Abstract
Legal abortion by means of vacuum aspiration has been carried out in 78 primigravid women. The amount of blood lost per operation has been estimated. The mean hemoglobin loss during aspiration was 18.6 g. In the 35 cases where the hemoglobin percentage of peripheral blood had been determined before operation the total blood loss during the aspiration was calculated to 175 ml. There was a significantly higher hemoglobin loss at an aspiration in the 11th week of gestation than in the 10th week. No difference was found between operations in the 12th and 13th week. As a result of the above findings, which indicate only a small risk of major blood loss, we suggest that vacuum aspiration in primigravid women might be performed as an out-patient procedure before the 11th week of gestation. In weeks 11-13 the patients should be admitted to hospital but the operation still has more advantages than extra- or intra-amniotic NaCl-injections, at least in the hands of an experienced surgeon.