The Abortion Pill

You may have heard of the abortion pill referred to by different names. Even though the terms may be different, the medication is the same. The abortion pill, also known as medical abortion, is not the same as emergency contraception (the morning-after pill).

Medical abortion is a procedure that uses two different drugs to end a known pregnancy.

Before a medication abortion, you should meet with your doctor to discuss the abortion process. Your physician should provide a physical examination to determine whether you’re a candidate for the abortion pill.

You definitely need an ultrasound to ensure you are pregnant and determine how far along you are in your pregnancy. There is a possibility you could have already miscarried, and there would be no need for the abortion pill.

Mifepristone

Mifepristone is the first drug taken. It blocks the hormone progesterone from reaching the uterus. A pregnancy cannot survive without progesterone. The lack of progesterone terminates the pregnancy.

Abortion Pill Reversal

Some women change their minds about their abortion after taking the first abortion drug. There is a possibility of continuing your pregnancy with Abortion Pill Reversal.

If you are in this position, contact us immediately to connect with a network of caring medical professionals who can help reverse the effects of mifepristone.

Misoprostol

You take the second drug, misoprostol, 24 to 48 hours after the first drug. This drug causes you to expel the pregnancy from your body.

Side Effects and Risks

If you would like to know more about the side effects and risks of the abortion pill, read about them on our Abortion Option page.

Be sure to visit your doctor a week or two after taking the abortion pill to ensure all the contents of your uterus are expelled. If not, this is a potentially serious condition, and you may need to follow up with a surgical abortion.

Surgical Abortion

First-Trimester Aspiration Abortion (up to twelve or thirteen weeks of pregnancy)

Depending on how far along you are in the first trimester, this procedure may be done without dilating your cervix or anesthesia. With an aspiration abortion, the abortion provider inserts a suction tube to vacuum out the contents of the uterus.

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) Abortion (roughly thirteen weeks of pregnancy and later)

Pre-Procedure

The abortion provider must open the cervix first. To do so, the abortion provider uses dilators which can take hours or days depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy.

Different methods exist to dilate the cervix.

The D & E Procedure

If it is early in the second trimester, the abortion provider uses an ultrasound to locate the pregnancy and tissue. The provider can use aspiration abortion along with a scraping tool.

After about sixteen weeks, forceps are used to pull the pregnancy apart in order to remove it from the body.

If you would like to know more about the side effects and risks of surgical abortion, read about them on our Abortion Option page.

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