Abortion Care: What to Expect

Welcoming You to Our Abortion Clinics

We have a dedicated clinic network across the Northwest, Midlands, South East, Greater London and Yorkshire. Most of our clinics are hosted in local health centres, or GP practices. This allows us to provide medical abortions within local community health services.

Our clinic in Bolton, Aylesbury & Stoke offer surgical abortion and medical abortion services. Find out more about our clinic locations.

How much time you spend in the clinic will depend on which abortion procedure you are having. This could be as little as an hour, up to around 7 hours. If we are sending you medical abortion pills in the post, you may not need to come to the clinic at all. We will let you know how long to expect your treatment appointment to last during your consultation.

Visits to our clinics are by appointment only so please call to book your appointment before you arrive. When you book an abortion consultation appointment with us our telephone advisors and clinic teams will support you every step of the way.

Booking a consulation

Can I Bring Someone With Me to My Abortion Appointment?

You may find that having the support of a family member or a trusted friend will help you through the day. They can accompany you for some of your abortion appointment, but we will need to see you alone at other times. While you have your procedure or treatment, your companion is welcome to sit in the waiting room.

If you are under 16 years old you will need to bring an adult over 18 years old with you for support. We do not have facilities for young children at the clinics. If you have children, please arrange childcare for the day of your appointment. Unfortunately, we may have to rebook your appointment for another day if you bring children to the clinic.

Your Abortion Consultation

Before we offer you abortion treatment you will have a consultation with a clinician. Your consultation can be over the phone, or face-to-face in a clinic.

The clinician (a nurse or midwife) will explain your treatment options and answer any questions you have about the abortion. They will discuss the screening tests we offer for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and your future contraception options.

You will also have a clinical assessment during the consultation.

Find out more about consultations

what to expect from NUPAs abortion care services

Your Clinical Assessment

The clinician will ask you about your medical history. It is important that you answer their questions honestly. Please give as much information as you can. They will want to know about any medical conditions you have or medications that you take. This is to make sure treatment will be safe and suitable for you.

If you have been invited to have a clinical assessment at a clinic, we may offer you the following tests and screenings.

Ultrasound Scan

Some people will need to have an ultrasound scan before an abortion, this is so we can date your pregnancy and ensure it is in the correct location. The number of weeks you have been pregnant is also known as gestation. Knowing your gestation will help us know what treatment options are available to you. You do not need to look at the screen while we scan you. The scan monitor will be turned away from you. If you would like to look at the screen you can let us know.

There are two types of ultrasound scan:

Abdominal scan – A hand-held device pressed to the skin of your tummy to scan your womb.
Transvaginal scan – A small probe inserted into your vagina to scan your womb.

Sometimes the pregnancy can be too early for us to see with an abdominal (tummy) scan. If this happens, we may need to insert a small ultrasound probe into your vagina for a clearer scan image. We will only do this with your permission. The earliest pregnancy found using scanning equipment is around 4 weeks and 6 days gestation.

If we can’t see the pregnancy with a vaginal scan, the clinician will arrange for you to come back for a repeat scan. It may be that your pregnancy is too early to see on scan; it may be that you have had an early miscarriage; or it may be that the pregnancy is developing outside the uterus (womb). This is called an ectopic pregnancy. The clinician will talk to you about next steps if we suspect an ectopic pregnancy.

Blood Pressure and Pulse Test

Rhesus Negative Test

Every blood group can be either Rhesus positive, or Rhesus negative. If your blood test shows you have a Rhesus negative (RhD negative) blood type, and your pregnancy is 10 weeks gestation or more, we will give you an injection of anti-D immunoglobulin after your surgical abortion. This is to stop your body from making antibodies (being sensitised) in response to a pregnancy with a different blood type.

More information about anti-D injections will be given at your appointment if you have a RhD negative blood type.

STI Tests

Your Abortion Treatment

We offer two types of abortion treatment at NUPAS clinics,

Medical Abortion (abortion pills) - up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Surgical Abortion - up to 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy.

We also offer medical abortion pills-by-post. This means the abortion pills are delivered to your house for you to take in the comfort of your own home. Find out more about what to expect during your treatment in clinic or at home:

Medical Abortion (abortion pills)

Abortion Pills-by-Post

Surgical Abortion

Post Abortion Contraception

We can give you information on contraception during your visit to the clinic. If you don’t want to become pregnant it’s important to consider what type of contraception you will use after an abortion. This is because you can still get pregnant after an abortion, with fertility coming back as soon as 5 days later.

Find out more about contraception

Your Consent to Treatment

During your appointment, the clinician will ask you if you understand the abortion procedure.

Our teams will make sure that you are fully aware of what is involved with abortion treatment. We will talk to you about the possible risks and complications. You may want to discuss your decision with your partner, but you don’t have to. You do not need your partner’s consent for an abortion.

If you change your mind about having an abortion just let us know so we can cancel your appointment.

If you tell us something that suggests you or someone else may be at risk of harm, we may have to talk to other professionals to make sure you are safe. We have a duty of care to do this if we feel there is any risk of harm. We will tell you if we need to do this and why.

Consent for Under 18s

You do not need your parent’s consent for an abortion if you are under 18 years old. You have a right to confidentiality. We will not tell your parents or guardian.

We do encourage you to tell a parent or other adult who can support you through this process. This could be a friend, family member, social worker or anyone else over 18 who you trust.

You can agree to the treatment yourself if you understand the procedure, and the possible risks and complications.

More FAQS about Abortion Preparation

Will I need to come back to the clinic after an abortion?

No, however you will need to take a pregnancy test at home 3 weeks after your medical abortion. This is to make sure the treatment has worked. We will give you a pregnancy test in your Aftercare Pack. If you have had pills by post we will contact you to check the result, however if the test is positive, please call us for further advice. You may need to have another appointment with us if the test is positive.

Do I have to be examined internally before an abortion?

Some people will need to have an ultrasound scan before an abortion. We do this to date your pregnancy. The number of weeks you have been pregnant is also known as gestation. Knowing your gestation will help us know what treatment options are available to you.

Sometimes the pregnancy can be too early for us to see with an abdominal (tummy) scan. If this happens, we may need to insert a small ultrasound probe into your vagina for a clearer scan image. We will only do this with your permission. The earliest pregnancy found using scanning equipment is around 4 weeks and 6 days gestation.

What do I need to have ready for my abortion?

For your consultation please have a list of any medicines or inhalers that are prescribed to you.

For your abortion treatment:

- Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
- Have a supply of sanitary towels that are suitable for a heavy flow (not tampons).
- Have a supply of pain relief at home, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, or any regular pain relief medication you would normally use.
- Heat pads or a hot water bottle can also be effective at managing pain.

If you are having a surgical abortion with sedation or general anaesthetic, we will give you instructions on how to prepare for treatment.

•How should I prepare for a surgical abortion with general anaesthetic? (

Please do not take any solid food from 6 hours before your appointment.

You can drink water up to 2 hours before your appointment.

Please do not smoke, chew gum or suck sweets on the day of your appointment.

We strongly recommend that you do not smoke for 24 hours before and after your surgical abortion.

When visiting our clinic for your surgical abortion appointment you should:

- Bring a dressing gown.
- Wear comfortable and loose clothing.
- Remove any facial and body piercing, makeup and nail varnish.
- Remove contact lenses if you wear them (bring a pair of glasses with you)

We ask that you have a trusted person (over 18) to take you home after your appointment and stay with you for 24 hours.

If you are ill in the 2 days before your surgical abortion, please call us. We may have to rebook your appointment for when you are feeling better.

0333 004 6666

01 874 0097