- Virginia Women’s Wellness
A Practice Built for Your Safety
Abortion is one of the safest procedures in medicine, and we build every visit around keeping it that way: an ultrasound and on-site lab work before your care, a licensed all-female clinical team, monitored anesthesia if you choose to be asleep, a recovery room, written emergency and hospital-transfer plans, and follow-up after you go home. We have cared for more than 100,000 women since 1997.
Key Facts
- Before your care : Ultrasound to confirm how far along you are and rule out ectopic pregnancy; lab work in our own on-site CLIA-Certified Laboratory
- Who provides care : An all-female team of Virginia-licensed physicians, certified nurse midwives, and certified nurse practitioners
- Anesthesia : Your choice — awake, twilight, or fully asleep — with continuous monitoring and a recovery room
- If something goes wrong : Emergency equipment and trained staff on site; a written hospital-transfer plan
- After you go home : Written instructions, a phone line for questions and follow-up care
- Telehealth : Live video visit with a Virginia-licensed clinician; an ultrasound at our office first whenever your screening calls for one
- The building : A multi-tenant medical building with discreet entry and exit
- Since : 1997 — more than 100,000 women cared for
How Safe is Abortion?
Very safe. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reviewed the evidence in 2018 and concluded that abortion care in the United States is safe and effective and that serious complications are rare. For the abortion pill, the FDA prescribing information reports serious adverse reactions in fewer than 0.5 percent of women. Like most medical care, the risks rise somewhat later in pregnancy; your clinician will explain the risks that apply to you before you decide anything.
We don’t call any abortion risk-free. We’d rather tell you what the evidence shows — and show you what we do about the risks that do exist.
What do you do Before my Abortion to Keep me Safe?
- An ultrasound at your visit. It confirms how far along you are — which determines your options — and shows that the pregnancy is in the uterus. Ruling Out Ectopic Pregnancy
- Lab work in our own office.Including your Rh blood type and other tests your clinician needs, without sending you to a separate lab. Labs for Abortion
- A full medical history and clinical consultation. A clinician reviews your health, medications, allergies, and past pregnancies, and a counselor makes sure you have the information you need and that the decision is yours. Abortion Counseling
- The right plan for you.Your clinician explains which options are medically right for you — pills or a procedure, and which kind of anesthesia — and why.
How do you keep Anesthesia Safe if I Choose to be Asleep?
We review your health history and any past reactions to anesthesia beforehand, ask you not to eat or drink for a set time before your visit, monitor your breathing, oxygen, heart rate, and blood pressure continuously throughout, and keep you in our recovery room until you are awake, comfortable, and ready to leave with your companion.
What happens if Something goes Wrong?
Serious complications are very rare, but we plan for them as if they weren’t. Our office has emergency medications and equipment, and our staff are trained to use them. All of our staff are life support trained. We have a written plan for transferring a woman to a hospital if she ever needs one], and the clinician who cared for you stays involved.
If you have a problem after you go home, call us. For severe pain, heavy bleeding that soaks through five pads an hour for two hours in a row, fainting, or a fever over 100.4°F that lasts more than a day, call us right away — and if you can’t reach us or it’s an emergency.
How do you keep Telehealth Safe?
Our telehealth service is run by the same clinic and the same clinicians. Every woman who uses our telehealth meets a Virginia-licensed clinician by live video, who reviews her history, confirms her dates, screens for ectopic pregnancy, and teaches the warning signs. If anything calls for a closer look — uncertain dates, a risk factor for ectopic pregnancy, pain or bleeding — she asks you to come to our Virginia Beach office for an in-person ultrasound and care. After you take the medication, a counselor follows up with you, and a clinician joins whenever you or the counselor wants one.
Will I be Safe Arriving at your Office?
Our office is on the second floor of a multi-tenant medical building shared by many unrelated practices. You arrive and leave the way anyone visits a doctor’s office, and no one outside can tell which office you’re visiting or why. If anything about your arrival worries you, call ahead and tell us; we’ll plan it with you.
What about Privacy?
Safety includes keeping your information safe. Your in-person records are on paper, never on a network, and we offer an Anonymous Abortion program in which we never learn your name.
Why Women trust Virginia Women’s Wellness with their Safety.
- Ultrasound, labs, and care in one visit, in our own office.
- An all-female team of Board-Certified, fully-licensed clinicians
- A team that stays with you — the people who cared for you are the ones who care for you again when you return.
- More than 100,000 women since 1997, with an excellent safety record. Our Safety Record
- FAQ’s
Questions Women Ask
Is it safer to have the abortion pill or a procedure?
Both are very safe. The right choice depends on how far along you are, your health, and what you prefer; your clinician will explain the trade-offs for you. Procedures vs. Pills
Is it safe to be asleep for an abortion?
For most healthy women, yes, when you are continuously observed and monitored, as you are here. We review your health beforehand to make sure it’s right for you.
Will an abortion affect my ability to get pregnant later?
Not unless you have a very serious complication (less than 0.1% of patients). For the great majority of women, no. The published evidence is very clear that an uncomplicated abortion will have no effect on your fertility. Virginia Women’s Wellness is proud of the fact that in over 100,000 patients, no woman has ever lost her fertility as a result of the abortion.
What should I do if I’m worried after I get home?
Call us. You will never bother us. If it’s an emergency, call immediately.
Don’t Wait — Call 757-540-1595 or Book Online Now.
Reviewed by the Virginia Women’s Wellness clinical team board-certified physicians and licensed advanced practice clinicians providing abortion care since 1997. Last updated October 20, 2026
Sources
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, The Safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States (2018); FDA Mifeprex prescribing information; NAF Clinical Policy Guidelines (current edition).
This page is educational and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.