Ordering abortion pills online? Three things you need to know.
- When you order pills online, you won’t have the gestational age of your pregnancy verified by a physician. This means that you’ll be relying on your memory for your last menstrual cycle. Abortion pills, specifically the first medication, mifepristone, is only FDA approved until 10 weeks’ gestation. If your pregnancy has a gestational age of greater than 10 weeks, you are at an increased risk of complications: (More details here)
- Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical procedure
- An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Without verifying the pregnancy by ultrasound, another risk is an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy. This means the pregnancy is not located in your uterus, but the fallopian tubes. This medical condition is life-threatening to you, and taking abortion pills with an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy is dangerous. A simple way to protect your safety is to verify that your pregnancy is located in your uterus by getting an ultrasound. We can help you get an appointment for an ultrasound completely free of charge.
- You won’t have the support of medical staff to help if something goes wrong. Purchasing abortion pills online, you won’t have a physician readily available if a complication arises during the process. After taking the abortion pills, you should expect abdominal cramping and vaginal bleeding. You will also experience the pregnancy passing through your vagina, which can be upsetting. In addition, you might have to decide what to do with pregnancy remains. This can be distressing to experience, especially if you don’t have a local physician’s office you can call to ask if your experience is normal or if you need immediate medical attention.
Final takeaways
Taking abortion pills that are ordered online has increased risks that should be considered. It is important for you to be completely informed about how far along your pregnancy is, in order to avoid the increased risks of complications due to incorrect gestational age and/ or ectopic pregnancy. Having the support of medical staff is essential to your health and safety in the case of a medical complication or unexpected experience.
