Abortion types
Two different types of abortion are used in New Zealand - medical and surgical abortion. The choice you have will depend on how many weeks pregnant you are (your gestation), your medical history, personal preference and circumstances, and the service offered by the abortion provider you see.
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Pregnancy calculator
Use our pregnancy calculator to estimate how many weeks pregnant you could be.
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Abortion types by how many weeks pregnant you are
Early abortion procedures are used up to about 14 weeks of pregnancy. Later abortion procedures are used after about 14 weeks of pregnancy. See more detail, below.
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Early abortion procedures (up to about 14 weeks of pregnancy)
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Early medical abortion
- Also called 'the abortion pill' or first trimester medical abortion.
- An option in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It is like having an early miscarriage.
- Offered at hospitals, community clinics, some Family Planning clinics and in some cases via telemedicine with an abortion provider. In most cases, the pregnancy passes at home.
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Early surgical abortion
- Also called vacuum aspiration, suction termination, or first trimester surgical abortion.
- An option up to about 14 weeks of pregnancy.
- Takes place in a hospital or community clinic.
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Later abortion procedures (after about 14 weeks of pregnancy)
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Later medical abortion
- Also called medical abortion, second trimester medical abortion or labour induced abortion.
- An option after about 14 weeks of pregnancy. It uses medicines that are stronger than those for early medical abortion and it can take longer to work. It is similar to having a later miscarriage.
- Later abortion procedures must happen in a hospital or specialist clinic.
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Later surgical abortion
- Also called surgical dilation and evacuation (D&E) or second trimester surgical abortion.
- An option after about 14 weeks of pregnancy. It takes longer than a first trimester surgical abortion and needs a general anaesthetic.
- Later abortion procedures must happen in a hospital or specialist clinic.
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Compare abortion procedures
Find out about the main differences between early medical and surgical abortion.
