There are two kinds of surgical abortion procedures. If you are less than fifteen weeks pregnant you will typically have an aspiration procedure. You will be given a sedative to keep you awake but relaxed as well as numbing medication injected into the cervix. A tube with a suction device will be inserted through the cervix and into the uterus where the contents of the uterus are emptied. The entire process usually takes only five minutes. 

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The second kind of surgical abortion is called a D&E or dilation and extraction and is usually used for people who are more than 15 weeks pregnant. This one takes slightly longer, about ten to twenty minutes and is mostly the same as an aspiration procedure except that it involves a few more steps to ensure your uterus is completely empty.