The experience of finding out you are pregnant is different for everyone. Around 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned. For some pregnant people, making the decision to have an abortion may be clear. But for others the decision may feel difficult or confusing and at times overwhelming, with many factors impacting on the decision.
At the Northern Health Abortion Service our team of health professionals include midwives, doctors and a counsellor. We provide a safe, pro-choice, and highly professional service to women and gender diverse people.
What to expect from the service?
- Early Medical Abortion (EMA)
- Surgical termination of pregnancy (STOP)
- Non-directive pregnancy counselling for women and gender diverse people
- Contraception advice and provision of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) procedures, such as Implanon implant and intrauterine device (IUD).
Eligibility Criteria
Early Medical Abortion is only available for pregnancies under 9.0 weeks gestation.
Surgical termination of pregnancy is available for pregnancies up to 13.6wks gestation*.
*Please note, if your patient is 14 weeks gestation or more, please refer them to The Royal Women’s Hospital Abortion & Contraception Service
Pre-tests
We do not require any blood tests or ultrasound in order to accept a referral to the service. If the patient is >10.0 weeks gestation we will require a blood group and antibody screen. We offer a small number of appointments for onsite ultrasound on the day of abortion, but as these spaces are limited we prefer if a patient is able to complete their ultrasound in the community prior to their appointment.
If you have a patient who is pregnant and seeking pregnancy options counselling, we recommend that you refer them to 1800 My Options.
Telephone: 1800 696 784, Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.
1800 My Options provides information about pregnancy options, contraception and sexual health in Victoria.
Referrals to the Abortion Service:
Self-referrals:
Patients can self-refer to our service by calling: 0499 648 378
Internal referrals:
Alternatively, referrals can be made on CPF by submitting an internal referral.
- Log into CPF and enter the patient’s UR number in the search bar.
- Select the “Summary tab”
- Click on “Submit Internal Referral”
- Complete your (referrer) details
- Complete “Consultation by” details including priority, which will be dependent on the gestation
- Complete “Reason for Referral” and “Main Problem” details which are mandatory fields.
- Include: last menstrual period (LMP) if known, details of ultrasound if any, blood group if >10wks gestation
- Click on submit
Next Steps:
Once we have received a self-referral or an internal referral on CPF, we will contact the patient via telephone for an initial consult within 24-48 hours.
Please note that there is no staffing on Wednesdays currently and the phone is not monitored on this day.
Initial Telephone Consult:
This consult takes approximately 15-20 minutes and is used to gather relevant information to ensure the patient meets our criteria*, discuss the care pathway and individual needs, and answer any questions.
Following this the patient will be booked for a face-to-face appointment at Broadmeadows Hospital. Patients receive confirmation of this appointment via email.
*If the patient does not meet our criteria, we will refer them to an alternative service.
Face to face Appointment:
Our clinic runs on Thursdays and Fridays. If the patient is having a surgical abortion, this will occur the same day as the outpatient clinic. If the patient is opting for early medical abortion the medication will be prescribed on the day and then commenced at home at a time suitable to the patient. Patients will be offered screening tests where relevant, including a cervical screening test, sexual health screen, and blood born virus test.
Location
Resources
If you require information about abortion in other languages: