Women's Health

Exams and tests are used to diagnose a pregnancy and to check for any health conditions you may have that need special consideration. Regardless of whether you know that you would continue a pregnancy or have an abortion, your evaluation will include a medical history, a physical exam, and some laboratory tests.

A physical exam before an abortion includes:

• Taking your vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart rate.
• Listening to your heart and lungs.
• Performing a pelvic exam to determine the size and shape of your uterus. The size of the uterus can help estimate the number of weeks you are pregnant. A pelvic exam also allows your doctor to check the ovaries and fallopian tubes for a possible tubal (ectopic) pregnancy, which would feel like an abnormal mass in the pelvis.

Laboratory tests before an abortion include:

• A urine pregnancy test to determine that you are pregnant. (You may have missed a menstrual cycle for another reason, such as stress, and not because you are pregnant.)
• A blood test to determine:
  • Whether you have low blood iron (anemia). If you have anemia, your doctor may want you to take some iron supplements before and after an abortion.
  • Your blood type and whether you are Rh-negative. If you are Rh-negative, you should receive a vaccine called Rh immunoglobulin after an abortion. For more information, see the topic Rh Sensitization During Pregnancy.
• Screening for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), if you are at high risk for an STD. This is not a routine test before an abortion but may be done to reduce the risk of complications, such as an infection, after the procedure.
• A Pap smear to check for cervical cell abnormalities (dysplasia), if you are due for one (not a routine test before an abortion).

An ultrasound may be done to check your uterus size and shape and to make sure the pregnancy is in the uterus. A transvaginal ultrasound done in the first trimester is the most accurate method of learning how long you have been pregnant.