Manual vacuum aspiration

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manual vacuum aspiration (or MVA) is a form of suction-aspiration abortion in which an embryo is extracted from the uterus via the cervix through a cannula attached to a single-valve syringe which is operated by hand, instead of by an electric vacuum. It is also known as mini-abortion, mini-suction, and pre-emptive abortion. It is technologically similar to menstrual regulation and menstrual extraction; mestrual regulation and extraction can be performed with or without confirmed pregnancy while MVA is intended specifically to induce termination of a confirmed pregnancy. MVA is also similar to electric vacuum aspiration, with two crucual differences. Firstly, MVA does not require electricity or expensive electrical machines, so it cheaper and can be practiced in places without electricity or access to expensive machines. Secondly, because it can be performed in very early pregnancy, MVA does not require cervical dilation, unlike EVA.

MVA is typically used for pregnancies between 3 to 7 weeks after a woman's last menstrual cycle. It is the only surgical method of abortion available before the sixth week of pregnancy. The procedure usually takes 10 minutes, and involves inserting a Karman canula attached to a specialized syringe through the cervical os to empty uterine contents. Dr Jerry Edwards, a Texas physician, introduced a method that uses ultrasound, manual vacuum aspiration and hCG follow-up testing which not only allows abortion immediately after a positive pregnancy test, but also detects ectopic pregnancy before it is symptomatic.^[1]

The procedure is 98% effective^[2], and the rate of infection is the lowest out of any other surgical abortion at 0.5%^[3].

The key to the development of MVA was the invention of the Karman canula, a soft, flexible cannula that reduced the risks of puncturing the uterus.

MVA is also used to terminate molar pregnancy. ^[4]