5 Crucial Things To Know About the Abortion Pill

March 14, 2024

The abortion pill, also referred to as a “medical abortion,” involves taking two different drugs to terminate and remove a pregnancy from your uterus and out through your vagina.

If you are considering these abortion drugs as an option for your pregnancy, it’s essential to learn all you can to ensure that you’re making an educated decision about how to move forward—which is why we’ve compiled the five crucial things to know about the abortion pill:

1. The Abortion Drugs Are Powerful

The abortion drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, are powerful.

Mifepristone works by blocking progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone needed to sustain a pregnancy. Without access to progesterone, your uterine lining will thin, causing your pregnancy to detach and end.

Misoprostol causes forceful uterine contractions that expel the terminated pregnancy from your uterus.

2. The Abortion Drugs Come with Side Effects and Risks to Your Physical Health

After taking the abortion drugs, you will experience vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping. And some women report that the pain is severe and beyond what they expected.

After taking these drugs, you might experience the following side effects:

Weakness
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Chills
Diarrhea
Headache
Dizziness

You might also experience a risk which is rare but also more severe and includes:

Seeing fetal parts expelled
Incomplete abortion, which is when parts of the pregnancy remain in your uterus
An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work; Misoprostol may cause birth defects
Heavy and prolonged bleeding; 1% of women need a D&C to stop hemorrhaging
Life threatening infection; an unknown STI can cause damage to pelvic organs and lead to infertility
Fever
Undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy
Digestive system discomfort

3. Not Every Woman Is Eligible for the Abortion Drugs

Certain situations make you more ineligible for the abortion drugs; these situations include:

Your pregnancy is further than 10 weeks gestation (taking these drugs when your pregnancy is further along makes you more likely to experience a risk)
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.

If any of these situations apply to you and you attempt to take the abortion drugs, you’re more likely to experience a risk.

4. You Might Experience Risks to Your Mental Health

Taking the abortion drugs can put your mental health at risk.

A report looking into the link between abortion and adverse mental health outcomes found that “at least some women do have significant mental health issues that are caused, triggered, aggravated, or complicated by their abortion experience.”

Furthermore, you might be more likely to experience mental health complications if you feel “pressured into an abortion or choose an abortion without sufficient attention to maternal desires or moral beliefs that may make it difficult to reconcile one’s choice with one’s self-identity.”

5. An Ultrasound Protects Your Health

Getting an ultrasound is a critical step before making any pregnancy decision. During this simple scan, you will learn the key details to keep you safe—plus, you will learn whether you’re eligible for the abortion drugs.

We’re Here for You

At Women’s Care Center, we offer complimentary, limited ultrasounds and an Abortion Information Consultation to give you everything needed to make an informed decision.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. You’re not alone as you navigate your pregnancy options. We’re here for you.