How Long Will I Wait at the Abortion Clinic?

With so many state restrictions on abortion, few offices can keep up. The result is an increasingly smaller number of abortion clinics, and longer wait times for people seeking abortions. You may have to wait several days, and sometimes even a few weeks, for your appointment. You may also wait most of the day for your procedure, even if your abortion is scheduled early in the day. So you’re asking — just how long will I have to wait at the abortion clinic? And is there anything I can do to shorten the wait time?

Here’s what you need to know about how long will you’ll wait at the abortion clinic?

In most cases, you can expect to wait several hours–and occasionally all day. Clinics do their best to move things along, but they must book patients back to back. The good news is that your actual procedure will take just a few minutes, so it’s a great time to dig into a good book, catch up on your correspondence, or just grab a nap free from the expectations of work or family. Taking someone with you may also help the wait feel less daunting.

Try conceiving of your abortion day as a chance to rest and recharge, rather than getting anxious about how long the wait will be. If you can find something meaningful to do with the time, you might even enjoy the wait.

Strategies for Reducing Wait Times

There are a few things you can do to reduce the length of time you wait. Try the following:

• Book an appointment during the week.
• Ask the clinic about its least busy days, and book an appointment then.
• Book your appointment for early in the day, then show up on time.
• Make sure you have all of your paperwork and identifications ready, so that you don’t have to wait longer than is necessary.
• If possible, choose an abortion clinic in a city that has several clinics. This means the clinic may have fewer patients, since patients will be distributed across the city’s various clinics.

Telemedicine Abortion

Don’t have time to go to the clinic? Worried about a long wait or protesters? Telemedicine abortion may be an option if you’re early in your pregnancy. With a telemedicine abortion, you take an abortion pill from the comfort of your own home–no protesters, no wait, and no rules about what you can do and whom you can bring. Telemedicine abortion is safe, but to maximize safety, you need to do it as early in your pregnancy as possible. So call an abortion clinic today.