How does vacuum aspiration abortion work?
An anesthetic injection is administered to numb the cervix which makes the procedure less painful for the woman. Depending on how long the woman has been pregnant, dilating tools may be needed to stretch open the cervix wide enough to perform the abortion. A flexible tube is pushed through the cervix into the uterus. A special vacuum device called an aspirating machine is turned on the suction out the uterine contents. The fetus is killed as it ripped out of the wall of the uterus and torn to pieces by the force of the machine. The doctor will then examine the peices to be sure that the abortion is complete. You may have heard of a D&C abortion. This stands for dilation and curettage, and it is rarely performed anymore. A D&C abortion uses a sharp instrument to remove the fetus and tissue from inside the uterus. This technique has an increased risk of bleeding and injury to the uterus compared with vacuum aspiration.
