Abortion - procedure: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
An abortion is a medical procedure that ends an undesired pregnancy by removing the fetus and placenta from the woman's uterus (womb). A medication abortion uses medicine to end an undesired pregnancy.An abortion is not the same as miscarriage. Miscarriage is when a pregnancy ends on its own before the 20th week of pregnancy. DescriptionAn abortion procedure involves dilating the opening to the uterus (cervix) and placing a small suction tube into the uterus. Suction is used to remove the fetus and related pregnancy material from the uterus. Before the procedure, you may have the following tests:Pelvic exam to confirm the pregnancy and estimate how many weeks pregnant you are.A urine or blood HCG test to confirm you are pregnant.A blood test to check your blood type. Based on the test result, you may need a special shot to prevent problems if you get pregnant in the future. The shot is called Rho(D) immune globulin (RhoGAM and other brands).An ultrasound test to check how many weeks pr...