How to Find a Private Abortion Clinic Near You

Finding the right clinic is important when you need advice on abortion. You need trustworthy, unbiased information from a doctor who can provide the care you need if you decide to have a termination. But how can you find the clinic that will give you all this? Read on to get some advice on finding the private abortion clinics in your area and deciding which one is right for you.

Why Choose a Private Abortion Clinic?

You have lots of options if you’re considering abortion in the UK, but there are some good reasons to choose private care. You’ll be able to get an appointment much faster. You also have more control over your care. You can choose the clinic and consultant who will treat you. Everyone’s experiences are different, but I always feel that a private clinic can be a friendlier and more comfortable place. It might not matter much for some kinds of medical problems, but when you’re discussing abortion it does make a huge difference. You need to feel as open and relaxed as possible when you’re talking with the doctor. The clinic also needs to be a place where you feel safe and calm during the treatment. Taking the time to find the right clinic can therefore make a big difference later on.

Finding Abortion Clinics Near You

Location is the most important factor when you’re choosing a private clinic, particularly for an abortion. If you have a medical abortion then you will want to be able to travel home easily after taking the medication. Narrowing down the options to clinics in your area can also make it much easier to compare your options.

Start by deciding where you want to be treated. This will usually be somewhere near your home, but in some cases you might be staying somewhere else while you are being treated. Remember to consider how you will travel to and from the clinic, not just the distance. For example, if you’ll be travelling by car it makes sense to choose a clinic with good road connections to your home. However, if you plan to use the tube you should prioritise those that are near stations you can reach easily.

When you know which area to look in, you can simply search online for clinics in that area. Use Google or another provider to search for “private abortion clinics near…” and fill in the blank with the area, street name, postcode or tube station. You should get a list of options to compare. Try to include at least four or five on the list, but don’t make it too long.

Narrowing Down Your Options

Now that you have a list of private abortion clinics in your area, you need to choose the best one. The first thing I would recommend is just to check that the clinic is listed on the CQC website. The Care Quality Commission is the healthcare regulator for England. Every clinic should be registered with them and the details should match with the clinic website. If the clinic has been inspected recently then there should be a report on the CQC site. It will tell you if there were any health and safety issues that might make you want to avoid a particular clinic. You’ll probably find that all of the clinics you’ve short listed are registered and that most of them meet the CQC’s inspection standards.

Comparison Factors

The next step is to find out more about each clinic so that you can compare them. I find that a good way to do this is to make a list of the main factors that matter to you. I would recommend that you include:

• The treatments that are offered, for example if they can perform surgical abortions as well as medical ones
• How experienced the consultant(s) are
• Whether you can get an IUD or IUS fitted if you want one, or if the clinic can provide contraception advice if you need it
• If there are good reviews or testimonials from other patients
• The cost of the treatment, including aftercare and any other extras
• How you feel about the clinic after looking at it’s website, as your emotional or instinctive response can be important.

The following table summarizes the key considerations for your selection process: