Although medication abortion is most popular for the first trimester, surgical abortions can also happen in the first trimester, but they occur within a clinic.
However, if the pregnancy is farther along than 12 weeks, the cervix has to be softened, usually by tablets taken by mouth or inserted into the vagina, or a special tool that is left in to widen the cervix before the procedure can take place 1-2 days later.
Suction is then used to remove the pregnancy and placenta. The leftover pregnancy tissues are cleaned with a medical tool called a curette, which looks like a long thick needle.