The Potomac Family Planning Center is dedicated to providing a wide range of quality reproductive health care services for women. Our highly trained and experienced staff work together to offer a warm and supportive environment. Bilingual staff (Spanish/English) are available at all times. Patient confidentiality is always a priority.

Services Include

• Surgical Abortion: first and second trimester abortions (under local, general anesthesia, or with sedation)
• Medical Abortion (abortion by pill / Non-Surgical)
• Abortion by Private Appointment
• Sonograms
• Emergency contraception / Morning After Pill
• Free, Walk-in Pregnancy Testing
• Early Pregnancy Testing
• Birth Control Shot
• Routine Gynecological Care
• STD Testing and Treatment
• Family Planning and Birth Control

Patients are seen by appointment. Call Monday through Saturday between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm to schedule an appointment.

Abortion, Non-Surgical by Pill (RU486)

Medical abortion by pill (RU486) is a safe effective process which ends pregnancy up to 49 days after the last period by using medicine. On the day of your appointment you will receive an ultrasound, lab work and the clinician will take your medical history. You will be given materials to read and meet with a counselor before taking the first pill (Mifeprex) in the clinic. In two days you will take some pills at home (misoprostol). The combination of the drugs mifeprex and misoprostol causes you to bleed and in most cases end the pregnancy within a few hours. Your appointment includes a follow-up visit with the doctor in a few weeks after your first office visit.

Abortion, Surgical

The surgical abortion procedure is performed up to 18 weeks using the vacuum aspiration method. General anesthesia, twilight sleep/IV sedation, or local anesthesia may be administered for the procedure. Surgery is performed by an experienced gynecologist.

Anesthesia

Local Anesthesia: The physician injects lidocaine into the cervix which reduces some discomfort. You remain fully awake during surgery.
Twilight Sleep / IV Sedation: An IV medication is administered which makes you sleepy but you remain conscious and have an awareness of the surgery.
General Anesthesia: An IV medication is administered and you will be completely asleep. You will not feel anything during the surgery and will awaken when the surgery is over (5 to 10 minutes)
Instructions for IV Sedation and General Anesthesia: Do not eat, drink, or smoke anything after midnight on the night before surgery. An adult driver must accompany you to the facility and remain until you are discharged. You may not drive and automobile for 24 hours after general and IV anesthesia. Also, you may not drink alcohol, operate complex machinery or engage in complicated activity.

Choices

Reproductive Health Counseling

You will meet with a counselor who will answer your questions, discuss the procedure, risks, follow up care, and help you decide on a birth control method.

Surgery

During surgery a clinician will be with you at all times. Usually the surgery takes less than 10 minutes. Afterward she will accompany you to the recovery room where you are monitored by a nurse until discharge.

Post-Operative and follow-up care

You will be given written post operative instructions and should call us with any questions or problems. You may return in two weeks for a follow up exam or see your own physician.

Abortion by Private Appointment

When absolute privacy is essential we can arrange a discrete appointment at a time when no other patients are scheduled. In order to meet your needs of privacy, special arrangements may be made to schedule an individual visit for any of our abortion services including surgical abortion under general anesthesia. We will arrange to have the full and necessary complement of staff with the doctor for you alone. Our administrator will be happy to further discuss with you this exclusive service and make your appointment at a mutually convenient time. Please call for further details and special pricing.

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