There are two main types of abortion — medical and surgical.
A medical abortion requires taking two drugs called mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone is used to terminate the pregnancy by depriving it of the nutrients it needs to grow. Misoprostol is then taken to cause contractions to expel the fetal tissue from the uterus.
Medical abortions are available in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Surgical abortions are available throughout the pregnancy and require an invasive process to remove the pregnancy tissue. The method and form of abortion used will depend on how developed the fetus is.