Abortion Services

IV Sedation, Advanced Technology IV Sedation, Deep IV Sedation and General Anesthesia

The Legal Abortion By Pill Clinic offers several forms of IV sedation and Analgesia for our patients. This is because we want our patients to have the least amount of anxiety, pain, and discomfort possible while undergoing their surgical abortion procedure. With the many options to reduce anxiety and pain today, there is no reason or excuse for any patient to have pain or discomfort while undergoing their termination of pregnancy procedure. The days of pain, anxiety and discomfort associated with abortion procedures should be long gone. Unfortunately this is not the case and patients should be cautious and careful in choosing a Physician or facility regarding anesthesia and sedation. There are some facilities that do not use or believe in IV sedation or analgesia. We at Legal Abortion By Pill Clinic feel that women should be able to undergo a surgical abortion without pain, anxiety or discomfort. This allows a woman’s self esteem, worthiness, honor and dignity to remain intact instead of thinking that they should be punished and deserve to remember the possible pain and discomfort when having a surgical abortion procedure performed. This is not how a woman should feel as 1.2 million abortions are performed in the U.S. each year. Over 50% of women who present for an abortion procedure have used some form of birth control in the previous 30 days in which they got pregnant. So it is not like most patients do not try to prevent becoming pregnant.

There are five options to choose for reducing pain, discomfort and anxiety in our offices.

1. Local Anesthesia
   Lidocaine is placed in the patient’s cervix after she is placed in the same position as having a routine gynecological exam and Pap Smear performed. A speculum in placed inside the vagina and the Lidocaine is injected into the cervix which causes the cervix to become numb. Serial dilators are used to open the cervix which can still cause uterine cramps and cause lower abdominal, pelvic, and upper thigh pressure, discomfort and pain. A sterile curette about the size of a straw is inserted through the cervix and attached to a tube that is connected to a suction machine which removes the pregnancy in a gentle fashion. The uterine cramps can occur while the procedure is being performed and can last 3 to 20 minutes after completion of the procedure. The discomfort becomes less with each passing minute.
   
2. Intravenous Sedation
   Medications are diluted in an Intravenous (IV) bag of fluids and infused into an IV line into the patient’s vein. Medications can also be injected directly into the patient’s vein. These medications generally consist of narcotics (fentanyl, ultiva, morphine, Demerol), barbiturates (versed, valium, lorazepam), sedatives (phenergan, Benadryl), anxiolytics (ativan), analgesics (toradol, decadron), sedatives (propofol, phenergan, compazine, hydrazine). Many other medications can be used to decrease anxiety and pain.
   
3. Advanced IV Sedation
   Recent technologically advanced medications that can call faster sedation and reduce pain and are cleared from the body within 30 minutes have been introduced over the past few years. This allows patients to be able to drive themselves home after having the abortion procedure performed.
   This allows maximum privacy to patients who are uncomfortable in letting anyone know that they are having an abortion performed. Most patients do not remember or feel anything during the procedure process.
   
4. Deep IV Sedation
   This is for patients who do not want to remember or feel anything during the procedure. The patient is still awake and can still respond to verbal commands and painful stimuli. Most patients are surprised to learn that they were not fully asleep because of the fact that they do not recall or feel any part of the surgical procedure. There is the rare patient who is able to move and even feel the procedure with this method.
   
5. General Anesthesia
   For patients who have extreme anxiety and fear or move or feel the procedure with Deep IV Sedation, General Anesthesia should be considered. Patients do not remember, feel or have any discomfort during the abortion procedure. They may experience minimal to moderate cramps when waking up. The recovery time is generally no longer than one hour.
   

Preoperative Instructions For Patients Who Want Regular, Advanced Technology and Deep IV Sedation and

General Anesthesia

1. Patients may eat a light meal or drink just prior to arrival to the office.
   
2. Patients must have a person to drive them home unless having advanced IV sedation where they are able to drive themselves home. Except for those who have advanced IV sedation, we ask patients not to drive or operate machinery for at least 12 hours.
   
3. There should be no use of street drugs or drugs that may cause drowsiness or sleepiness for 24 hours prior to coming to our offices
   
4. If you have allergies to the medications we use, you will not be able to undergo sedation.

A patient may request an exclusive or private appointment with Dr. Pendergraft by contacting him by E-mail preferable: Drpendergraft@gmail.com or call him directly at 321-445-2545 or call office location nearest you by clicking locations. Same day appointments can be arranged.  

For further information including family planning, please visit our premiere website.

www.womenscenter.com

Legal Abortion By Pill Clinic
Offering Medical and Surgical Abortion
3 to 24 Weeks