Many women consider mail-order abortion due to privacy and convenience, but there are also common health risks to know about before making that decision.
Here’s what to expect when considering this pregnancy option, so you can make a clear and confident choice for your future.
What to Know About Mail-Order Abortion
The FDA has recently approved mail-order abortion. Physicians can now prescribe abortion medication to women through telemedicine and send the pills by mail. Though it’s now legal in most states, including Illinois, it’s still prohibited in others.
The Guttmacher Institute tracks state policies on the abortion pill and shares that 19 states require a provider to be physically present when administering the pill and prohibit telemedicine when prescribing it. There is an ongoing debate over access to the abortion pill online.
1. Risks of Mail-Order Abortion
Just because mail-order abortion is accessible online, doesn’t mean it’s completely free of risks. There are serious risks to consider before ordering medication abortion online, including:
Health risks due to the lack of a pre-abortion screening – By taking abortion pills before having an ultrasound, you could have an undetected ectopic pregnancy or a pregnancy further along than ten weeks. Both of these conditions are a risk to your health and safety.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) – This can develop after having an abortion with an untreated STD. Getting proper screening and treatment before this procedure can prevent this risk.
Delayed Medical Attention – There is the risk of not receiving medical attention in time if complications are not attended to. The mail-order abortion process eliminates this important medical oversight.
2. Risks of the Abortion Pill
Receiving medication abortion by mail doesn’t change the general risks. Also known as the abortion pill, medication abortion is a series of two powerful drugs: Mifepristone and Misoprostol. These two drugs work to terminate an existing pregnancy. Only women 10 weeks pregnant or earlier are eligible for medication abortion.
The Mayo Clinic shares common risks of the abortion pill, including:
Incomplete abortion (which may need to be followed by surgical abortion)
An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
Digestive system discomfort
Heavy and prolonged bleeding
Fever
Infection
3. Verify Your Pregnancy
Before making any decision, you first need to verify your pregnancy. This takes two steps: lab-quality pregnancy testing and an ultrasound. An ultrasound reveals how far along you are and other vital details about your pregnancy.
Schedule free and confidential pregnancy testing and an ultrasound appointment at our center. You are not alone!