This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Suction termination of pregnancy

Authoring team

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:

  1. Lohr PA et al. Abortion.  BMJ 2014;348:f7553
  2. Royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists (RCOG) 2011. The care of women requesting induced abortion. Evidence based clinical guideline number 7.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2025 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.