What are the different types of abortion?

There are two broad categories of abortion:
1. Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage), in which the body naturally ends a pregnancy before fetal viability (usually before 20–24 weeks).
2. Induced abortion, the deliberate termination of a pregnancy by medical or surgical means.

Induced abortions break down into two main types:
• Medical abortion uses prescription pills—most often mifepristone followed by misoprostol—to halt pregnancy development and expel uterine contents. It’s approved up to about 10 weeks’ gestation, and can be clinician-supported in-person or via telehealth, or self-managed at home. Medical abortion accounts for over half of U.S. terminations and carries a low (< 2%) complication rate.

• Surgical abortion employs instruments to remove pregnancy tissue. The most common first-trimester procedure is vacuum aspiration (manual or electric), generally done up to 14 weeks. In the second trimester (roughly 12–24 weeks), providers typically use dilation and evacuation (D&E), which combines cervical dilation with suction and surgical instruments to clear uterine contents.

In rare late-term situations (after about 20–21 weeks), a labor-induction abortion may be performed: medications induce contractions to deliver the fetus and placenta. Fewer than 1% of U.S. abortions occur this late, usually for severe fetal anomalies or maternal health risks.