Vacuum aspiration
| Background | |
|---|---|
| Abortion type | Surgical |
| First use | China 1958 and UK 1967 |
| Gestation | 3-13+6 weeks |
| Usage | |
| Figures are combined usage of MVA and EVA. | |
| Sweden | 42.7% (2005) |
| UK: Eng. & Wales | 64% (2006) |
| United States | 59.9% (2016) |
| Infobox references | |
Vacuum or suction aspiration is a procedure that uses a vacuum source to remove an embryo or fetus through the cervix. The procedure is performed to induce abortion, as a treatment for incomplete spontaneous abortion (otherwise commonly known as miscarriage) or retained fetal and placental tissue, or to obtain a sample of uterine lining (endometrial biopsy). It is generally safe, and serious complications rarely occur.
Some sources may use the terms dilation and evacuation or "suction" dilation and curettage to refer to vacuum aspiration, although those terms are normally used to refer to distinctly different procedures.