Menstrual extraction
| Background | |
| Abortion type | Surgical |
| First use | 1971 |
| Gestation | First trimester |
| Usage | |
| Developed and often used in lay setting. | |
Menstrual extraction is a form of vacuum aspiration, used to empty the uterus. In contrast to other forms of vacuum aspiration, it has been used as a way to pass the entire menses at once, and has had a social role as a way to have access to early abortion without needing medical assistance or legal approval. In some countries where abortion is illegal, such as Bangladesh, “menstrual regulation” or “menstrual extraction” are used as euphemisms for early pregnancy terminations.
In 1971, a member of a feminist reproductive health self-help group, Lorraine Rothman, modified equipment found in an underground abortion clinic that was developed for a new non-traumatic, manually-operated-suction abortion technique. Rothman took the thin, flexible plastic Karman cannula (about the size of a soda straw), and the syringe (50 or 60ml), and added a one-way bypass valve, to fix two main problems. The contraption could prevent air from being pumped into the uterus, and also suctioned uterine contents directly into the syringe, thus limiting the amount that could be removed. Rothman's and Downer's group dubbed the new invention the "Del Em." Rothman added two lengths of clear plastic tubing, one from the cannula to the collection jar and another to go from the collection jar to the syringe. With this new set-up, the contents of the uterus went directly into the jar, allowing for the extraction of more material, and the two-way bypass valve diverted any air that may have been inadvertently pushed back toward the body to exit harmlessly into the air; this would prevent air from entering the uterus. By making it possible for more than one person to operate the device, the skill level of the operators was greatly reduced. One person could concentrate on guiding the sterile cannula through the vaginal cavity into the cervical os while another could pump the syringe to develop the vacuum. The Del Em made the procedure more comfortable, with personal control of the suction.
Downer's and Rothman's group, the Feminist Women's Health Center, called their new technique "menstrual extraction" or "ME", downplaying its potential use as a safe way to perform abortions (which were then illegal in most states), and emphasizing its innocuous use in suctioning out menstrual blood and tissue. It made its debut at the National Organization for Women conference in Santa Monica, California in August 1971. However, to their dismay they were not allowed to have a booth due to the "concept being too shocking." Instead, they hung flyers around the conference, announcing a demonstration in their hotel room. The attendees were given a plastic speculum to begin their education. From the extensive mailing list collected during these demonstrations, Downer and Rothman began a national tour, going all over the country (to 23 cities on a Greyhound bus) teaching the new technique. According to the National Women's Health Network, "the early self-helpers advocated that women join self-help groups and practice extracting each others' menses around the time of their expected periods."
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