The ability to receive the abortion pill via mail has made the abortion process more convenient and discrete. If you are considering this alternative to end your pregnancy, make sure you know the facts so you can make the right decision for you.
Do You Know If You Are Eligible?
The abortion pill (also known as medical or chemical abortion) is a two-drug process used to terminate a pregnancy. How far along you are in your pregnancy, where the pregnancy is located, and your personal health risk factors might make you ineligible for using the abortion pill.
The FDA has approved using the abortion pill in pregnancies up to 10 weeks (or 70 days gestation). If you are further along than 10 weeks in your pregnancy, you may be at higher risk of complications and, therefore, it would not be recommended to take the abortion pill for your health and safety.
Before taking the abortion pill, you should also get an ultrasound. An ultrasound can determine your eligibility by verifying and dating your pregnancy and ensuring the pregnancy is in your uterus. An ultrasound can also determine if your pregnancy is viable, meaning that the baby has a detectable heartbeat. An ectopic pregnancy (when the pregnancy implants somewhere other than the uterus) can be a life-threatening situation for a woman. The abortion pill is not an effective treatment for an ectopic pregnancy.
Do You Know The Risks?
Just like any medical procedure, chemical abortions have risks. Before taking the abortion pill via mail, educate yourself on the risks of medical abortion. These can include:
- Incomplete abortion (which could lead to needing a surgical abortion)
- Heavy bleeding that will not resolve
- Infection
- Fever
- Diarrhea and digestive pain
- Allergic reaction to the drugs
- Unknown drugs disguised as the abortion pill from an unregulated or foreign source
Receiving a mail-order abortion means the responsibility of monitoring yourself for any signs and symptoms of complications during the process falls on you. Especially if you will be by yourself at home, be sure to know what is considered abnormal. If you choose the abortion pill, seek medical help immediately should you experience any of the following:
- Heavy bleeding (soaking more than two thick pads within an hour)
- Fever that lasts more than 24 hours
- Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
- Severe abdominal or back pain
- Feeling dizzy or light-headed
- Emotional distress or trauma from the abortion pill process
- Inability to properly dispose of uterine contents
- You do not get your period after two months
- You continue to have symptoms of pregnancy
Do You Know Your Options?
When facing an unexpected pregnancy, you may feel like abortion is your only option. A mail-order abortion seems like an easy, quick solution. However, it is important to take the time to become informed about all of your options before you make a decision.
Alpha Center offers free, lab-quality pregnancy tests and limited ultrasounds, so you have the important information you need to decide if medical abortion is a possibility for you. We can talk with you about your options so that you feel empowered to make the best decision for your health, safety and future. Schedule your free appointment online today or call us 24/7 at (605) 361-3500.