Deciding what to do

Everyone who is facing a pregnancy must answer one basic question: Is this the right time for me to have a child? No responsibility is as important as raising a child. No decision is greater for a woman than this one. While you are are still deciding what to do, or if you are considering continuing the pregnancy, start taking extra care of yourself now. Do not smoke, don’t drink alcohol, don’t take drugs or medications without referring to your doctor and avoid junk food.

How to decide. Although the decision is ultimately yours, or yours together with your partner, you need support. Some couples come together in making this decision, and some pull apart. The best results occur when both of you can talk honestly about how you feel and listen to each other. If you choose to have a friend help you with your decision, choose wisely. Ask them to listen, not to tell you what to do. Ask that they do not tell anyone else without your permission. Sometimes you need to talk to someone else outside the situation, someone who understands, who can explain things and who will listen to you. The Private Clinic can provide you with information required to assist you with your decision or we can assist you with finding a professional counsellor who is unaffiliated with any termination clinic or religious group.

If you decide to contact one of the pregnancy counselling services listed in the Yellow Pages, you should be aware that most of these services are run by religious groups who offer biased advice and will not refer for terminations.

How long do I have to decide? If you are considering having an abortion, you should try to make your decision as soon as possible. At The Private Clinic, terminations can be performed from 5 weeks LMP (5 weeks from the first day of your last period, or approx 1 week after a missed period). The risk of complications, while still very low compared with a delivery at full term, increases after around 10 weeks. The fee also begins to increase after 12 weeks.

If you decide to terminate your pregnancy, the next step is to make an appointment.

If You are considering adoption or raising a child, Department of Community Services (DoCS- NSW) has information that you may find helpful. You should also arrange to see your GP as soon as possible to arrange antenatal care.