Abortion is an important women's health issue, estimated to affect about a third of women in their lifetime.
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Our Pregnancy Advisory Service can make appointments for women to have an abortion at the Royal Women's Hospital, or refer women to other appropriate services.
Appointments are available through both the public hospital system or through private consultations with doctors who work at the Women's.
We want to ensure that women who have special needs, such as disability, health issues, or difficulties in your life or circumstances, have access to our services and support in using our services.
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Age and consent
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If you are under 16 years of age, it is generally required that your parent or guardian is involved to gives consent on your behalf for you to have an abortion. However if your situation is different, please let us know.
When you attend the clinic or private doctor's rooms, please bring:
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- letter of referral from your doctor confirming your pregnancy
- Medicare Card or number and Health Care Card, if applicable
- blood group card, if you have one.
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Abortion
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Abortions best done as early as possible in a pregnancy. Most abortions are performed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (counted from the last menstrual period or measured by ultrasound.)
After 12 weeks the procedure becomes a little more demanding physically and, for some women, emotionally. If you are more than 12 weeks pregnant, or unsure of the gestation, we will discuss the various options with you.
In Australia, an abortion is usually performed by an operation called suction curette and, in most cases, is done under general anaesthetic (with the woman asleep).
Our Pregnancy Advisory Service can provide more information about abortion procedures and what to expect.
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