STOP
Last edited 02/2022
Vacuum aspiration is the recommended method of first trimester abortion when compared with sharp curettage.
- Can be carried out with:
- manual device - valve and locking plunger in a 60 mL handheld syringe
- electrical device
- 400 µg of the prostaglandin analogue misoprostol either sublingually for two hours or vaginally for three hours is administered before surgery to soften and dilate the cervix (1,2).
- Used in pregnancies of between five and twelve weeks gestation.
- Can be performed under a local anaesthetic until about the eighth week of gestation.
Reference: