Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

Depending on where someone lives, and how far into the pregnancy they are, the path to this time-critical procedure can be obstructed by hurdles that amplify fear, trauma and financial disadvantage. Have your say and provide feedback, ideas and insight to help us create health information that’s useful for all women in Australia. We also work with partner organisations, independent specialists and people with lived experience to make sure our content reflects both expert knowledge and the experiences of the community.
The healthcare rights of iud insertion melbourne all Australians are set out in the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. These rights apply to the healthcare you get anywhere in Australia. After about 2 weeks, you will usually have a follow-up appointment with your doctor. You should get your first menstrual period about 4 to 6 weeks after your procedure. This is to confirm you are pregnant and check the stage of your pregnancy. A blood test is usually recommended 2 to 3 weeks after taking the medicines.

Before booking an abortion, some services will offer a clinic appointment or phone call with a nurse to discuss both medical and surgical abortion so you can decide what is the best option for you. She has extra training and experience in medical terminations and special interests in women’s health, pregnancy care, and sexual health. A GP experienced in prescribing medical terminations, or a sexual health clinic, can provide medication to end a pregnancy. Private health insurance may also cover abortion services, but it’s important to confirm coverage details with your insurer. Understanding the financial aspects and available rebates can help you make an informed decision about your reproductive health options.
There are no out of pocket costs for doctor consultations when attending the clinic for Medicare card holders. In both cases, you can expect some bleeding and cramping in the hours or days afterwards, often similar to a heavy period, and possibly mild side effects like nausea or tiredness. We understand that some people find dealing with their sexual health concerns confronting. But we can comfortably say, that when it comes to sexual health issues, there’s nothing we haven’t seen before. "They can't empathise on the level that we need to understand how important abortion care is for access to education, access to employment, access  to future choice." "And those people are not necessarily single mothers or women of colour or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community leaders. They are often people with medical backgrounds, they're often men.
Private clinics in regional Queensland and Tasmania have relied on fly-in, fly-out doctors, adding to clinic costs. In Perth, Dr Judith Nash’s clinic, which operated from 2001 to 2013, relied on abortion-providing locums from Sydney and Melbourne to allow her to take leave. The costs and travel required for abortion differ greatly across Australia. People in rural and regional areas experience more significant delays in accessing care because of the relative scarcity of services. From 12–24 weeks, surgical abortions take longer and require more specialised care.

Having an unplanned pregnancy can be a scary and emotional time – and finding the right support makes the world of difference during a stressful time. Staff may need extra time with some patients or may be called to another part of the hospital. Contact your nearest  clinic to find out what services they offer and when they are open.
The LHD later provided their advice, but more than two years after the questions were first raised, the executive had still not given permission for the service to resume. Internally, it was decided there was nothing to gain from upsetting anti-abortion and religious groups across the country, when the states had responsibility for abortion care anyway. Because in the years since decriminalisation began, not enough has been done to improve the infrastructure that provides this care to the people who need it most. "The receptionist booked me in with a female doctor, and then 20 minutes later they rang back and said the doctor was not comfortable providing the service that I wanted," she says. Kate had just moved 10 hours away from her family in Melbourne, to central-west New South Wales. She was about to start looking for a job when she discovered that, to her surprise, she was pregnant.
This is a medical emergency and cannot be managed with a standard medical or surgical abortion. If you choose a medical abortion, you’ll take the first tablet (mifepristone) at the clinic or at home, then a second dose (misoprostol) 24–48 hours later so the pregnancy can be safely terminated. There is no national data collected on how many terminations are performed each year, so arguments that hospitals could become overwhelmed with abortion seekers are hard to substantiate. Abortion laws specify that health practitioners must disclose their conscientious objection and either provide information about where to get an abortion or refer a patient on. The ABC has spoken to clinicians right across the country who have witnessed senior health workers and practitioners, hospital managers and executives restricting access to abortion. Access has improved where state and territory governments have intervened with guidelines, laws or policies for public hospitals to adhere to.

Here, the cervix is dilated and a plastic tube inserted to empty the uterus via gentle suction. In Queensland, SA, Victoria, the ACT and Western Australia, other suitably qualified health professionals, such as midwives and registered nurses, can prescribe early medication abortion. Several training and regulatory barriers also impede pathways to becoming a provider.
The procedure is performed under a gentle general anaesthetic, and you will be cared for by an experienced, supportive medical team throughout. Ms Kaur was initially offered a medical abortion, where taking a pill brings on bleeding, but she opted for a surgical abortion after being concerned about the side effects. A new pregnancy can occur very soon after an abortion, so if you want to prevent pregnancy, you may want to discuss contraception options with your doctor or nurse. Abortion services in Victoria are already stretched, with the auditor-general  finding in May last year 17 local government areas had no access to surgical or medical abortion. Under Victoria's Abortion Law Reform Act, a registered health practitioner — such as a doctor or pharmacist — is allowed to voice a conscientious objection to terminating a pregnancy. They are then legally required to refer women to someone who does not hold an objection.

You generally don’t need a doctor’s referral to access abortion services, but this may depend on the type of service you need and where you go. Many doctors will ask you to have a blood test and ultrasound to check the number of weeks you have been pregnant. This helps to determine which type of abortion is best for you. The Sexual and Reproductive Health Service provides specialist assessment, treatment, education and referral for sexual and reproductive health concerns.
If accepted for care, patients will receive appointment details by phone call (termination of pregnancy) or letter by post (contraception and IUD). For pregnancy options counselling or abortion referrals, the pregnancy must be confirmed prior to referral. After 2 – 6 hours the bleeding usually settles to the level of a normal period and continues like that of a normal period for another 3 – 7 days.