Services

Medical abortion is a non-invasive way to terminate an early pregnancy available at our clinic for women who are less than 63 days pregnant (9 weeks). Because medication, rather than surgery, is used, your recovery is generally faster, you do not need to fast, and you can drive to and from the clinic.

A medical abortion requires two (2) appointments:

The first appointment includes a consultation and a review of your medical history, a physical examination, an ultrasound, and a blood test. If you are deemed eligible for a medical abortion, you will be given the first of two (2) of medications in the clinic, and instructed on how to take the second medication.

The second appointment is extremely important, as it is the follow-up 2 to 3 weeks later, where the doctor confirms that the termination of pregnancy is complete. There are rare instances where a medical abortion fails, if this happens, your doctor will discuss treatment options, which may include a surgical abortion.

As stated above, there are two (2) medications that work together to end a pregnancy, they are: Mifepristone and Misoprostol. They are considered the “gold standard” for medical abortion according to the World Health Organization. 

Mifepristone blocks the action of the natural hormone progesterone on the uterus. This causes the lining of the uterus to shed, as it does during any normal period, stopping the growth of the pregnancy. This is the medication that you take during your initial visit, after the medical consultation and exam.

The second medication, Misoprostol, causes the uterus to contract, this initiates bleeding and cramping, which may be heavier and more painful than a typical period, to help push out the contents of the uterus. This is the medication that you will take between 24 to 48 hours after the initial clinic visit, and it comes as 4 tablets that you take together.

In Canada, the Mifepristone and Misoprostol drug regimen is sold under the name Mifegymiso: it comes with one mifepristone tablet, packaged in green, and four misoprostol tablets, packaged in orange.

This combination of drugs is what is commonly referred to as "the Abortion Pill." A helpful video describing how Medical Abortions work can be found here.

In Canada, you might not be qualified to take the abortion pill if any of the following apply to you:

• You have an ectopic pregnancy; this is one of the reasons we ultrasound prior to prescriptions.
• You suffer from chronic adrenal failure
• You have uncontrolled asthma
• You have a bleeding disorder or take a blood thinner
• You are anemic
• You take corticosteroids on a regular basis
• Have a hypersensitivity or allergy to mifepristone or misoprostol

If any of these apply, don't worry because there are options available for every pregnancy, you may still qualify for a surgical abortion, and our doctors will be happy to walk you through your options.

The Mississauga Women’s Clinic performs surgical abortions from early pregnancy (roughly 5 weeks) to the mid-second trimester (18 weeks). There are a couple of kinds of in-clinic surgical abortion procedures, depending on how far along you are into a pregnancy, and the doctor will be able to walk you through which option is best for you.

That being said, in general, in-clinic surgical abortions follow the same general procedure: a gradual dilation of the cervix, followed by gentle brushing of the uterine lining and suction to remove a pregnancy from the uterus. In the first trimester, this is usually done by a procedure called Dilation & Curettage (D&C), or Suction Aspiration, and in the second trimester by a very similar procedure called Dilation & Evacuation (D&E). 

Surgical abortions within the first trimester are one of the most common and safe surgical procedures performed in Canada, with the risk of serious complications falling under 0.2% of patients. Surgical abortions in the second trimester are also tremendously safe, when performed by trained clinicians, but they do have a slightly increased association with complications due to the advanced age of the pregnancy. But don't worry, our doctors will walk you through these risks, to ensure that you are comfortable with the procedure. 

A helpful video describing how Surgical Abortions work can be found here.

Counselling for Patients having an Abortion

Before all medical abortion procedures, patients meet with a counsellor to help improve their understanding about the procedure, to ensure that it is something that they want, and if desired, to discuss any post-abortive contraception options.

STI Testing/Management for Patients having an Abortion

Our clinic tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) routinely for patients having an abortion, particularly for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. For more exhaustive testing we encourage you to visit your local sexual health clinic, walk-in clinic, or your family doctor.

Contraception Services for Patients having an Abortion

Patients having an abortion may opt for birth control to be initiated after their procedure. If this is something that you are looking for, we encourage you to check when scheduling your appointment and again during your visit – our doctors will be happy to discuss post-abortion birth control options with you. 

We offer:

Intrauterine Device (IUD) Insertions and Removals

We offer Copper IUD’s in-house, so there is no need to bring your own; however, if you wish for a Hormonal IUD (such as Mirena), we can write you a prescription, which you would have to fill and return for its insertion.

Hormonal Implant Insertion and Removals

If you wish for a hormonal implant (such as Nexplanon), we can write you a prescription, which you would have to fill and return for its insertion.

Contraceptive Injections

If you wish for an injectable birth control (such as the Depo-Provera injection), we can write you a prescription, but you will need to fill it and return for its injection, as it must be done by a health care provider.

Birth Control Pill

If this something that you are considering, post-abortion, our doctors can write you a prescription.