What you need to know about mail-order abortion
If you received your abortion pills in the mail, be sure you can have the following questions answered from your prescription provider:
- If it all goes wrong, what should I do and who should I call?
- Can my sister use my unused abortion pills?
- I am more than 10 weeks, so can I double up on the pill?
- If I am bleeding after the first abortion pill (mifepristone), can I just skip the second pill (misoprostol)?
- How do I know if the abortion worked?
Risks of a medical abortion:
- Incomplete abortion
- Ongoing bleeding
- Infection, fever
- Adverse psychological and emotional effects
How does it work?
The abortion pill is actually several pills and two different drugs taken in two separate doses. Other names for the abortion pill are medical, medication, or chemical abortion. The abortion pill is taken in two separate doses. It is usually taken between 4-6 weeks of a confirmed pregnancy, but it is FDA-approved up to 70 days after a woman’s last menstrual period.
The first dose blocks progesterone which is a pregnancy hormone that helps the embryo develop. The second pill causes the uterus to expel the embryo, inducing early labor. This generally happens while you are at home.
Sometimes these pills (abortion vs morning-after) are confused
Plan B, which is often called the “morning-after pill”, is not the same nor taken the same as the abortion pill.
Plan B (the morning-after pill), is also not a long-term permanent birth control. As Cleveland Clinic states: “The morning-after pill (is sold as a form of) emergency contraception (birth control) that’s meant to help prevent pregnancy. This medication doesn’t end an already established pregnancy.”
Hey! Where’s my period?
- One of the side effects of taking Plan B is that it can alter your periods (your period may be later or earlier; irregular)
- Just because you missed your period does not mean you are for sure pregnant.
- Some other causes of a missed period are:
- Stress
- Eating disorders or severe dieting regimes
- Thyroid or pituitary gland problems
- Menopause
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Medications
References:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21899-medical-abortion
https://www.chestercountyhospital.org/news/health-eliving-blog/2019/april/missing-period