Abortion
If you’re pregnant but don’t want to have a child, you can terminate the pregnancy. That’s called an abortion. Read about what it involves.
Going to your own doctor or an abortion clinic
Thinking about terminating a pregnancy? Or not sure what to do about it? Then speak to your doctor. You can also talk to a pregnancy counsellor at an abortion clinic. They’ll give you the information you need to make a decision. You don’t need a referral from the doctor to go to an abortion clinic.
How do you make a choice? Tips:
Talk to someone you trust
Someone who can advise and support you. Preferably an adult, perhaps your mother or a counsellor. But it should always be your own choice.
Tell your parents you’re pregnant
This is obviously important if you’re still living at home. If necessary, get someone to help you do it. That could be a family member, but it could also be your doctor.
Talk to your doctor or another healthcare professional
A counsellor or healthcare/social care professional can explain your options to you. They can also help you to gather your thoughts and make up your mind. Read below where you can go for help.
Do this as soon as possible! The faster you take action, the more options you will have.
Doubts
If you can’t decide what to do and need some help in making your choice, talk to a support worker at infopuntonbedoeldzwanger.nl. You can chat online 24/7, or phone them on 0800-6160. They can also tell you where you can get help somewhere near you.
Where can you go for help?
- Your doctor’s practice
- A Sense clinic
- Fiom and Siriz offer professional support and help young pregnant women (and partners) to make a choice: continue with the pregnancy or have a termination. Siriz also supports young parents.
Siriz is part of the VBOK (a society for the protection of the unborn child in the Netherlands). Its services are based on Christian values.
Methods
There are different ways to terminate a pregnancy. Choose the method that suits you best. The possibilities will also depend on how long you’ve been pregnant.
- Abortion pill. If you’ve been pregnant for less than 9 weeks, you can terminate the pregnancy with a medical abortion. This is called the ‘abortion pill’. You can go to an abortion clinic for it, without a referral from your doctor, but some specially trained doctors can also prescribe the abortion pill.
- Vacuum aspiration. A vacuum aspiration (also known as the suction method) is possible if you are less than 13 weeks pregnant. A thin plastic tube is inserted through the vagina to empty the uterus.
- If you are more than 13 weeks pregnant, an abortion is still possible. This can be done up until 22 weeks. The uterus is then emptied using a tube and some special instruments. But not all abortion clinics do this.
Working out how long you’ve been pregnant
You can work out how long you might have been pregnant. Count the number of days from the first day of your last period until now. The pregnancy is counted from that day, because you never know exactly when fertilisation happened.
An example:
Look back in your diary or app to find out when your last period started. Or you may remember exactly which day that was. Count the number of weeks and days from that day until now. Then you’ll know the number of weeks and days that you’re pregnant. So you expected your period, but that didn’t happen because you’re pregnant. When you should have started bleeding, you were already 3, 4 or 5 weeks pregnant.
Ultrasound scan
You usually have an ultrasound scan first to find out the exact length of the pregnancy. That is also necessary to see which method can be used for the termination. An ultrasound will only be done if you give your consent. You don’t have to look if you don’t want to.
Too soon?
If your period is only a couple of days late, the ultrasound might not show anything. You may then have to wait another 1 or 2 weeks for the procedure. A vacuum aspiration won’t be effective if you’ve only been pregnant for a couple of days. The embryo is too small.
Appointment
When you go to an abortion clinic for a termination, they will ask you some questions, like:
- When did you last have your period?
- Can you explain why you want to have an abortion?
- Have you thought about it properly?
- Is an abortion your own choice?
- Are you unsure about your decision?
- Would you like to talk to someone about it?
- Would you like to look at the ultrasound scan?
- Is there any risk of you having an STI?
- Have you thought about contraception after the abortion?
Doctors and nurses at the abortion clinic do not judge your situation in any way. They respect your decision, whatever that is. They will give you information about the different ways to terminate the pregnancy. You will also be told about possible side effects and risks, and about pain relief.
Are you under 16?
If you’re not yet 16, you cannot make a decision about an abortion yourself. You need the consent of a parent or guardian.
Don’t you have their consent, or are you worried about how your parents would react? If you are aged between 12 and 16, an abortion is still possible. The abortion doctor will arrange for you to talk to another adult. A social worker or a doctor, for example. The abortion doctor does this to make sure that no one is making you have the abortion, and that you have thought about it properly.
Forced to have sex?
Were you forced to have sex? Tell the doctor or counsellor at the abortion clinic. You can trust them. They’re not allowed to tell your parents, because they are obliged to keep everything confidential.
Costs
If you live in the Netherlands, you do not have to pay for an abortion. The abortion clinic does not send an invoice to your health insurance company either.
Support
An abortion can be a difficult decision. It helps if you can talk to your boyfriend, parents or a close friend about it. Get support from people you trust. Make sure you don’t have to deal with it all on your own!
When you go to an abortion clinic, you can always take someone with you. Your boyfriend or a female friend, for example. The doctor will only talk to you. So if you have any doubts or questions, or problems with your relationship, you can talk about those then. Health professionals are obliged to keep anything you tell them confidential, so will not tell anyone else. That is only allowed if you give your consent.
Abortion buddy
People who are against abortion sometimes demonstrate outside abortion clinics, or try to talk to women who are going in. That’s why it is a good idea to take someone with you. If you would like to take someone with to the clinic, but don’t know who to ask, you could apply for an ‘abortion buddy’. That’s someone who goes with you and makes sure you can go in without being harassed. Go to samennaardekliniek.nl.
Emotions after an abortion
After an abortion, you may experience all kinds of emotions: relief, sadness, guilt or shame. Some women feel unsure afterwards whether they made the right decision to have an abortion. That's perfectly normal. Mostly those feelings just go away again. Talking to someone about them does help. You can also make an appointment with someone from a Sense clinic or a social worker at Fiom.
Some people say you can develop mental health problems after an abortion. That’s not actually the case. Women who experience mental health issues after an abortion often had those problems before the abortion. People or organisations who say things like this are often against abortion.
Are you experiencing any mental health issues? Free help and support is available via infopuntonbedoeldzwanger.nl and 0800-6160. You can also contact Fiom.
Check up
3 or 4 weeks after the procedure you will have an appointment with your doctor or the abortion clinic. The doctor will check whether the termination went well. They will also give you advice about contraception. If you have any physical problems, or difficulty dealing with your feelings about the abortion, tell the doctor about it.
Very occasionally, the pregnancy hasn’t been terminated. You can do a pregnancy test yourself to check that you’re no longer pregnant.