Before choosing abortion for your pregnancy, it’s essential to learn all you can to protect your health and ensure you’re making an educated decision. This is why we’ve created this simple guide.
Read on to learn the essential three things you need to know about the abortion pill.
1. How the Abortion Pill Works
The abortion pill is actually a combination of two powerful drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol.
Mifepristone is a progesterone blocker. A pregnancy needs the hormone progesterone, and without it, your uterine lining will loosen, and the pregnancy will detach and end.
Misoprostol causes uterine cramping, which expels the terminated pregnancy from your uterus and out through your vagina.
2. Side Effects and Risks of the Abortion Pill
It’s important to know that these abortion drugs are taken at home, and after taking them, you will experience abdominal cramping and vaginal bleeding. Some women report that the pain they feel afterward is unexpectedly excruciating.
Other side effects of the abortion drugs include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Chills
- Diarrhea
- Headache
Risks are more rare than side effects, but they can be severe and include:
- Incomplete abortion, which is when parts of the terminated pregnancy remain in your uterus
- An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
3. Eligibility Criteria for the Abortion Pill
The abortion drugs are FDA-approved if your pregnancy is ten weeks or under, but not every woman is eligible. If any of the situations apply to you, the abortion drugs aren’t an option for your situation:
- Your pregnancy is further than 10 weeks gestation.
- You have an intrauterine device (IUD) currently in place.
- You have a suspected ectopic pregnancy.
- You have certain medical conditions, including bleeding disorders; certain heart or blood vessel diseases; severe liver, kidney or lung disease; or an uncontrolled seizure disorder.
- You take a blood thinner or certain steroid medicines.
- You can’t make follow-up visits to your provider or don’t have access to emergency care.
- You have an allergy to the medicine used.
How to Protect Your Health
If you’re considering taking the abortion drugs, it’s critical to get an ultrasound first. This simple scan will give you the details you need to know about your pregnancy to protect your health.
At Dove Medical, we offer free, limited obstetrical ultrasounds and medically accurate information about your pregnancy options because we believe you deserve to have what you need to make an informed decision.
Contact us today to schedule your free, confidential appointment.
This post is for education and information purposes only and does not substitute the advice of a Healthcare Professional.
Dove Medical offers pregnancy diagnosis, decision coaching, and accurate information about all pregnancy options; however, we do not refer for or perform abortion services, including the abortion pill.