Chapter 23: Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA)
Doing the MVA
1. Create a vacuum in the syringe:
Close the valve by pushing the
button inward and forward — the
button will make a “click” sound
and will stay stuck in place until
you open it again.
Hold the barrel of the syringe with
one hand and pull the plunger
back with the other hand, until the
arms of the plunger snap outward
at the end of the syringe barrel.
Push the button
inward and forward
Check the arms of the plunger.
They should both be out as far as
they can go. With the arms
snapped in this position, you
should not be able to push the
plunger back into the barrel.
Pull the
plunger back
The arms of the
syringe will snap out
WARNING! Never squeeze the arms of the plunger together
or push the plunger into the barrel while doing an MVA.
That would push the contents of the syringe back up into the
woman’s womb. This could kill the woman.
2. Shine a light on the woman’s genitals so you can see well. You may need a
helper to hold the light.
3. Wash your hands with soap and water
for several minutes (see page 53).
Let your hands dry in the air.
Put clean plastic gloves on
your hands.
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A Book for Midwives (2010)