Surgical termination: what the procedure involves
Lawful, licensed, confidential. Termination of pregnancy at Pai Hospital is carried out lawfully under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 (as amended), at a licensed facility, by registered medical practitioners, within the limits and the certification that the Act requires. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind, at any stage, for any reason. Your identity and your treatment are confidential.
Surgical termination is a short, day-care procedure to empty the uterus, usually done when a pregnancy is too advanced for medication, when a medical termination was incomplete, or simply because it is the option chosen. At Pai Hospital it is carried out under real-time sonographic guidance.
What real-time sonographic guidance means
The doctor watches the uterus on the ultrasound screen throughout the procedure, in real time, rather than working by feel. It means the uterus is seen to be empty before the procedure ends rather than assumed to be — which is what makes an incomplete evacuation, and a second visit for it, less likely. The scanning is done in our own department, by our own doctors, in this building.
What the day involves
- Before: a consultation and a scan, done here on the day you arrive, to confirm how many weeks you are and that the procedure is the right option for you. The consent form prescribed by the government is signed at this point — it exists only at licensed premises, and it is there to protect you.
- The procedure itself is short, carried out in the hospital's own operating theatre with anaesthesia so you are comfortable, using 100% disposable instruments — nothing reused between patients.
- Afterwards: you rest at the hospital for a period of observation, then go home the same day in almost all cases. It is not an overnight admission unless there is a specific medical reason for one.
Sooner rather than later
The same treatment earlier in pregnancy is a smaller undertaking than it is later on: less intervention, a shorter recovery, and less to plan around. If you are weighing this up, the clinical reason to decide sooner is simply that it stays simpler. The stages the law sets out are on their own page.
An ectopic pregnancy is not a termination
An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that has settled and begun growing outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube. It is a different medical condition — not a termination of pregnancy — and it is an emergency. It is sometimes discovered on the scan done before a termination, which is exactly why that scan is done first, every time. Where it is found, treating it is emergency surgery to protect your life, decided on entirely different grounds from anything else on this page. Read about ectopic pregnancy.
Recovery
Most patients need a day or two of rest, avoiding heavy exertion, before returning to normal activity. Light bleeding and cramping for a few days afterwards is expected. Fever, heavy bleeding that soaks through more than a couple of pads an hour, or severe pain are not normal — call us straight away or come in if any of these happen.
Nobody will know you were here
Privacy is designed into how the visit runs — who you meet, where you wait, what is written down and where it is kept. Nothing about your visit is discussed outside the room or shared with anyone: not your family, not your employer, not anyone who telephones asking. The staff are trained over years to be non-judgemental. Nobody will look at you a certain way, and nobody will ask you to explain yourself. Many of the women treated here are unmarried, which is entirely lawful and makes no difference at all to the care you are given. You do not need your husband's, your partner's or your parents' permission — for an adult woman the law asks for her own consent and no one else's. Someone stays with you through the whole visit, not only the few minutes of the procedure.
Getting here, and getting home
The hospital runs its own cars. We collect patients from anywhere in Goa, and from across the border in Karnataka and Maharashtra, and bring you home again afterwards, free of cost. This is a same-day procedure for almost everyone, which is part of why patients travel from outside Goa, and from the Gulf, specifically for it — one visit rather than an extended stay.
What it costs
A figure given over the phone is usually close, but it rests on a recent scan and cannot account for an examination that has not happened yet. Once our own certified doctors have assessed and examined you here, you are given a precise, itemised cost — hospital, medical, pharmacy and laboratory. Hospital fees are taken in full in advance, and the figure does not change at the end. See cost of abortion in India.
Not sure this is the right option for you?
Check the stages the law sets, or read about medical (pill) termination if you are earlier in pregnancy.
Will I need to stay overnight?
Almost never. It is a day-care procedure and most patients go home the same day.
Is it done under anaesthesia?
Yes, so you are comfortable through the procedure.
What does real-time sonographic guidance mean for me?
The doctor sees the uterus on the ultrasound screen throughout the procedure, so it is confirmed empty before the procedure ends rather than assumed to be. The scan is done here, by our own doctors.
Will anyone find out that I came?
No. Nothing about your visit is discussed outside the room or shared with anyone, and your identity is protected by law.
How soon can I travel home afterwards?
Most patients travel home the same day, after a period of rest at the hospital. If you have travelled a long distance, mention that when you call so we can plan your visit accordingly.
This page is for general education and is not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your own examination and reports, so please speak to a doctor about your situation. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.