Dilation and evacuation
Dilation and evacuation (D&E) is the dilation of the cervix and surgical evacuation of the uterus (potentially including the fetus, placenta and other tissue) after the first trimester of pregnancy. It is a method of abortion as well as a common procedure used after miscarriage to remove all pregnancy tissue.
| D&E | |
| Background | |
|---|---|
| Abortion type | Surgical |
| First use | 1970s |
| Gestation | 13–24 weeks |
| Infobox references | |
In various health care centers it may be called by different names:
- D&E (Dilation and evacuation)
- ERPOC (Evacuation of Retained Products of Conception)
- TOP or STOP ((Surgical) Termination Of Pregnancy)
D&E normally refers to a specific second trimester procedure. However, some sources use the term D&E to refer more generally to any procedure that involves the processes of dilation and evacuation, which includes the first trimester procedures of manual and electric vacuum aspiration. Intact Dilation and Extraction (D&X) is a different procedural variation on D&E.
Dilation and evacuation procedures have been increasingly banned in US states since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overruled the right to an abortion.