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How Long is an Abortion Appointment at Virginia Women’s Wellness?

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  • Follow-up Visits: About 1 to 2 hours (unless you need extra care)
  • Medication Abortions – About 3-4 hours. (longer if we are busy).
  • Local Anesthesia Procedure Abortions – About 5 to 7 hours (longer if we are busy).
  • Twilight and Asleep Procedure Abortions – About 6 to 8 hours (longer if we are busy).
  • Early Second Trimester Abortions – Can vary from 8-10 hours (but still only 1 Day)
  • Late Second Trimester Abortions – Two Days Treatment.

Please Note

  • These times are estimates of how long you will be physically inside the office. You must add to this your planned travel times.
  • These times can change if you need extra care for any reason.
  • Your time inside the office may be longer than these quoted times if the office is very busy. Saturdays are usually our most popular day, so please be prepared to wait longer if we are busy, especially on Saturdays.

Many women reasonably want to know how long their visit with Virginia Women’s Wellness will take. This page is meant to answer your question. The Answer to this question depends largely on the reason for your visit. Different types of appointments take different amounts of time. All abortion patients generally follow the 8 Steps of the Abortion Visit but their times in the office still vary.

First of all, it should be emphasized that all of the different types of appointments described here, except for Late Second Trimester Abortions, can still be accomplished in a single day. For some women undergoing a second-trimester abortion, it may be a long day in which they come in at 8:30am and don’t leave until 6 pm at night. But it is still only one day. Virginia does not have a state-mandated waiting period. This differs from requirements patients may encounter in other states. For example, North Carolina currently requires certain informed-consent information to be provided in person at least 72 hours before a surgical abortion. Virginia does not impose a comparable mandatory waiting period. At Virginia Women’s Wellness, we plan for all patients under 18 weeks to be in and out of the office the same day.

Secondly, although we generally begin seeing women in the same order in which they sign in at reception, because women are coming to us for different reasons, you might see women who arrived after you and leave before you. This is normal. They may be here for a different reason, such as a follow-up visit, and so they may leave before you.

Thirdly, this discussion is only for women arriving at our abortion office, Virginia Women’s Wellness. For women arriving as patients of our sister-practice, VWW Gynecology (link), which is located in our same building, and which shares our waiting room, those gynecology visits are generally faster than the abortion-related visits at Virginia Women’s Wellness.

Many women reasonably want to know how long their visit with Virginia Women’s Wellness will take. This page is meant to answer your question. The Answer to this question depends largely on the reason for your visit. Different types of appointments take different amounts of time. All abortion patients generally follow the 8 Steps of the Abortion Visit but their times in the office still vary.

First of all, it should be emphasized that all of the different types of appointments described here, except for Late Second Trimester Abortions, can still be accomplished in a single day. For some women undergoing a second-trimester abortion, it may be a long day in which they come in at 8:30am and don’t leave until 6 pm at night. But it is still only one day. Virginia does not have a state-mandated waiting period. This differs from requirements patients may encounter in other states. For example, North Carolina currently requires certain informed-consent information to be provided in person at least 72 hours before a surgical abortion. Virginia does not impose a comparable mandatory waiting period. At Virginia Women’s Wellness, we plan for all patients under 18 weeks to be in and out of the office the same day.

Secondly, although we generally begin seeing women in the same order in which they sign in at reception, because women are coming to us for different reasons, you might see women who arrived after you and leave before you. This is normal. They may be here for a different reason, such as a follow-up visit, and so they may leave before you.

Thirdly, this discussion is only for women arriving at our abortion office, Virginia Women’s Wellness. For women arriving as patients of our sister-practice, VWW Gynecology, which is located in our same building, and which shares our waiting room, those gynecology visits are generally faster than the abortion-related visits at Virginia Women’s Wellness.

Appointment Types: From Fastest to Longest

Now, in the order of fastest to longest, we will discuss different appointment types.

1

Follow-up Visits

About 1–1.5 Hours

These are generally the fastest. For a typical uncomplicated appointment, they usually take an hour to an hour-and-a half. The steps involved in a follow-up visit are

1
Reception
2
You fill out forms and answer questions about how you have been.
3
You meet one-on-one with one of our Counselors to discuss your experience and any questions that you have.
4
You undergo an ultrasound of your uterus by one of our Sonographers.

All of this is generally done in about an hour. If you don’t report any problems, if you are feeling fine, and if your ultrasound appears normal and there are no problems seen, then, in that case, you will be given the option of waiting and seeing one of our providers to discuss birth control and ongoing gyn care at our sister practice VWW Gynecology. If you do not want to receive ongoing gyn care, and don’t want birth control from us, and don’t want to wait to see the provider, then you are free to go, and the visit should only take about hour or so.

However, if the Ultrasound reveals a problem such as retained tissue or an ongoing pregnancy (occasionally seen with Medication Abortions), then you will need to see the provider, and you may need additional medications or to undergo a procedure. If that happens, your office visit time could increase.

2

Medication Abortions

About 3–4 Hours

Medication abortions involve the least amount of time in the office. Medications abortions are a medication-induced miscarriage. That means that the medication is taken in the office, but the actual abortion is happening at home, not during your office visit. That’s why they are faster.

Medication Abortions follow most of the 8 steps described in 8 Steps of the Abortion Visit . But, because they are medication visits, you can generally skip the “Abortion Preparation” step and the “Recovery Room” step.

Additionally, the actual provider encounter is quicker, as well. With medication abortion, you will receive more talking and explaining instead of doing. The counseling may take longer.

But because the patients can skip the minimum 1-hour cervical preparation step and the 1-hour recovery room step, they are generally the fastest type of abortion visit. Although times may vary, we estimate that you will be in the office for 3-4 hours. 3–4 hours.

3

Local Anesthesia Abortions

About 5–7 Hours

These abortion visits follow the 8 Steps of the Abortion Visit . So, why are they a little faster than Twilight and Asleep abortions? There are two reasons. First, local anesthesia does not require the additional IV sedation setup and monitoring used for twilight or asleep procedures. Second, and perhaps more important, recovery is faster. Technically, if you have a local anesthesia procedure, we will ask you to remain in recovery for 1 full hour. You are wide-awake, alert and oriented. You may be cramping, but you are fully awake. And most women just want to go home. So, after the procedure, our recovery nurse usually watches you carefully. She will offer you juice and cookies. She will take your vital signs at least twice. She will check your pad for bleeding.

She will talk with you and answer all of your questions. And while she is watching you and talking with you, she is also assessing you. Then, if all looks good, she goes over your discharge instructions with you. After that, if you want to go home (and most women do), the provider will sign you out and you can leave. This is one of the advantages of local anesthesia – the recovery is much faster. Which is why the time in the office is less. Although times may vary, we estimate that you will be in the office for 5-7 hours.

4

Twilight and Asleep Abortion Procedures

About 6–8 Hours

If you undergo a Twilight or Asleep Procedure, then you will be receiving anesthesia during your abortion. But the trade-off is that you will be in the office for about an hour longer. Why?

You will still follow the 8 Steps of the Abortion Visit . But there is time spent setting up the monitoring equipment and administering the anesthesia. In addition, after the abortion you will be sedated and will need closer monitoring for a longer period of time. After the abortion you will be kept in the Recovery Room for at least a minimum of 1 full hour, and maybe two hours. We won’t discharge you until the team feels that you are safe to leave. That is why you will be in the office longer than patients having local anesthesia or a medication abortion. Although times may vary, we estimate that you will be in the office for 6-8 hours.

5

Early Second Trimester Abortions

About 8–10 Hours

Early second trimester abortion patients will be in the office longer than first trimester patients. That is because once your pregnancy progresses into the second trimester, we will give you extra medications before the abortion to soften and thin your cervix. This is called cervical preparation. For first trimester abortion procedure patients we do this as well, but only for an hour. But with second trimester patients this may take 3, 4 or even 5 hours – or more. How long it takes depends on your cervix. Women who have given birth vaginally often dilate faster and take less time. Patients who have not previously given birth vaginally may sometimes require more cervical-preparation time.

The amount of time needed varies from patient to patient. Our goal is to wait until your cervix is softened and dilated before doing the abortion. This is safer for you. But it takes more time. Also, all second trimester abortions are Asleep Abortions, unless the woman requests otherwise. So, this adds time. Although times may vary, we estimate that you will be in the office for 8-10 hours. But it will all be completed in one single day.

6

Abortions at 18 Weeks or Later

Two-Day Procedure

Abortions at 18 Weeks or later take the longest. These are two-day procedures. The first day is the shorter, easier day. It usually only takes 4-6 hours. It is mostly preparation, counseling, testing, ultrasound, consultation, and administration of medications. Then you can go back to your hotel room (or go home if you live within 1 hour of the office).

Early the next morning you will begin the cervical preparation, and this will continue until your cervix is ready – which may take most of the day -before we proceed with the abortion. Again, this is done for your safety. Later Second Trimester patients should expect to be in the office for the entire day on the second day.