Summit Medical Centers is one of the nation's leading abortion clinic providers and an originator of outpatient second trimester procedures. Though some of our Summit Centers provide second trimester abortions up to 24 weeks, contact your local Summit Center to find out how far they offer abortion services.

The information below is specific to second trimester abortion procedures based on length of pregnancy.

In addition to your abortion procedure, all patients will fill out paperwork, undergo lab work, blood testing, and a counseling session. Some patients may opt to have STD testing at this time as well (counseling and treatment available for this as well). All Summit patients will be offered medications to help with pain, antibiotics, and birth control options.

For more information on what to expect during your surgical abortion, visit the Surgical Abortion page.

For patients 12-14 weeks
Early second trimester abortions are one-day procedures that typically last about 5-8 minutes. You may be offered a medication before your abortion to "soften" the cervix, making dilation easier and safer for the patient.

For patients 14 - 19.1 weeks
These second trimester abortions are most often one-day procedures that typically last about 5-10 minutes. In some cases, a two-day abortion procedure may be required (for details, continue reading the the information below, and contact your local Summit provider for details).

For patients over 19 weeks
In some later second trimester abortions, you may be required to make 2-3 visits over the course of 2-3 days (applicable for patients in Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada only). In cases where multiple visits are required, you'll undergo everything you would for a one-day visit: paperwork, lab work, ultrasound, and a counseling session specific to your procedure on the first day. You'll then receive care and medications to help to begin dilation of the cervix before going home. This may include laminaria (a sterile seaweed that expands with water) which is inserted into the cervix to aid slow, gentle dilation, making the surgical procedure safer for the patient. The next morning you will likely return to Summit to complete your abortion procedure, or continue the dilation process. Please contact the specific location for details on later/2-3 day surgical abortion procedures.