Specializing in
"personalized" abortion care, we at the Seattle Medical and
Wellness Clinic are committed to treating each of our patients with
individual care, dignity, and respect. We look forward to working with
you.
Free
Pregnancy
Testing: We
can perform a urine pregnancy test free of charge. Just call for an
appointment, or walk on in (you may have to wait though). There is a fee
if you want a blood test or an ultrasound to confirm or date your
pregnancy. If you need a "confirmation of pregnancy" letter, we
are happy to provide one after a positive urine test.
Non-Surgical/Medication Abortions -
(less than 9 weeks): We offer the choice of a Non-Surgical/Medication
Abortion with Mifeprex (a.k.a. the Abortion
Pill, RU486) and Cytotec (misoprostol). With a medication
abortion, you will come in to our office for an ultrasound, counseling,
and to see the doctor. At that time, the doctor will give you the
first medication, Mifeprex. Mifeprex
works by blocking progesterone which is needed to maintain the pregnancy.
One to three days later at home, you will take the second medication called Cytotec.
Cytotec works by expelling the pregnancy and causes heavy bleeding and
cramping for a period of time. Some other side effects can include
nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, and headache. These possible secondary side
effects usually do not last more than a day. If you have nausea,
vomiting, fever, diarrhea, weakness, or flu-like symptoms for more than
24 hours after taking your Cycotec at home, please call the clinic or
the on-call physician immediately.
If you are more than two hours away from the clinic and wish to have the
Medication Abortion, we require a $100.00 deposit. It is fully
refundable when you return for your follow-up visit.
Surgical Abortions (through 18.2 weeks): The surgical abortion (suction
curettage), up to 18.2 weeks and all related tests, are performed on one
day.
You are usually here at the clinic
for 4 hours. After filling
out paperwork, and performing a urine pregnancy test, an ultrasound is
done (for dating purposes only). Then, one of our trained female staff will
counsel you about the procedure, the aftercare instructions, the birth
control methods in which you are interested, and answer any
questions you have. You will also receive oral
pain medication and antibiotics at this time. You will then be escorted to your own private room
where an Rh test (mini-blood-typing) is performed. The doctor will then discuss birth control options
with you. Any additional tests (pap smears, STD screening, etc.) can also be
done by the doctor at your request. The doctor then does a pelvic exam,
anesthetizes the cervix, and performs the procedure. The
actual suction time (without all the other tests) takes approximately 2-5
minutes. You
then recover (in that same room) for approximately 20-30 minutes. Your
friend, relative or partner is welcome to participate as much or as little
as you wish and may be with you in the room at all times if preferred.
For
those patients who are 12 - 14 weeks:
We will perform 12 - 14 weeks
abortions as a one-day procedure, provided that there is no resistance
when dilating the cervix. We use a special kind of medicine to
“soften” the cervix, which decreases the likelihood of cervical tears.
In a small number of patients if resistance is encountered, then laminaria (sterile seaweed that
expands with water) are inserted and
remain in the cervix overnight, and the patient is asked to return the
next day to complete the procedure.
For those patients who
are 14 - 18.2 weeks:
We now perform
abortions for patients who are up to 18.2 weeks. These are done as a two-day
procedure.
The first day, laminaria (sterile seaweed that expands with water) are
inserted inside the cervix so that the cervix may dilate more slowly
(overnight). This is to prevent cervical tearing. The second day, the
actual abortion is performed.
Abortions
after 18.2 weeks: If you are greater than 18.2 weeks,
we have many
good referrals for you to nearby clinics.
We
have
a 24-hour
pager
for abortion patients: So, if you get home and have a question or
concern, please feel
free to call us at
866-701-0174. In an emergency, please call 911.
We
encourage
patients to keep their
three week follow-up appointment: The
post-abortion check-up is to insure there were no
complications and discuss your birth control options in more depth.
Medical
Excuses: A
medical excuse for school or work is readily available. Just ask for it on
the day of your visit.
Scheduling:
We regularly schedule abortion appointments
on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Often we have appointments available the same day, or the next day. We can
provide family planning services, STD screening, contraceptive counseling
(including emergency contraception), IUD insertion/removal,
Depo-Provera injections, etc. We are able to schedule post abortion
check-ups on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Translation
tapes are
available: For
non-English speaking patients, we can help arrange a translator. We also
have translation tapes available, describing the abortion, in Cantonese,
Vietnamese, Korean, Lao, Thai, Spanish,
Russian, Mandarin and Japanese.
Workbooks
are available: Once
you have discovered that you are pregnant, deciding whether to continue
with the pregnancy, abort or adopt can be a significant time in one's
life. We have a wonderful "Decision Making" workbook that is free of
charge and non-biased. Please call and we will be happy to mail it to you.
We are committed to helping you feel comfortable with your decision.
Other
workbooks are available at the clinic regarding emotional healing and
spiritual health and are free of charge. Books
with more in-depth writings on abortion are available by mail-order. Just
ask us for the information.
Referrals:
We recognize that your decision may not be an easy one. We have a
list of experienced professionals who deal with the psychological and
emotional aspects surrounding an abortion.
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