120 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
200m from Central Station
Ph. (02) 9690-0000
Open Monday - Saturday
Frequently Asked Questions
Aftercare instructions & what to expect afterwards
About the "Morning after pill"
All surgical procedures carry risks, however under modern conditions and in the hands of an experienced doctor, the risk of a serious complication associated with a termination of pregnancy is very low. For pregnancies over 12 weeks, the risks gradually increase as the pregnancy advances in to the mid-second trimester, however even at this stage, the risks are still much lower than a delivery at full term. All patients attending the clinic for a termination of pregnancy receive counselling from the doctor which includes an explanation of the procedure and it's known risks.
Will my future fertility be affected?
Provided that there are no major complications, (which are rare), and the procedure is performed in a clinical setting by an experienced doctor, future fertility is not effected by one, or even several abortions. In fact, following a surgical termination of pregnancy, many women find that it is very easy to conceive in the months after the procedure. The most significant causes of fertility problems in women, are advanced maternal age and untreated sexually transmitted infections. Specifically Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection which is caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. The incidence of chlamydia in sexually active men and women is increasing at an alarming rate and in many cases there may be no obvious symptoms so it can be undetected for months or even years.
Chlamydia can affect the urethra (the urine passage), cervix (the neck of the womb), rectum, anus, throat, and eyes. If chlamydia is not properly treated it can cause serious complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Treatment simply involves a course of antibiotics but it is very important that your partner is also treated otherwise reinfection can occur.
Patients who hold a Medicare card and attend the Private Clinic are offered a test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. The cost is covered by Medicare. This involves sending a small sample of urine to a pathology lab for analysis and results are returned to us the following day. If you test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhoea, we will call you with instructions.
Download our fact sheet on chlamydia.
What is the law regarding abortions in NSW ?
In NSW, abortions are permitted when performed by a qualified doctor with the patient's consent. The doctor performing the procedure must hold a belief based on reasonable grounds, that the termination is necessary to protect the woman's mental or physical health, or to preserve the woman from serious danger to her life. Social and economic factors may be considered.
If you are aged 14 years or over, you do not require your parent's consent to have an abortion.
If you are under 14 years, you will require the consent of a parent or guardian. Many patient's who were, at first, worried about their parent's reaction, find that their parent's are very understanding and supportive during this time.
Medicare and the Private Clinic are bound under the privacy act, to maintain the privacy of all patients who attend the clinic. If you are on your parent's Medicare card, you can claim directly from a Medicare office without details being made available to your parents. Medicare are bound by law not to reveal details of your medical history to your parents or family members. If you are 15 years old, you are eligible for your own Medicare card.
Is the abortion pill available?
At the current time, some doctors in Australia have obtained special permission to prescribe the "abortion pill" for medical terminations from 5 - 9 weeks.
The Private Clinic does not offer the abortion pill. After consideration of the risks and benefits of medical terminations, and after speaking with many patients who attend our clinic, we have found that the perceived benefits of a medical abortion frequently do not meet patient's expectations. The risk of complications associated with medical abortion have been shown to be slightly greater than with the surgical procedure, mainly owing to the fact that the bleeding associated with the medical termination tends to be heavier and for a longer duration than is normally associated with a surgical termination. Around 5% of women undergoing a medical abortion will still require a surgical procedure to manage persistent heavy bleeding and approximately 1 in every 500 to 1000 women will bleed heavily to the extent that they will require a blood transfusion.
For a few patients who are at a slightly higher risk with having a surgical termination of pregnancy (eg. suffering from obesity, or with known allergies to anaesthetic medications), a medical termination may sometimes be a good option.
Surgical terminations on the other hand offer patients greater certainty that the termination has been completed successfully, and the whole process only takes a few hours while under direct medical supervision.
The average age of a woman attending the Private Clinic for a pregnancy termination is 28 years old. Despite many people assuming that it is mostly teenagers having terminations, only 7.2% of our patients are under 20 years old.
The vast majority of all women were practicing some form of birth control at the time.
Many women have completed their family and now have an unplanned pregnancy. They might also be at a critical point in her career path. Other women fall pregnant unexpectedly in the early stages of a new relationship and the couple are not ready to commit to raising a child together.
Of course there are an infinite number of reasons why women may seek to terminate their pregnancy and they are all valid and we treat them all with understanding and respect.
The following chart shows the age distribution of patients who attended The Private Clinic between 1 January 2000 to 30 December 2006.
Where can I find more information about abortion?
A large proportion of information available on the internet, contains incorrect or misleading information written by anti-choice groups. Here are a few web sites that provide accurate information.
More Information
National Abortion Federation (USA)
Children by Choice (Qld)
FPA
Health (NSW) - Fact sheets
The Better Health Channel (Vic)
Internal links
Our home page
Contact us
Make an appointment
120 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
200m from Central
Ph. 9690-0000
Open Monday - Saturday
