Abortion FAQ

I offer a personalized and experienced service which is safe, intimate, confidential and speedy.

Abortion is a very traumatic and private procedure and what you do not want is to go through a very public hospital with lots of doctors and nurses, maybe even medical students seeing you go though this painful event in your life. Book for an appointment today.

I have been accredited to perform this procedure since the early 1980s, and therefore have more than 30 years of experience in the field. The long-term wellbeing of my patients is extremely important to me, so you can be assured of receiving safe and reliable medical care.

Hiding from reality or waiting till you have saved up enough money is not a good plan of action.

It is important to confirm your pregnancy immediately and for the doctor to explain all your options.

If you decide to keep the pregnancy for example, you need to know how to look after yourself and your baby for a successful outcome. Whether you choose to give the baby up for adoption or if you wish to bring up the child yourself, you will benefit for the advice of a doctor with many years of experience in this field. How to deal with your parents is also an important issue.

On the other hand, if you choose to abort your pregnancy, then you need to know your choices and what are the costs involved before it is too late to act and when to have this done with the least complications.

All too often I have seen a young mother come in too late for help to be rendered to her, either because she had already endangered her baby, or it is too late to abort.

Prevention is better than cure, so it is better to use condoms or other methods of contraception, than to use abortion as a method of family planning.

However, if you are pregnant by accident, then abortions can now be performed very safely so that the risk of complications should be the main reason why you wish to carry on with the pregnancy. Instead, you should decide on whether to proceed with the abortion based purely on personal reasons.

Risks are therefore very low and it is unlikely to harm your fertility. In fact, the main problem I see all the time is how to keep the patient from getting pregnant again. I often see the patient with a second request for abortion after the first.

The procedures are safe and speedy, and for abortions up to 10 weeks, you only need about one hour in a clinic after the first consultation for the abortion to be completed. Between 10 to 15 weeks, you only need one short extra visit to insert medication to soften the doorway to your womb. From 15 to 24 weeks, the baby would need to be delivered intact, and most patients will require about 3-6 hours at the medical facility for this to be completed.

For the cost of the abortion, it is important to know exactly how big your pregnancy is. You will need to come for a consultation and an ultrasound examination performed by me. The charges total about $250.

The cost of an abortion surgery at the clinic starts from $2,000 and increases with the size of the pregnancy. Please contact the clinic for a more personalised estimate.

Your health and safety is my main concern. I do not believe in cutting corners, or using cheaper drugs or instruments which can compromise on the quality of the service I provide. I am sorry about the price but I cannot lower it by much for the simple reason that I feel that I cannot compromise on quality and safety. I could use poorer quality drugs or non-disposable instruments - but do you wish to end up with permanent damage to your body, fertility and health after the procedure just to save money?

The procedure itself is very fast and needs only 5 minutes for pregnancies up to two and a half months. It is a vacuum suction procedure. However, you will need to be fully prepared before the procedure. This means you need to fast for 4 hours (no food or drink - even water) before seeing the doctor. Also, be prepared to spend about 2 to 3 hours in the clinic. The procedure is performed during sleep - so it is painless. There is no need to stay in hospital because I have the ability to complete the procedure entirely in my clinic - so nobody will suspect that you have gone for an abortion unless you wish people to know.

The bigger your pregnancy, the longer the number of days you should take leave.

Providing you with more days of MC or even Hospitalization Leave is no issue. However, many do not wish to take so much leave as it only attracts more questions from your colleagues or your bosses. It really depends on each patient.

So, whilst some wants 2 weeks of Hospitalization Leave to undergo a period of ‘confinement’, other only want one of two days of MC so that nobody will ‘find out’.

Please discuss with me on how many days of rest you need as each person is different with their needs.

This is hard to predict.

Many have hardly any pain or bleeding the day after – and go to work without any problems. This usually occurs to those who have been pregnant before.

Some patients get more bleeding and cramps after the abortion procedure, and need more painkillers and rest. Trying to predict who gets more pain is like trying to predict who gets heavier or more painful periods in future. This is more often the case with first-timers.

Generally when compared to the pain or flow of normal periods, it can be the same, or at most, a doubling of these symptoms at the most. More rest and pain-killers will usually be sufficient.

However, if it persists, please come back and see me.

All patients are given a review date with me and it is import to keep this appointment to ensure that all is well and there are no complications in the future.

Will anyone find out that I’ve had an abortion?

Full confidentiality is ensured. Parents, boyfriends and husbands are not my patients – you are. Therefore, they will not be informed unless you give me permission to do so.

Do I need my parents’ consent? Will my parents find out?

No parental consent is needed. However, if you are below the age of 16, please note that:

• A police report will have to be made, as it is considered a criminal offence to have sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 16.
• You will have to be referred to the HPB (Health Promotion Board) Counselling Centre for pre-termination of pregnancy counselling; and produce the Certificate of Attendance (COA) issued by the HPB Counselling Centre before the clinic may perform the abortion.

The simple answer is YES, but also can be NO.

We can only perform abortions for those who have stayed in Singapore more than 4 months and we therefore need to see one of these documents:

1. Passport with the date of the entry into Singapore;
2. Employment Pass;
3. Work Permit;
4. Student Pass;
5. Dependant's Pass;
6. Proof of being the wife of a Singaporean;
7. Proof of being wife of Employment Pass/ Work Permit Holder.

We cannot perform abortions for foreigners who come into Singapore on a two week Social or Tourist Pass (except for emergency conditions when she starts to undergo a miscarriage). When a person suffers from a spontaneous miscarriage, emergency surgery can be performed as an emergency procedure since she has suffered from a complication which cannot await her return to her country. The situation is also different if she is suffering from a non-viable pregnancy and other complications of pregnancy.

We do not perform abortions on the same day unless you are already in the process of suffering a miscarriage or if you have already been counselled for TOP 2 days prior. This is the law in Singapore.

The reason we are not allowed to abort on the first visit is due to regulations laid done by the Ministry of Health, which wants you to think about the abortion for 2 days after the first consultation. You will be given a tape to watch which highlights the side effects of the procedure, how the abortion is done and some contraceptive advice. You will need to think about whether to carry on with the abortion over 2 days.

Besides, you need to be fully prepared for the procedure (see above).

For most pregnancies which are 12 weeks or less, the procedure can be completed in my clinic. After that however, it is better to be hospitalized for the expulsion of the fetus.

Yes, Medisave can be used for this procedure, but you will have sufficient funds in your CPF Medisave funds. Deduction is usually partial only. The maximum which can be deducted is $900.00.

However, in order for Medisave to be deducted, you need to show:

1. Your marriage certificate (if you wish to use your spouse’s Medisave);
2. Your latest Medisave statement; &
3. Your NRIC.

After the procedure, you can go home as if nothing happened. At most you will feel like having had menstrual cramps. The procedure is therefore fast and convenient and no one will find out unless you tell them. The effects are similar to having a period with some period cramps – or sometimes a doubling of these symptoms. Sometimes you will get a mild fever within 24 hours of the procedure, but it will pass. Others experience more severe period pains and a heavier menses about one week later. Occasionally the bleeding can flow for two weeks.

That is why it is important to come back to see me for the review of the procedure one week after the abortion.

On the day of the procedure, you will need to be fully prepared before the procedure. This means you need to fast for 4 hours (no food or drink - even water) before seeing the doctor. Also, be prepared to spend about 2 to 3 hours in the clinic.

The procedure is performed during sleep - so it is painless. Most patients even forget what has happened during the procedure and their first question is “is it over?” or even “When are we starting the procedure?”.

What I am actually doing when you are asleep is to insert a very slim and tiny "straw-like" instrument into your womb and by applying a vacuum suction - I will suck the blood and tissues out. As I said, this only takes about 5 to 10 minutes for pregnancies up to two and a half months - the faster the better as there will be less trauma and complications.

After the abortion, you will need about 2 to 3 hours in the clinic to recover from the sedation.

Between the sizes of 10 weeks to 12 weeks, you will need to have medicine inserted into the vagina to make the abortion safer for you. Basically, it means one extra visit to see me. However, this medicine costs $250, and the procedure itself increases to above $1000 in price.

This first stage of the procedure itself is very fast and needs only 5 minutes. However, for the second visit, you again need to fast for 4 hours (no food or drink - even water) before seeing the doctor. Also, be prepared to spend about 2 to 3 hours in the clinic. The procedure is performed during sleep - so it is painless. The actual procedure is very fast, but you will need about one hour or more for the sedative drugs given to wear off.

If your pregnancy is already more than 13 weeks, then the procedure is more complicated and requires more than one visit to the doctor. My procedure however does not require you to be hospitalized.

There are 4 stages for an abortion of this size:

STAGE 1: The preparation of the cervix or 'doorway' to the womb.
STAGE 2: The actual delivery of the fetus.
STAGE 3: The delivery of the placenta with D&C or "washing of the womb"
STAGE 4: The prevention of bleeding, lactation and the recovery.

The first stage of the procedure itself is very fast and needs only 5 minutes.

After the first stage, you will need to wait about 2 days before going on to the second stage.

For the second stage during the second visit, you will need to be fully prepared before the procedure. You should not eat anything on the day of the final 3 stages. Normally, the last 3 stages can be completed in about 3 to 8 hours in the clinic.

First, labour is started with tablets and the exact timing of the delivery depends on the strength of the contractions. After the delivery of the baby, we will need to evacuate the placenta (third stage). This procedure is performed during sleep - so it is painless. The actual procedure is very fast, but you will need about one hour or more for the sedative drugs given to wear off.

The final stage is done partially when you're still asleep with injections, and partially with medicine taken when you go home.

The simple answer:

Yes, you can, but it means suffering a spontaneous miscarriage which can be much more stressful, and also much more painful than the simple surgical procedure. It is also not guaranteed to work, and often leads to an incomplete miscarriage, when complications are more damaging and harder to correct than just a simple TOP procedure. There are also hidden and life-threatening dangers like ectopic pregnancies which can complicate such ‘medical’ abortions.

The longer, more complete answer:

There are two commonly used drugs for abortion in the world. The "gold standard" is RU486 (mifepristone), whilst Cytotec (misoprostol) is the other. Both are usually used in combination, but in many cases, when pregnant women are unable to get hold of both, they may only have access to one.

Both are commonly referred to by the public as the "abortion pill".

The name "abortion pill" gives the mistaken notion that all you need to do for an abortion is to pop a pill. It’s not that simple. The doctor first determines if the woman is actually pregnant and for how long. RU486 or mifepristone can be used only within 7 weeks from the last menstrual period. To take it when the pregnancy is beyond 7 weeks will usually end up with the mother with complications and in hospital.

In the Philippines, for example, from an estimated 400,000 induced abortions each year, about 80,000 cases resulted in problems serious enough to require hospitalization. Many of these are due to the mis-use of drugs like Cytotec.

The procedure of using the "abortion pill" is long, tedious, painful and filled with potential dangers.

Compared to a simple, fast, painless ‘cleansing process’ of the womb performed by a medical professional, using live ultrasound scanning to assure complete removal, the procedure of using the "abortion pill" is long, tedious, painful and filled with potential dangers.

An abortion using medical abortion pills is subject to many factors which are not in control by the doctor, and depends on your response to the medicine, and the outcome of the miscarriage. The entire procedure needs to be supervised by a physician over a period of 2 weeks, during which you will still be suffering from the side-effects of pregnancy like feeling nausea, have morning sickness, feeling bloated, have dyspepsia, besides having breast tenderness, malaise, etc.

If you elect to go for medical abortion, you will be given a 4 day, 13 tablet combination of both mifepristone and misoprostol 48 hours after abortion counselling has been performed.

After this, you will have to be closely monitored for at least the next two weeks to assess whether the pills have done their work, and whether any complication of miscarriage thus induced will occur.

Complications of a Miscarriage can include:

1. Incomplete Miscarriage
2. Infection from Miscarriage
3. Excessive bleeding
4. Recurrence of Miscarriages
5. Stress & Anxiety disorder suffered directly due to the trauma of the miscarriage, even leading to Depression.

In France, where RU-486 (mifepristone) has been legal since 1988, the number of abortions has not increased, with some women actually complaining that taking the pill can be more distressing than going through a surgical abortion.

Besides the above, medical abortion tablets can cause other medical problems, and side-effects like diarrhoea, besides the usual bleeding, cramping, nausea, and headaches of miscarriage.

Therefore, it is critical that you come back for at least 3 follow-up visits to ensure everything went as planned and that there are no complications.

Next, you need to understand that medical abortion with pills is not guaranteed to be 100% successful, and so you will need to be closely followed up for the success of the medicine. In about 10% of cases, the medical ‘pills’ will not work, so surgery is needed.

Next, even if the pills succeed, you will need to suffer a miscarriage, and there is also no guarantee that your miscarriage will be uncomplicated. About 10% end up with complications which may require surgery, intensive treatment or even hospitalisation.

If your pregnancy is already beyond 7 weeks, it is not recommended to try medical abortion by tablets as the success rate falls, and the risks of complications increases to make it too risky to try compared to the vacuum aspiration method which is fast, painless and much safer.

The final costs of Medical Abortions by pills therefore depends on:

1. Whether the pills work. Failure means further treatment and costs;
2. Whether you suffer any complications like infections, excessive bleeding or incomplete miscarriage which may require further surgery or hospitalisation;
3. Multiple follow-up consultations and tests to check up on the miscarriage which you’re hoping to achieve;
4. The loss of income or valuable time due to the suffering from miscarriage, or time needed to rest and recuperate since you are after all having a miscarriage.

It is far better to have a simple suction procedure which is fast, painless and completed within one hour and success assured due to live ultrasound monitoring of the procedure to ensure complete evacuation of the products of conception.

The standard procedure performed in my clinic is performed in your sleep, so when you wake up minutes later, the painless procedure is fully completed. It is basically a vacuum aspiration method to clean the womb of its contents. I use fully flexible cannulas, which assure extremely low complication rates. I have been performing this without problems for the past 35 years in my clinic.

The use of medical abortion pills carries many risks mainly because it is self-administered at home, success cannot be controlled by the doctor. Neither can the miscarriage, which being a natural process, can be protracted, and complicated. There is no way the doctor can control such processes.

Excessive bleeding, stress, pelvic infections and incomplete abortions are the most common problems with self-administered abortion pills. It may be so serious as to require hospitalization, especially if not properly monitored or treated early.

Like all surgical procedures there is the possibility of complications, the most common of which include infection and physical harm to the womb if incorrectly done. The immediate side effects are damage done to the womb like perforation which occurs when the scrapping is not done properly. Also important is infection which occurs because once the womb is evacuated, there is an internal wound within the womb that can get infected by germs coming up from the vagina.

I offer ‘live’ ultrasound coverage during the abortion procedure to ensure that your womb is fully cleared and that such perforation is prevented. Antibiotics are also offered in all cases to prevent infection.

You will be given a video to explain the procedure and it's complications will be explained there. If you're still in doubt, you can ask me during the consultation. You need to wait 2 days after seeing me before the abortion can be performed.

After the procedure, you can go home as if nothing happened. At most you will feel like having had menstrual cramps.

I sympathize with your present predicament, but I am sorry but I do not accept partial payments.

However, if you have a UOB credit card, you can pay by interest free installments.

In the early years I used to accept such payments, but almost all the patients after having had the abortion never came back to see or pay me. They were just taking advantage of my trust and charity.

However, don't wait too long as the cost for the procedure rises very rapidly. Better to borrow the money and have the procedure done earlier when it is simpler, cheaper and less likely to give you problems.