The abortion pill is a medical abortion procedure performed early in pregnancy.
It’s FDA-approved through the first ten weeks of pregnancy, after which an abortion provider might recommend another form of abortion as safer for you.
Eligibility or Safety?
There’s not a set of requirements you officially need to meet before an abortion provider prescribes you abortion drugs. However, there are factors an abortion provider should consider for the safest outcome.
Instead of eligibility, it is truly more about legality and safety. Here are a few of the categories to keep in mind before moving forward with abortion drugs.
#1. The Local Laws
In the state of Texas, abortion is banned except in cases of life endangerment for the woman. This means women in Texas could consider traveling out of state for an abortion.
#2. How Far Along You Are (Pregnancy Gestation)
As mentioned earlier, your pregnancy gestation does make a difference when a provider considers which abortion method would be safest for you. Since the FDA only approved medical abortion through ten weeks, a surgical abortion method would likely be the recommended option.
An ultrasound scan can provide this key detail.
#3. Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
In addition to being allergic to the drugs used, there are other pre-existing medical conditions that could make the abortion pill no longer an option for you. One of these conditions is having an IUD currently in place.
Because the second drug in the abortion pill process, misoprostol, causes uterine contractions followed by bleeding, the abortion pill might not be an option for those with bleeding disorders, certain heart diseases, or those who take a blood thinner.
Other conditions to keep in mind include the presence of a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Treatment for STDs can guard against the development of pelvic inflammatory disease.
If an ultrasound scan identifies an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, the abortion pill will not be effective in treating these conditions. Another treatment would be recommended.
It’s Your Life and Your Future
As you consider your next steps, we are available to help you talk through your options. While we do not offer or refer for abortion services, we can help you make an informed decision. We offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and time to ask questions and receive information in a safe and confidential environment.
Our appointments take about an hour. We hope that taking those few minutes to make a decision that will impact the rest of your life will be a worthwhile investment of your time. Contact us to schedule an appointment today!