3 Things to Know if You Are Considering Mail-Order Abortion

If you’ve been looking at your options online after discovering you are unexpectedly pregnant, you’ve likely come across something called mail-order abortion pills or abortion pills ordered online.

While this may appear to be a straightforward option online, there are lots of risks to ordering these drugs without medical screening and accurate information about the risks involved. 

Ascend Women’s Center can provide abortion information consultations before you consider this option. In your appointment, you will receive factual information about the abortion pill, information about your other options, and a no-cost limited ultrasound to learn important details about your pregnancy. 

Schedule your appointment at the center today.   

1. It Skips Important Medical Screening

One of the main concerns about ordering the abortion pill online is that it skips important medical screening, which can protect your health. 

An ultrasound before an abortion will show you the location of the pregnancy, how far along the pregnancy is, and information about the viability. All of which can affect your options.

The abortion pill is only FDA-approved through ten weeks of gestation. Trying to calculate your gestational age based on your last period can be inaccurate. 

It can also determine whether you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. This is where the egg implants outside of the uterus and is a medical emergency. It cannot be treated with the abortion pill. 

Around 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, and it is still possible to receive a positive pregnancy test even if you have already miscarried due to remaining levels of hCG in the body. If you have already miscarried, an abortion would no longer be required, and follow-up medical care is needed.

Ascend Women’s Center offers no-cost limited ultrasounds to help you find out more about how your pregnancy is progressing and how this can impact your options.

2. The FDA Warns Against Ordering the Abortion Pill Online

The FDA warns against mail-order abortion since the safety and source of these drugs online cannot be guaranteed. There is no way to verify how these drugs were obtained, handled, stored, labeled, and dosed. 

When drugs are ordered online like this, there is also no in-person medical check-up that takes into account your medical history, allergies, and other risk factors. 

3. There Are Important Risks to Be Aware Of

The abortion pill carries side effects, including significant cramping and bleeding, which have been described as more painful than some women may have expected. You may also experience fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. 

There are also risks to be aware of, including: 

• Infection
• Fever
• Allergic reactions
• An incomplete abortion
• Heavy and prolonged bleeding

Medical oversight is important because it can determine which symptoms are normal and which indicate something more serious. 

Get Free Pregnancy Services at Ascend Women’s Center 

No matter what option you are considering, protecting your health comes first, and this cannot be done by relying on a pregnancy test alone. An ultrasound is the next important step.

Ascend Women’s Center offers free pregnancy services such as pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and information about your options, including parenting, adoption, and abortion, in a confidential and non-judgmental environment. 

We are here to answer your questions so you can make an informed choice about your pregnancy. 

Contact us to make an appointment.