How Early In My Pregnancy Can I Take The Abortion Pill
The abortion pill can be taken up to 70 days from your last menstrual period. Usually you would not suspect that you are pregnant until you were 1-2 weeks late for your period which would mean that you are usually at least 35 days from your last normal menstrual period and probably more.
If you want to terminate your pregnancy, call the office closest to you and make an appointment to be evaluated. The pregnancy test is free.
Do I Have To Have Counselling First
No, you do not. It is an option.
Most people do not need counselling or support from a professional to make a decision about abortion.
It is usually helpful to find someone supportive to talk to. Choose someone you trust. This may be your partner, a friend, a family member or a health professional.
For more information see: Abortion and Emotional Support
Who Should Not Take The Abortion Pill
Do not take the abortion pill if you:
- Have a pregnancy that is more than 70 days . The abortion provider must do a clinical examination, an ultrasound, or other testing to determine how far along you are in pregnancy.
- Are using an IUD . It must be removed before you take the first pill.
- Have been told by a physician that you have a pregnancy outside the uterus .
- Have problems with your adrenal glands .
- Take a medicine to thin your blood.
- Have a bleeding problem.
- Are allergic to mifepristone or misoprostol or other medications that list these as ingredients.
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What Are The Side Effects And Complications With The Medical Abortion
Not everyone experiences side effects from Misoprostol but its important that youre aware of any risks and side effects:
Nausea Fever Chills
These are not pleasant but they arent anything to worry about and shouldnt last more than 24 hours. Medical abortion can also worsen symptoms of migraines and asthma in some people.
What Are The Side Effects Of The Abortion Pill
Most people compare medication abortion to the feeling of an early miscarriage, meaning the primary physical effects are bleeding and cramping. But other side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, and a mild fever up to about 100 degrees. If you have a fever higher than that after you take the misoprostol, you should call your doctor immediately. The risk of infection with a medication abortion is very low but not totally impossible. Your doctor can prescribe antibiotics if you have an infection.
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Where Can I Get The Abortion Pill
You can get medication abortion at many Planned Parenthood health centers. Our caring doctors and nurses are experts at providing safe abortion and providing non-judgmental support throughout the process. Even if your local Planned Parenthood does not provide the abortion pill, you can call for more information about where to get it in your area.
When looking for a place to get an abortion, beware of crisis pregnancy centers. These fake clinics seem like medical centers that offer abortions or other pregnancy options, but theyre actually run by people who want to scare or shame people out of getting an abortion.
Depending on where you live, there may be age restrictions or waiting periods to get an abortion. You can ask about these when you call your doctor or health center.
What Does It Feel Like
Many liken the feeling of a medical abortion to an early miscarriage.
After taking the second pill, youll likely experience abdominal cramps and heavy bleeding for a few hours.
Depending how far along the pregnancy is, you may pass larger tissues that are brown or red in color, and may be able to see the white pregnancy sac.
Misoprostol can also cause:
- tiredness
- fever-type symptoms
Look after yourself by staying in a comfortable place, whether thats your own home or the home of family or friends.
If you can, take a couple of days off work so you can rest.
Lying down with a hot-water bottle on your abdomen can help relieve any pain. Some find sitting on the toilet to be a more comfortable position.
Youll also need highly absorbent menstrual pads for the bleeding.
If you need pain medication, avoid aspirin, as it can worsen bleeding. Instead, take ibuprofen . It may help to take pain medication around 30 minutes before the misoprostol.
If you feel that something isnt right especially if youre soaking two or more pads an hour for a few hours or have a fever that lasts longer than a day seek medical advice.
Hospitals and clinics dont need to know youve taken the abortion pill if you feel unsafe telling them. Your symptoms mimic a natural miscarriage, so staff wont be able to tell the difference.
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What You Should Know About Abortion At 5 Or 6 Weeks
- Abortion is termination of pregnancy, and it may not be permitted in your country. .
- After an abortion, If you do not have the right counseling or support, the feeling of guilt comes in. So, its vital that you are 100 percent sure you want to end your pregnancy. I suggest you talk to your partner, husband, boyfriend, and doctor for help you need.
- There are short or long-term risks of abortion. However, if you are 5 or 6 weeks pregnant, the risk and complications are quite less than in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Will An Abortion Be On A Persons Medical Record
This entirely depends on how a patient has gone about organising their abortion.
If you ask your GP to refer you for an abortion it will automatically be put on your medical records at the time of your visit to your GP, the UK Health Centre explains.
However, if you go to a private abortion clinic, it wont be automatically put on your medical records due to confidentially rules.
It is possible that sometimes if you are to be referred for an abortion through the Family Planning Association or Sexual Health Clinic that your abortion information is not sent onto your GP, the Centre states.
This may not be automatically be put onto your medical records even though it would be NHS funded.
If a patient calls BPAS or Marie Stopes for advice regarding an abortion, they are not required to tell the service who they are and they wont receive a call back unless they request one.
When it comes to contacting a GP, both BPAS and Marie Stopes state that they wont disclose information to a patient’s GP or contact them without their permission.
The latter adds that the only circumstance where it would do this would be when needed for emergency medical care or safeguarding concerns.
It explains: All clinical professionals are bound by the code of confidentiality and data protection laws.
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Latest Date You Can Have An Abortion
The legal time limit on abortion in the UK is 24 weeks, but most terminations are carried out much earlier. About 90% of abortions are performed before 13 weeks. Later abortions are usually only performed for medical reasons.
As well as the overall time limit, there are also limits on when certain types of abortion can be performed. You can have:
- Medical termination up to 9 weeks
- Manual Vacuum Aspiration up to 12 weeks
- Surgical termination by Dilation and Curettage up to 19 weeks
Place 4 Misoprostol Pills Under Your Tongue For 30 Minutes
It is very important that the pills remain under your tongue for 30 minutes to allow them time to be absorbed into your system. After 30 minutes you may drink water to swish and swallow any remnants of the pills.
If you vomit during the 30 minutes when the Misoprostol pills are under your tongue, it is likely that they will not work. In this case, it is necessary to immediately repeat step 2.
If you vomit after the pills have been under your tongue for 30 minutes, there is no need to repeat step 2 as the pills have already been absorbed into your system.
Wait 3 hours
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Earliest Date You Can Have An Abortion
Abortions can be carried out as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. In most cases, this will be after your first missed period at 4 weeks. You can make your first appointment at the abortion clinic before you miss a period if you already know that youre pregnant. However, many women wait a little longer before taking a pregnancy test or visiting the clinic. About 80% will speak to a doctor within the first 10 weeks of the pregnancy.
Medical Abortion From 12 To 20 Weeks Of Pregnancy
Mifepristone and misoprostol can also be used for abortion later in pregnancy.
The abortion will take longer, between six and twelve hours, depending on how many weeks pregnant you are.
More than one dose of misoprostol may be needed.
This type of abortion is similar to having a later miscarriage. You’ll be awake and medication will be given to manage any pain.
You can usually return home the same day. Sometimes the pregnancy can take longer to pass and an overnight stay in hospital is required.
Following the procedure you will bleed, usually for 7 to 14 days. Depending on how many weeks pregnant you were, you may notice some other symptoms such as a small amount of fluid leaking from your breasts.
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How Many Weeks Into Pregnancy Can You Get An Abortion
Pregnancy can either be a time of joy, or a time of confusion. If you were not planning to have a baby yet and you are considering an abortion, there are a few questions you may need answers to. One of those questions is often, If I need an abortion, how many weeks into pregnancy can I be?
While late-term abortions can be performed, they are usually carefully weighed with the risks, the preferred time is prior to 13 weeks. This article will discuss the safe time frames for abortion and the procedures performed at certain stages of pregnancy. The final decision should come from a discussion between you, your partner if they are present, and your doctor.
How To Use Abortion Pills
Dr Yvonne Neubauer is MSI UK’s Associate Clinical Director: she is passionate about delivering safe abortion care to all pregnant people considering this option. In this short video, she explains what to expect when you take medical abortion pills: what’s in the pack that you will receive, how to take the pills and how to do the pregnancy test 3 weeks after the treatment.
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Can You Buy Abortion Pills Online
Abortion pills are sold online but it is illegal to take them without medical approval in the UK.
According to data from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency , which regulates medicines in the UK, there were 375 abortion pills seized in 2018, up from 270 in 2015 and 180 in 2014. In recent years, some women have been jailed for taking abortion pills bought online.
In July 2020,The Independent reported that several charities and MPs called for the law to change when it comes to the consumption of online abortion pills at home.
Abortion is an extremely safe procedure, and its even safer the earlier it is performed
They argue the law disproportionately affects women and girls in abusive relationships who seek illicit medication online who are unable to visit clinics for fear their abuser will discover their pregnancy.
How To Get The Abortion Pill
This part gets tricky because states keep changing their regulations surrounding medication abortion. For the most part, medication abortion is available nationwide at clinics like Planned Parenthood . Locally, your regular OB/GYN may also be able to provide a medication abortion. To find a provider nearby, you can call the National Abortion Federation or check online at the Safe Place Project. Both of those resources allow you to search anonymously if you have privacy concerns.
Different states have different laws regulating when and how someone can actually get a medication abortion. A slight majority of states have mandatory waiting periods ranging anywhere from 24 to 72 hours between receiving abortion counseling and beginning any type of abortion procedure. In Texas, a state with some of the most restrictive laws surrounding abortion care, the law requires a mandatory, in-person consultation appointment with a physician at least 24 hours before taking the first pill. But that requirement doesnt exist in states like Florida, Connecticut, and Delaware, all of which have fewer restrictions. 19 states also require you to be in the physical presence of the doctor who prescribed the medication, but that restriction may have been paused in some states by the Supreme Court, due to the pandemic.
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How Early Can You Get An Abortion
Typically, the earliest abortions are performed at 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, however, this does vary by state.
Though abortion can be performed earlier, 4-6 weeks is generally when women begin experiencing symptoms of pregnancy, with a missed period often being the first sign.
A pregnancy test and ultrasound will confirm pregnancy and will be performed before abortion procedures to determine gestational age to determine which method is to be used to terminate the pregnancy.
If you are under ten weeks pregnant, chances are the method chosen will be a medical abortion, which involves a pill taken at home. Since 91.6% of abortions are performed within the first thirteen weeks of pregnancy, most women will be given abortion pills rather than receive a surgical abortion.
What Risks Are Involved With The Abortion Pill
Common side effects for women following an early medical abortion can include feeling dizzy, nauseous, a headache and temporary flushes or sweats which usually pass after a few hours.
However, there are more serious risks associated with both a medical and surgical abortion depending on far along you are in your pregnancy.
The NHS explains that before 14 weeks of pregnancy, the main risks of an abortion pill include requiring another procedure to remove parts of the pregnancy that have stayed in the womb, plus heavy bleeding.
From 14 weeks of pregnancy, the risks include needing a follow-up procedure to remove parts of the pregnancy that have stayed in the womb and there is more risk of infection or injury to the womb. Find out more about any complications here.
‘Abortion is an extremely safe procedure, and its even safer the earlier it is performed,’ states a BPAS spokesperson.
‘With early medical abortions, there is a small chance of infection, or that the procedure may not be successful, which is why we provide all women with information on the signs and symptoms to look out for and a pregnancy test to take home with them.’
Dr Neubauer tells us that the majority of women choosing to have an abortion ‘are sure that this is the right option for them, but a small number prefer to have counselling to help them with their decision’. Both BPAS and MSUK offers pre-and post-abortion counselling to all clients.
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How Quickly Can You Have The Abortion
Once you have seen the doctor, you can have the abortion very quickly. At a private clinic, you will be able to make appointment on the same or next day. You wont have the abortion during your first visit as it is simply a chance to talk with the doctor about your options. If you decide to go ahead with the abortion then the procedure could be completed in just a few days.
You will need two further appointments, two days apart, in order to take the medications required for a medical abortion. Most women will have a medical abortion if they have a termination this early in the pregnancy. If you decide to have a surgical abortion instead then you will only need one appointment for treatment after the initial consultation.
Although the procedure can be completed within just a few days of your initial consultation, it is important to take as much time as you need. If youre sure about your decision then you may want to complete the treatment as soon as possible. However, it is also possible to take some time to think about your options or talk to someone about the pregnancy. You wont be put under any pressure to make a decision quickly, although your doctor will ensure that you know when abortion will no longer be an option.
Take 800 Mg Of Ibuprofen
This step is not required, but it is highly recommended. Ibuprofen will reduce the intensity of the cramps and help you manage the possible side effects of Misoprostol . Remember, Ibuprofen can be used throughout the procedure and after when needed. Women who are allergic to ibuprofen and NSAIDs can consult the FAQs page for recommendations on alternatives for pain management.
If you have an anti-nausea medicine, you can use it at this time.
Wait one hour
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How Can I Use Sugar To Terminate A Pregnancy
Sugar cannot terminate a pregnancy. It is not wise to try such methods. Mifepristone and Misoprostol are available to terminate a pregnancy and they are effective and safe. By trying to abort with sugar one will waste precious time and delay taking tablets and thereby compromise on the success of the tablets.
