion and major psychiatric disorders. No credible evidence supports a syndrome of lasting psychological trauma after abortion. Tens of millions of abortions have been provided in the          USA, and no such sequelae have emerged. The most common emotional response to abortion is a sense of relief.

No, you will not see the fetus. If you want to see it, the final decision is up to the physician.

Most women return to work or school the day after the procedure. If you are in the second trimester or if your        activities include heavy lifting or strenuous physical activities,, the physician may write you a medical excuse for         one week.

We will give you something to drink and eat before you leave the clinic. When at home, you must avoid spicy food        and alcohol. Start taking the prescribed antibiotics after your first meal.

The home pregnancy test can take as long as six weeks to turn negative because the hormone levels take a while          to drop below the lowest detectable limits (which is 25 mIU/ml for most OTC tests). This does not necessarily           mean that you are still pregnant. The doctor will let you know immediately of the result of the procedure and you           will be scheduled for a free follow-up exam for three weeks. Please keep this important appointment.

Yes, everything is strictly confidential. We will not even acknowledge that you have an appointment or that you are         or have been here. We cannot legally provide any information about a patient without her written permission.

Yes. We are a full service women’s clinic that provides comprehensive OBG services on our premises. including vasectomy and IUD insertion. For more invasive procedures such as tubal ligations and other hospital patient care,         our doctor is on staff at Broward General Hospital.

The more advanced the pregnancy, the more medications you will receive, the more supplies are used, and more        time is spent by the doctor and the staff. While complications are still rare, they are more likely the further along         you are.

These are difficult times financially and we know that many women facing an unplanned pregnancy cannot afford it.        Don’t let financial difficulties prevent you from having an abortion. We are part of a select number of clinics that           have been fully accredited to work with several Women’s Funds that may help you pay at least part of the cost of          the abortion, depending on your financial situation and how far pregnant you are.

We will check in our computer if you qualify or not for financial assistance. The earlier you come in to see us, the     better it will be for you. This entire prosessing can be done in one single visit.