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What happens during an abortion consultation?
A step-by-step look at an abortion consultation: the questions you will be asked, how the assessment works, and what you can ask in return.
Key points
- A consultation is a conversation, not a commitment.
- The clinician needs to establish how far along the pregnancy is.
- You will be asked about your health so that care can be made safe for you.
- Counselling is offered but is not compulsory.
Why there is a consultation at all
It can be tempting to skip straight to treatment. The consultation exists because the right care depends on facts about you: how far along the pregnancy is, your health, and what you want. It is also where you get to ask questions and where your consent is properly informed.
Before the consultation
You do not need to prepare, but a few things help if you have them:
- the first day of your last menstrual period, even approximately
- a list of medicines you take and any health conditions
- any questions you want answered, written down so you do not forget them
The conversation
The clinician will introduce themselves and explain that what you say is confidential. They will usually ask what has brought you in and what you already know. You can say as much or as little about your reasons as you wish — in the first 12 weeks, South African law does not require you to give a reason at all.
The assessment
The clinician then gathers the information they need to care for you safely:
- Dating the pregnancy. Usually from your last period; a scan or examination may be recommended if it is clinically needed.
- Your medical history. Previous pregnancies, operations, long-term conditions, allergies and medicines.
- How you are now. Any pain, bleeding or other symptoms.
None of these questions is a test you can fail. Honest answers simply let the clinician recommend what is appropriate.
Your options
Once the assessment is complete, the clinician explains which options are open to you. For each one you should hear what it involves, the risks, the alternatives, and what happens afterwards. If something is unclear, ask for it to be explained again.
Counselling
Counselling is offered before and after a termination on a non-mandatory, non-directive basis. You may find it helpful to talk things through, or you may already be certain. Either is fine.
Consent
Nothing happens without your informed consent, and yours is the only consent required. You can also decide to go away and think. Deciding not to proceed, or not yet, is a perfectly valid outcome of a consultation.
If your consultation is by phone or video
The steps are the same. The clinician will also decide whether they can care for you safely at a distance or whether you need to be seen in person. See telehealth abortion care.
Sources and further reading
- Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996 (as amended). Republic of South Africa.
- National Clinical Guideline for Implementation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act. National Department of Health, South Africa.
- Abortion care guideline (2022). World Health Organization.