Established in 1998, Gynaecology Centres Australia (GCA) offers first trimester pregnancy termination services. GCA offers legal, safe and non-judgmental pregnancy termination and related services for women. GCA has set up five centres across Australia, including Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford, Canberra and Wollongong, in order to improve access for women living in urban/rural areas. GCA's policy is to provide unbiased, concise, and comprehensive information to a woman considering termination of a pregnancy. GCA aims to provide equally concerned service to a person suffering from any other condition. The centers adhere to the Australian medical standards and guidelines recommended by The Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

At GCA the philosophy is to remove that stigma of a pregnancy termination by making the procedure as acceptable and respected as any other gynaecological operation. The centre believes that it is necessary for its doctors to be medically and personally concerned with each patient and therefore, offer the most private, respectful and patient individualized comprehensive services. This is achieved by providing individualized and personal treatment, in an environment designed to make patients feel that they have not come to an abortion clinic. They have a non-judgmental attitude, and follow strict management protocols. Their professional standards are provided by a specialist gynaecologist. They also offer the option of a "medical abortion" as an alternate way to terminate an early pregnancy. At GCA a woman has the right to choose either the more common surgical abortion methods or medical abortion, provided she meets the medical criteria for a medical termination.

There are three options for any woman faced with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy - continue the pregnancy and raise a child, continue the pregnancy and give the child up for adoption or fostering, or discontinue the pregnancy. GCA doctors and staff respect the individual and private choice of every woman and are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment by pregnancy counselling for those women seeking termination of pregnancy. The key goal of pregnancy counselling is to encourage the patients to make their own personal decision and feel comfortable with the decision they have made. GCA assesses each patient on an individual basis and as part of the process the patient is guided through a counselling session conducted by a doctor. In order to ascertain the site of pregnancy, gestational age and the presence of any uterine abnormalities, an ultrasound scanning is performed prior to the procedure. Counselling is also designed to limit regret and long-term psychological consequences by exploring

alternatives and resolving issues.

GCA offers two types of pregnancy terminations including surgical termination and medical termination. Surgical termination, the more common method, is performed surgically for terminating a pregnancy of up to 14 weeks. GCA advises medical termination procedure only for those less than 7 weeks of pregnancy. At GCA they provide treatment for women who may have a foetal demise, blighted ovum or incomplete miscarriage. This allows a woman to have her procedure performed quickly in a supportive environment and without the need for lengthy admission to hospital. GCA also offers reliable and effective contraception advice and at some of the centres they also provide general women's health care, including menopause management, fertility management, breast examinations, sexual health, pap smears, weight management, osteoporosis screening, bowel screening, and postnatal checks.

About The Company

Gynaecology Centres Australia (GCA) has been offering pregnancy termination services for the past 15 years through its five centres located across Australia. Dr Meaghan Heckenberg, the Medical Director of GCA and a Fellow of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners writes the protocols for GCA. She is a member of the NAF (National Abortion Federation (USA)), the FIAPAC (International Federation of Professional Abortion & Contraception Associates), and the APFA (Abortion Provider's Federation of Australasia). They provide 24-hour phone contact for advice and management. They adhere to Australian medical standards and guidelines recommended by The Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The GCA website provides comprehensive information on all aspects related to pregnancy termination and its associated procedures.

To know more, please visit http://gcaus.com.au/page/home .