For Parent, Partner & Friends

Especially for Family & Friends

Is abortion safe? Over 1.2 million women had abortions in this country last year, 89% during the first trimester of pregnancy, by vacuum aspiration, the method we use here. It is considered one of the safest medical procedures, and serious complications are very rare, particularly with an experienced female physician like Dr. Cousins. She is licensed in both NYS and Pennsylvania, graduated from Harvard Medical School, and was the Chief ObGyn Resident at Mt.Sinai Hospital. She has specialized in abortion care since 1984.

What will the patient be doing for 3-4 + hours? We schedule everything in one visit for your convenience, but it can be a long day. (By the way, we do have wifi internet access as well as a DVD player you can borrow.) After she checks in she will be filling out a medical history which we will go over with her. We will also take payment at this time. She will be seen by a lab tech for blood and urine tests. An ultrasound will be done. A counselor will explain the procedure and answer questions before she sees the doctor. The medication she gets will take some time to take effect. A nurse will check vital signs and help her through the procedure. She can then relax in our recovery room for about half an hour, where she will get aftercare instructions and medications. There will be waiting between each step, but her entire visit should still be about 3-4 hours. We ask that she not eat without checking with us first.

Please don't leave if you are the one with payment or insurance information, and let us know how to reach you if you will be out of the waiting room.

How will she be when she leaves? Patients are generally surprised how well they feel when they leave, although if she has had sedation, she will likely feel sleepy. She may feel hungry and a light meal is OK. She may also feel crampy or sometimes nauseous. Although we do not recommend strenuous activity or heavy lifting, she can resume normal activities. Please read the Aftercare Instructions (pink brochure) for more info.

Will she be able to have children later? An uneventful abortion should make no difference in a woman’s fertility. Preventing infections now and in the future is the best way to protect fertility.

What can I do to be helpful? Your presence is very helpful to her and we encourage you to read all the information we give out. There is an Information Notebook in the waiting room with additional information that might be helpful to you, including copies of Advice to Male Partners,  Advice to Parents, and Healthy Coping After an Abortion, and several other resources. Although you cannot be with her during the procedure or recovery, you can check with us about her progress. If you are responsible for young children, they cannot stay in the office, but we can recommend some nearby activities. Our priority is the patient today, but if you have questions or need to talk, we will help if we can, given some time and staff limitations.

What is the Access Fund used for? We accept donations to our prochoice fund for use in helping needy patients as well as for other prochoice causes. We belong to the National Network of Abortion Funds, the Abortion Care Network, and the Abortion Conversation Project which we support. Thank you for your support.

Other Stuff: We appreciate your help in keeping the parking lot clean. Use appropriate trash cans for waste. The bathroom key is available at the front desk. Please ask to use our phone if you need to make a call. As patients are asked not to eat now, we ask you not to eat in front of them. Please use cell phones in the outer lobby or outside. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.