Options Clinic
  
 
 
 

 
  
 

General Information

Unplanned Pregnancy Options

Unplanned pregnancies can happen to all sorts of women:

  •  rich or poor
  •  married or single 
  •  teenagers or pre-menopausal woman
  •  women with large families or those with no children.

This information can help you to consider your choices and decide what you will do. You don’t have to make this difficult decision alone, advice and support is available from many organisations. Be aware that some organisations set up to help pregnant woman have very strong beliefs, which you may not share. Try finding out about the organisations before approaching them. Alternatively if you are not getting the sort of advice and support you want from an agency, don’t feel intimidated. Simply go elsewhere for help.

Are you really pregnant?

Find out whether you are pregnant for sure, before you begin worrying. A missed period is the most obvious sign, but doesn’t always mean you’re pregnant. Other symptoms are nausea and vomiting, sore breasts, needing to pass urine frequently and tiredness.

If you think you are pregnant, have a test. There are two types of pregnancy tests; urine and blood tests are available from doctors and women’s health services. Home tests are available from Chemists and supermarkets but the results should be checked by a health professional.

You should have a test if you think you might be pregnant and your period is more than a week late.

The Choice is then yours ...

If you are pregnant you have three options:

  • To continue the pregnancy and become a sole or Co-parent
  • To continue the pregnancy and choose adoption.
  • To terminate the pregnancy by choosing abortion.

When a woman finds out she is pregnant she can react in different ways. Just because a pregnancy is unplanned, it may not be unwanted. On the other hand, a woman may immediately know that she definitely doesn't want to have a child.

Ignoring an unwanted pregnancy won't make it go away. Seek help as early as possible. There is no ideal solution to an unwanted pregnancy. You may not be happy with any of these options, but you need to choose the one that is best for you at this time. Only you know what you want out of life and which options you should take.

It is important not to rush into any quick decision until you have had time to think over your options.

It may be helpful to talk to a close friend, your parents, and the partner in the pregnancy or a professional counsellor. Some things to consider when making your choice include:

  • Think about your plans for the next few years; how will a baby change them? Perhaps you think a baby will make you "miss out" on life, or there maybe things you want to do before parenthood.
  • What about pressure from other people? Is anyone trying to make you do what's best for them?
  • Are you uncomfortable about the advice you are getting from anyone?
  • Do you feel different about the options available now that you are pregnant?
  • Think about what having a baby means. Could you afford it? Would your partner or parents be supportive? Could you cope with a dependant and demanding baby?

If you are in a relationship:

Is your relationship with your partner happy and strong enough to cope with child raising?

AND

What will happen if the relationship with your partner breaks up after you have the child?

By making a careful informed decision, you can take responsibility for your own decision. In years to come you will be able to look back knowing that you did what was best for you at the time.

1. Continuing with the pregnancy and becoming a parent

Becoming a parent can be joyful and exciting, but the years of commitment involved are an ongoing responsibility.

This will mean alteration to life plans to allow you to spend time caring and providing for your baby. You may have to interrupt your education or your work during pregnancy and/or afterwards. It is important not to underestimate the amount of time and energy involved in mothering. It is a 24hour a day commitment. Children take many years before they grow up to be independent.

If you decide to continue the pregnancy, there are many sources of help you can use during pregnancy and while raising your child.

You should begin regular antenatal or pregnancy care from your health care professional no later than 10 weeks after your last period. You will then have regular appointments through the 40 weeks of pregnancy. Public hospitals, some general practitioners, private obstetricians and midwives provide antenatal care. Classes to prepare you for childbirth and parenting are widely available and are strongly recommended, especially for a first pregnancy.


 

 
  

2. Adoption

If you don’t feel able to keep the child, adoption is another alternative.

Adoption is a legal process whereby you permanently give up all parental rights towards your child, and the child is placed with approved adoptive parents, who become the legal parents of the child.

Making the decision to place your baby for adoption is not easy. It is helpful to talk to someone who is objective and can give you accurate information.

You and anyone else who is invoved can talk to:
A child care officer from your local office of the Department of Family Youth and Community Care.  A social worker at the hospital where you plan to have your baby or a counsellor from a community organisation.

3. Abortion / Termination of pregnancy (TOP)

Approximately 80,000 women in Australia each year make the decision to have a termination of pregnancy (TOP). To put this another way, approximately one woman in every three will choose to terminate a pregnancy at some time in their reproductive lives. Whilst this is legal in certain circumstances the law does vary from State to State and can be open to interpretation - especially in relation to age of consent.

Termination is most commonly performed in the 'first trimester', between six and fourteen weeks of pregnancy. After this time the procedure does become more complex. In fact, second trimester TOP, that is, after 14 weeks, carries a higher risk, becomes much more expensive and has a significanlty higher complication rate. Since pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last period, it is important to access medical assistance, as soon as possible, to ascertain your exact dates. Talk to a doctor or a health care professional with whom you feel comfortable. Your doctor may order an ultrasound if your dates are still uncertain. (An ultrasound screen can be provided for you at both of the Options Clinics).

First trimester TOP, between six and fourteen weeks, is a convincingly safe procedure. It requires one visit to the clinic of between 4 and 6 hours, although, (rarely), it may require a second procedure. Interestingly, it is statistically safer to have a first trimester TOP than it is to continue to term - provided it is done in a safe medical environment and under experienced medical care. Whilst the complications of surgery and anaesthesia are indeed rare in healthy young women, it is important for you to discuss any  fears you may have with the clinic medical staff.

There is no convincing medical evidence that true clinical depression is any more common after TOP than it is after childbirth. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is however, sometimes very difficult and there are often other considerations such as lost relationships and lost oppotunities which can lead to an understandable sense of loss. It is important to discuss these issues with a trusted adviser before proceding to TOP. It is also important to ensure that this is YOUR decision. Not your partners, not your parents or peer groups', not your employers...this decision has to be yours and in YOUR best interests. Remember the clinic doctors are on your side and their actions also have to be in your best interests. They will not terminate a pregnancy on behalf of a third party, nor will they terminate a pregnancy where they consider that you will have unreasonable regret. The clinics role is to help you get your life back on track and under these circumstances, where you have made a reasonable decision, then depression is unlikely. Other emotions such as guilt, fear, shame or a sense of loss are not uncommon and counselling is available to help. Most people however, experience an overwhelming sense of relief and a clear understanding that their decision was right for them given the timing and the circumstances involved.

Finally, "medical abortion" (rather than a surgical proceedure ) may be an option for those women who wish to be involved in their own termination of pregnancy. This involves an injection of methotrexate and a minimum of two visits to the clinic. Unfortunately the abortion can then occur at any time or place, which may be embarrassing and inconvenient. Since up to 10% of women choosing medical abortion will need to have some form of surgical intervention as well, it would seem simpler to have a surgical procedure, although, as always, the option is yours.

First trimester terminations are performed at the Options Clinics in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast as follows:-

Tweed Heads Medical Centre
127 Wharf Street,
Tweed Heads,NSW 2485
(07) 5536 1626

Spring Hill Clinic (Brisbane City)
1st Floor, 383 Wickham Terrace,
Spring Hill, Brisbane (City), Qld 4000
(07) 3831 8300

Either clinic may be contacted via
FREECALL on 1800 626 533.
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