Knowing whether or not you’re eligible for the abortion pill depends on several factors. Do you know exactly how far along you are in your pregnancy? Are you allergic to the drugs used? Have you confirmed your pregnancy isn’t ectopic? The answers to these questions and others help determine if you are eligible to use abortion drugs.

What is the Abortion Pill?

The abortion pill method is also known as a medical or chemical abortion because it uses two drugs to end a pregnancy. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks the hormone progesterone from reaching the uterus. Without progesterone, a pregnancy cannot survive.

The FDA highly regulates mifepristone. Only certified providers can prescribe it. Because the FDA approves the use of the drug through 10 weeks of pregnancy only, knowing how many weeks you’ve been pregnant is critical. The farther along you are, the less effective the drugs are.

Misoprostol, the second drug, causes bleeding and contractions to remove the pregnancy and tissue from the body. Some women report severe contractions.

What Are the Limitations?

The Mayo Clinic recommends reviewing your medical history with a healthcare professional before taking the drugs. You should discuss the medicines you are currently taking, the potential side effects and risks of the abortion pill, and rule out any limitations.

The Mayo Clinic suggests this method isn’t an option for you for the following reasons:

• You are too far along in your pregnancy.
• You have an intrauterine device (IUD) in place.
• You have a suspected pregnancy outside the uterus (an ectopic pregnancy).
• You have certain medical conditions.
• You take a blood thinner.
• You can’t reach a healthcare professional or don’t have access to emergency care.
• You are allergic to the medicine used.

How Do I Get the Information I Need?

The easiest and quickest way to get information is through an ultrasound. A pregnancy test indicates the possibility of pregnancy, but an ultrasound verifies whether your pregnancy is developing.

Experts estimate as many as 26% of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Most miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks. There is no point in ordering the abortion pill if you have already miscarried.

Ultrasound also determines if you have an ectopic pregnancy. This type of pregnancy implants and grows outside the uterus. This can be an extremely dangerous situation, and abortion drugs won’t take care of the problem.

Finally, an ultrasound shows how far along you are in your pregnancy. Many women are surprised to find that they are much farther along than they originally thought.

How Can True Women’s Center Help Me?

We offer a no-cost, confidential ultrasound for women who have received a positive result from one of our center’s pregnancy tests. The True Women’s Center team wants you to have as much information as you need to make a confident decision for your future.

Conveniently schedule an appointment online, call (856) 374-2445 or text (856) 214-1997. Although we do not perform or refer for abortions, we can provide a no-cost ultrasound and give you factual information about the abortion pill procedure and potential side effects and risks. Be prepared. We’re here to help you.

All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.