Health

Womens 3

Women and Alcohol
Government guidelines suggest women can drink 2-3 units of alcohol a day without a significant risk to their health. However, this is only an average and varies according to the individual. Women who are pregnant are advised to give up alcohol altogether.

Abortion
The legal time limit for an abortion is twenty-four weeks, but it is very difficult to obtain one after the twentieth week of pregnancy. Abortions are only permitted after twenty-four weeks if it is the only way to save the life of the woman, if it will prevent permanent injury, or in cases where there is a high risk of severe foetal abnormality. For an abortion to be performed, two doctors (usually a GP and a consultant) have to agree that it is necessary and must sign a form (the 'green form') which indicates their consent. They have to agree that one or more of the following grounds applies:

• Risk to the woman's life
• Risk of injury to the woman's physical or mental health
• Risk of injury to the mental or physical health of any existing children
• A substantial risk of the child being born seriously disabled

NHS Abortions
However, even if consent is given, an NHS abortion is only possible if the facilities are available. For this reason in some parts of the UK the vast majority of terminations are carried out privately. If a woman does want an NHS abortion there are some ways of trying to minimise delays. She could ask her GP how long the waiting list is to see a consultant and if it is longer than two weeks, ask the GP to contact another consultant. She could also change her GP, especially if he or she is proving to be unhelpful. Such GP's should be reported to the Family Practitioner Committee.

Private Abortions
A private abortion means avoiding the bureaucracy of the NHS, but no private clinic will do an abortion after the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy either. They are also expensive. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) charges the following rates: · Surgical Abortion: (up to 14 weeks) £280-£320 (Outside London). · Early Medical Abortion (RU486): (up to 9 weeks) £280; (15-19 weeks) £410; (20-24 weeks) £615. (All prices are for treatment outside London). · Late medical induction: (up to an including 24 weeks) £660 (in London). Local Family Planning Clinics will give information and advice on abortions, as will agencies such as the Brook Advisory Centres, of which there are a number of branches around the UK
Source: NUS - www.nusonline.com