Vacuum aspiration. Mini-abortion (vacuum aspiration) – does the “mini” prefix really make the procedure safe?
There are two methods of vacuum aspiration (also called suction aspiration).
- Manual vacuum aspiration. This procedure can be used approximately 5 to 12 weeks after your last menstrual period (early first trimester of pregnancy). It involves using a specially designed syringe to perform suction. This method is not available everywhere, but may be more affordable than machine aspiration in some geographic areas.
- Machine vacuum aspiration. This procedure is a common method used in the first 5 to 12 weeks (first trimester) of pregnancy. Machine vacuum aspiration involves the use of a hollow tube (cannula) that is attached to a bottle and a pump that provides soft action vacuum. The cannula is inserted into the uterus, the pump is turned on, and the tissue is gently removed from the uterus.
Manual vacuum aspiration procedure
Manual vacuum aspiration usually takes from 5 to 15 minutes. It can be performed safely in a clinic or medical office using a local anesthetic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. The procedure includes:
- You are placed on the examination table in the same position as for a pelvic examination, with your feet on the gynecological equipment and lying on your back.
- The vagina and cervix are cleaned antiseptic solution.
- A numbing medicine (local anesthetic) is injected into the cervix.
- If necessary, a small instrument is inserted into the cervix to slightly dilate it. However, in most cases the extension is not necessary.
- A thin tube is inserted through the cervix into the uterus. A hand-held syringe is used to suction tissue from the uterus. As the tissue is removed, the uterus will contract. Most women experience cramping during the procedure. The cramps go away after the tube is removed. Some women also experience nausea, sweating, and a feeling of weakness. But usually the symptoms are less severe than with machine vacuum aspiration.
Machine vacuum aspiration procedure
About 90% of all abortions occur in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Abortion rarely affects your ability to become pregnant in the future. So it is possible to become pregnant within a few weeks immediately after the procedure. Avoid sex until your body has fully recovered, usually at least one week. Use contraception in the first weeks after an abortion. And also condoms to prevent infection.
Depression may occur due to pregnancy hormones changing after an abortion. If you continue to have symptoms of depression such as fatigue, sleepiness, changes in appetite, or feelings of sadness, emptiness, anxiety, or irritability for more than two weeks, contact your doctor about treatment.
The hospital or surgery center may give you instructions on how to prepare for surgery, or a nurse may give you instructions right before your surgery.
Immediately after surgery, you will be taken to the recovery room where you will be monitored and cared for by nurses. You will likely stay in the recovery room for a while and then go home. In addition to any special instructions from your doctor, the nurse will explain information to you to help you recover. You'll go home with printed care instructions, including who to contact if problems arise.
Those between 7 and 15 weeks of pregnancy. Vacuum aspiration less complicated than dilatation and removal of the embryo (artificial abortion) and recovery is faster.
The procedure is performed under local or complete anesthesia and involves removing the fetus using gentle suction. Performing a vacuum aspiration takes about 10 minutes and can often go home the same day.
How does this happen?
Vacuum aspiration
First, you may have a small medication called a pessary inserted into your vagina ( pessary), which helps to dilate the cervix in advance.
After this dilatation, a small suction tube connected to a pump is placed inside the uterus. The vacuum action of the suction tube removes the fetus and all surrounding tissue.
In total, the procedure takes from 10 to 15 minutes.
Recovery takes approximately 1-2 hours.
There may be some bleeding for a couple of weeks after vacuum aspiration. It can be similar to menstrual bleeding and usually stops after 14 days. Wear sanitary pads during this time until it stops.
Compared to other forms of treatment, bleeding after vacuum aspiration is the least.
After vacuum aspiration
If general anesthesia was used during the procedure, you will need to rest after it to allow its effects to wear off. It's good to arrange in advance for someone to drive you home. This is also useful if local anesthesia was used, since after it you may feel tired and slightly dizzy.
If you ask someone to drive you home, ask if the person can stay with you for the first 24 hours after the abortion. This could be your partner, relative or friend.
You will be given pain relievers to help manage any discomfort after the procedure.
You will also be given a follow-up appointment, usually two weeks after the abortion, and it is important to keep this appointment. It can be performed by a doctor in a clinic or by your personal doctor.
Recovery after vacuum aspiration
Continue taking the pain reliever you were prescribed. This will be either ibuprofen or paracetamol, which are available at any pharmacy. Follow these instructions and ask your pharmacist if you are unsure.
If used general anesthesia, then avoid driving, operating industrial equipment, and performing any tasks that require concentration for the first 38 hours after vacuum aspiration.
Continue using sanitary pads rather than tampons for 14 days after your abortion. Try not to use them for at least a month.
Do not resume having sex until the bleeding has completely stopped. When you resume a normal relationship, make sure you use birth control right away.
Your doctor or clinician will advise you to use birth control to reduce your risk venereal diseases and prevent pregnancy. A woman is very fertile after an abortion, meaning there is a very high risk of becoming pregnant. If you do not want this to happen, then find out about the appropriate method of contraception.
Vacuum aspiration is a safe procedure, but if you notice any of the following symptoms, then contact your doctor.
Even strong ones can disrupt the menstrual cycle positive emotions. And any, the most insignificant surgery all the more so will the nature of his menstruation affect him. Doctors consider vacuum aspiration to be such.
This is a way to get rid of a short term pregnancy. Women who have had it should be prepared for the fact that menstruation after vacuum aspiration may take on a different appearance and accompaniment.
Read in this article
Why does vacuum aspiration affect menstruation?
This method of cleansing the uterine cavity is less traumatic, since it is performed at a short stage of pregnancy or to eliminate the consequences of an unsuccessful medical abortion or complications after childbirth. Using a special apparatus, the fertilized egg or retained, in other words, unnecessary contents are removed. In this case, the mucous membrane is minimally damaged, but nevertheless, this happens. It will take time to restore it and mature until it is ready for rejection.
An even more significant reason that menstruation may change after vacuum aspiration is a sudden disruption of the body’s hormones.
Everything that happens in the reproductive sphere is dictated by them. Normally, changes in the balance of substances have a certain pattern, which ensures regular menstruation. The intervention leads to a malfunction that prevents the correct process of cyclic development of the ovaries, uterus, and even the pituitary-hypothalamus ligament.
If medical abortion was performed at a late date, the discharge can persist for a long time, up to a month. ... They continue for several days after a mini-abortion.
Vacuum aspiration of the uterine cavity involves surgical intervention, which allows, by creating negative pressure, to remove the contents of the said organ. Most often, the procedure is performed for the purpose of artificial termination of pregnancy for up to 6 weeks. For more later suction aspiration is called a mini-abortion. Vacuum aspiration of the uterus is carried out using two methods, which we will discuss later in the article.
Manual
The procedure takes approximately 5 to 15 minutes. It is carried out in a clinic or medical office. During the procedure, local anesthesia is used, as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for example, Ibuprofen.
For several weeks after surgery, you may experience some bleeding similar to menstruation. After some time it goes away on its own. The procedure can be performed up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Method of implementation
The procedure is carried out as follows:
- The patient is placed on the examination chair as during a normal examination of the pelvic organs, that is, on her back with her legs on special ledges.
- The cervix and vagina are treated with an antiseptic solution.
- The cervix is numbed with a local anesthetic.
- If necessary, a special instrument is inserted to dilate the cervix. However, in most cases it is possible to do without it.
- A thin tube is inserted into the uterine cavity. Next, tissue from the uterine cavity is sucked out using a manual syringe. When they are removed, the uterus begins to contract. Many patients develop convulsive syndrome during the operation, but after the procedure the cramps go away. Nausea, weakness, and increased sweating during suction aspiration. These symptoms, however, are mild compared to the machine procedure.
Machine
A day or a few hours before the procedure, a special osmotic dilator can be placed in the uterine cervix, which will help open it slightly. Before machine vacuum aspiration, the patient is given an antibiotic to prevent possible infectious infections. Misoprostol is sometimes prescribed to soften the uterine cervix before the procedure.
How is the procedure carried out?
The duration of machine vacuum aspiration is up to 15 minutes. It, like manual, is carried out in a clinical setting or medical office as follows:
- The patient lies on her back, placing her legs on special ledges.
- A speculum is inserted into her vagina.
- The cervix and vagina are treated with an antiseptic solution. And the cervix is also anesthetized.
- In some cases, given intravenously or taken orally sedative in addition to local anesthesia. "Vasopressin" or its analogue slows down bleeding of the uterus. However, it can be mixed with an anesthetic. This will reduce blood loss.
- The uterine cervix is captured with a special device and fixed in one position.
- Next opens cervical canal. Its expansion allows you to minimize the risk of cervical injury during vacuum aspiration.
- A tube (cannula) is inserted into the cavity, then a vacuum effect is created, which sucks in the uterine tissue. When they are removed, the uterus begins to contract. There may be cramps that go away after the tube is removed from the uterus. Sometimes nausea, weakness and sweating appear.
Tissue removed from the uterine cavity is examined and checked for complete removal during the procedure. If it is completely removed, the abortion is considered complete. In some cases, dilatation and curettage may be required after suction aspiration. This is necessary if not all tissue has been removed.
What type of menstruation should be after vacuum aspiration?
Cycle after the procedure
When menstruation begins after this procedure, the first thing a woman should pay attention to is. After all, they are evidence that the reproductive system is functioning normally.
It is believed that a new cycle will begin from the day on which the intervention was carried out. This does not mean that menstruation will come immediately. The discharge that appears after the intervention is a sign of healing of the uterine mucosa. Normally, they correspond to the following parameters:
- Lasts from 5 to 10 days.
- Contain blood and have the appropriate color.
- They are accompanied by mild pain, similar to menstrual pain, which should stop in the first couple of days.
- They initially appear in small quantities and gradually run out.
These discharges should not have bad smell, they do not cause itching or burning, and do not provoke a rise in temperature. All these signs indicate the development of an infection and require further therapy. When the recovery period is disrupted, the delay in normal periods can last up to six months.
If additional problems rehabilitation period are absent, then everything goes much faster. And critical days can begin as early as a month after vacuum aspiration. The acceptable delay is 1.5-2 months.
Possible consequences
Call a doctor immediately if you experience the following symptoms:
- Heavy bleeding. Any type of abortion, whether surgical or medical, involves bleeding similar to menstrual bleeding. By profuse we mean the release of large (larger than a golf ball) clots, occurring over a period of two or more hours; using more than two pads in one hour; prolonged (more than 12 hours) heavy bleeding. After vacuum aspiration, the discharge should not be abundant or prolonged.
- Infection. Accompanied by symptoms such as muscle and headache, dizziness, general malaise. It should be borne in mind that even a severe infection can pass without an increase in body temperature.
- Severe pain in the abdominal area. In this case, painkillers do not help, nor do warming and rest.
- Tides and temperature rise above 38 degrees.
- Bouts of vomiting lasting more than four hours.
- Swelling of the abdomen and increased heart rate.
- Increased intensity vaginal discharge and the appearance of a pungent odor.
- Swelling and pain in the genital area.
When to go to the doctor?
You should also make an appointment with a doctor if, after a recent abortion, the patient observes the following:
- Bloody discharge after vacuum aspiration lasting more than two weeks.
- Additional symptoms that occur while taking medications after the procedure.
- Absence menstrual bleeding more than one and a half months.
- Depressive state.
Indications
Suction aspiration is only permissible in the first trimester of pregnancy. The procedure can be carried out:
- If necessary, induced therapeutic abortion.
- Due to unsuccessful medication interruption pregnancy.
- In case of fetal death when a spontaneous abortion was missed.
An abortion performed in the first trimester is effective and relatively safe, with a low likelihood of complications. There are quite a few cases where aspiration fails. As a rule, this option is possible in the first weeks of pregnancy. Only 3% of abortions performed before six weeks of pregnancy require a repeat procedure.
Complications
Minor complications after suction vacuum aspiration are:
- Damaged mucous membrane of the cervix or uterus.
- An infection caused by bacteria entering the uterus during the procedure. A similar situation can occur in the case of an untreated sexually transmitted disease. Signs of infection include fever, weakness, and abdominal pain. Symptoms begin on the second or third day after the abortion. To avoid infection, antibiotics should be taken before and after suction aspiration.
But sometimes patients experience the following complications after vacuum aspiration of the uterine cavity:
- A hole in the uterine wall that is created when a cervical dilator is used. Bleeding is minimal and there is no need to take special measures. If bleeding is a concern, a laparoscopic examination may be performed to determine whether the bleeding has stopped.
- Remaining tissue in the uterine cavity. Manifests similar situation in the form of spasmodic pain in the abdomen and bleeding even a week after the procedure.
- Blood clots. Sometimes the uterus does not contract properly and does not expel all the tissue. In this case, the lumen in the uterine cervix is blocked and prevents the flow of blood. Due to this, the size of the uterus increases, it becomes painful and provokes abdominal pain, nausea and cramps.
In the last two cases, suction aspiration is repeated. At the same time, medications are also taken to stop bleeding. In this way, remaining blood clots and undistributed products of conception are removed.
Ectopic pregnancy
IN medical practice Cases have been reported in which an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy occurred after vacuum aspiration of the uterine cavity. That is, by all indicators, the woman is pregnant, but the fertilized egg is located outside the uterus. It turns out that suction aspiration is ineffective in this case and pregnancy continues after vacuum aspiration. Its signs are:
- Pain during sexual intercourse.
- Pain in the pelvic area and peritoneum, tending to intensify.
- Bleeding.
- Dizziness and fainting due to loss of blood.
Vacuum aspiration (mini-abortion) is a method of terminating pregnancy by suctioning the fetus using a vacuum pump.
A distinctive feature of this method in comparison with others is its gentle and safe approach to surgery. Procedure vacuum aspiration prescribed by a gynecologist taking into account medical indications when pregnancy poses a danger to the mother and child: anomalies and disorders in the development of the fetus, chronic diseases threatening the health and life of a woman, unsuccessfully carried out medical abortion. A mini-abortion can be prescribed at the request of the woman herself, if there are no contraindications to its implementation.
What kind of discharge after a mini-abortion is normal?
As a rule, several days immediately after an abortion are accompanied by bloody discharge, lasting up to 10 days, is an inevitable outcome of injury to the walls of the uterus. This discharge is not yet menstrual, but in consistency, abundance and color it is very similar to it.
- rest more;
- follow a diet;
- to refuse from bad habits;
- don't drink coffee;
- don't eat dark chocolate;
- systematically measure body temperature in the morning and evening.
During normal course recovery period and there are no complications after 2-3 weeks it’s still worth doing ultrasonography to confirm wound healing and rule out any danger.
First period after mini-abortion
The time when the first period comes after surgery is determined individually for each woman. For some, this process occurs with a delay, and for others it occurs even earlier than expected. For women who have given birth, the process of restoring the menstrual cycle occurs over the course of 3-4 months, and for nulliparous women it can last up to six months.
If the first menstruation has acquired a yellowish tint, an unpleasant pungent odor, painful sensations, and your health has noticeably worsened, consult a doctor for advice and a detailed examination, as these changes may be a sign of complications.
After an abortion, it is advisable to start taking it immediately oral contraceptives to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancy and help the body normalize hormonal balance.
How to calculate the acceptable date for the appearance of the first menstruation
IN best case scenario Your period should begin within a month after the operation. The intensity of discharge may differ from the usual flow critical days, which were before pregnancy. They can become especially abundant and painful, or, conversely, scanty and almost unnoticeable.
There is a universal way to calculate the permissible period for the appearance of menstruation. If normal menstrual cycle women last 28 days, then the first menstruation should come 28 days from the date of the mini-abortion (for example, September 1). A delay of 7-10 days is allowed. That is, to calculate the start date, you need to add up the number of days of the cycle and the delay, then count the resulting amount from the date of the month in which the mini-abortion was performed. For clarity, consider the calculation:
28 days M.C. + 10 days delay = 38 days;
My period never started
If menstruation after a mini-abortion does not occur before the calculated permissible period, this may indicate the existence of remnants of the fertilized egg in the uterus, the presence of an inflammatory process, or become news of new pregnancy. To determine the reason for the absence of menstruation, you need to contact an antenatal clinic and undergo a laboratory and clinical examination.
What discharge indicates complications?
The expected periods have arrived, but what to do when their appearance and consistency are alarming and differ from the usual pattern.
In this case, it is important to know what the discharge indicates:
- They're going too scanty and painful periods. When the menstrual cycle signaled its beginning, it “smeared” a little, then stopped, and the next day a drop of blood was again found on the pad, but another day later the menstruation disappeared completely, this may indicate a large blood clot has formed in the cervix. Complete absence menstruation on time, accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, can also signal a blood clot. By blocking the exit, it prevents the movement of accumulated secretions. The accumulation of blood in the uterus can cause inflammatory process, therefore, if this symptom appears, you should immediately consult a doctor.
- Heavy yellow or white discharge come with a sharp unpleasant smell. These symptoms are accompanied by the onset of inflammation. Often this process occurs with an increase in body temperature.
- Clots and mucus. Menstruation accompanied by blood clots may indicate an unfinished mini-abortion. In this case, it is necessary to conduct an additional examination and, after confirming the guess, carry out necessary procedure to remove the remains of the fertilized egg from the uterus.
- Heavy bleeding. When the discharge turns scarlet or an intense dark red hue, this may be a sign of intrauterine bleeding. If the pad fills completely within an hour, and the period itself lasts at this rhythm for several hours, then you should immediately contact a specialist.
Any surgical intervention, even the most gentle one, is not painless and asymptomatic. Monitor your body's behavior until symptoms disappear completely. postoperative recovery. Our body true friend and an adviser who will never deceive and in case of danger will definitely warn about it.