Planning for Your Appointment
Due to Ohio's 24-hour waiting law, an abortion usually requires at least two clinic visits. You'll have your procedure on the second visit. If you're more than 17 weeks pregnant, it usually requires three visits.
General Instructions
- Wear a loose-fitting, 2-piece outfit, including socks and underwear.
- Make sure you park in Preterm's parking lot, not in any of the nearby lots.
- Be prepared to see protesters in front of our building. Please ignore them.
- Bring a valid photo ID. If you're a minor coming with your parent, you both need a valid photo ID and you need to bring a copy of your birth certificate.
- Bring your insurance, Medicaid, Wellcare, or CareSource card, if you have one.
- If you're using a credit card for payment, make sure the cardholder is with you and has ID.
- We do our best to move you through your appointment as quickly as we can, but there will be a lot of WAITING. Bring a book or magazine or a quiet activity to pass the time. You are also welcome to visit the reflection room and our freecycle station. Coffee, pop, and snack machines are available.
Day 1 Visit
The first day appointment takes about 3-4 hours. During the first visit,
- you'll fill out out a medical history and other paperwork,
- meet with our intake staff to get you checked in and go over payments and insurance,
- have an ultrasound exam,
- have your finger pricked so we can take a small blood sample to check for anemia and to see whether you're RH positive or negative (you'll need to have a Rhogam injection after you abortion if you are RH-), and
- have a private counseling session with a patient advocate and a private consultation with a physician.
Day 2 Visit
The length of the second visit will depend on what services you are having. It can take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. When you schedule your second visit, we'll give you an estimate of how long it will take and any special instructions you'll need to follow.
Please see the Abortion Services section for a description of what will happen during your procedure.
A patient advocate will be there to support you during your procedure. Afterwards, you will rest for a while in the recovery room. A nurse will go over instructions for how to take care of yourself at home and give you with birth control supplies/prescriptions if you want them.
If you're having oral sedation, conscious sedation or anesthesia, here are some additional reminders:
- You must have a driver with you to drive you home.
- Don't have any alcohol or marijuana for 24 hours before your appointment.
- If you're having anesthesia or conscious sedation and you have a nose, lip or tongue piercing, you'll need to remove it before the procedure.
- If you're having conscious sedation, don't take anything by mouth after midnight the night before your appointment except clear liquids. This means no food, including candy or gum. You can drink clear liquids up until four hours before your appointment.
- If you're having anesthesia, don't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your appointment—not even water or gum.
