- Making a Decision
- Making an Abortion Appointment
- Coming to the Clinic
- Vacuum Aspiration (1st Trimester)
- Dilation & Evacuation (2nd Trimester)
- Non Surgical Abortion
- Risks
- Post Abortion Care
- One Woman's Story
- Personal Decision and Public Action

Dilation and Evacuation (2nd Trimester)

Dilation and Evacuation or D&E is the term for the surgery used to perform a
second trimester abortion. The surgery takes two visits on consecutive days:

Day one: The procedure begins with the dilation (gentle opening) of the cervix. Depending on the method used the length of the pregnancy, dilation may becompleted in a few minutes, or it may take several hours, or as long as two days. Instruments used to dilate the cervix may include the use of dilators (long metal rods), laminaria (medicinally prepared seaweed) that absorb moisture from the body and gradually open the cervix, or a suppository/tablet called misoprostol, a prostaglandin that helps to cramp the uterus and soften the cervix.

Day two: The procedure on the second day involves the evacuation of the pregnancy and pregnancy tissue. A local anesthetic may be used to numb the cervix. The uterus is emptied by using a combination of aspiration and evacuation with forceps. Most women feel menstrual like cramping during step two. Some women also experience a tugging sensation in the lower abdomen. While the uterus is returning to its non-pregnant state a woman may continue to experience cramping.