Were you recently surprised to find you were unexpectedly pregnant? It’s quite a shock especially if you weren’t planning on being pregnant at this time.
The good news is, you have options. You can choose from abortion, making an adoption plan, or choosing to parent. None of these are easy choices. No matter what you decide, make sure you understand the outcome of each option.
Types of Abortions
There are two main methods of abortion, medical and surgical. Which procedure you have is determined by how long you’ve been pregnant.
Medical Abortion
Have you heard about the abortion pill? It’s a form of medical abortion because it uses drugs to terminate a pregnancy. You have to be less than 70 days pregnant to have this procedure.
The abortion pill method is a two-step process. You take two drugs over a 24 to 48 hour period.
The first drug is called mifepristone. Every pregnancy relies on a healthy dose of a hormone called progesterone. This hormone helps the pregnancy grow. Mifepristone blocks the uterus from absorbing progesterone which terminates the pregnancy.
Misoprostol is the second drug. It causes cramping and contractions to expel the pregnancy out of your body.
Risks of a Medical Abortion
According to the Mayo Clinic, a “medical abortion is a major decision with emotional and psychological consequences.”
Here are the risks they list:
- Incomplete abortion may need to be followed by surgical abortion
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
Surgical Abortion
There are various methods of surgical abortion depending on how many weeks you’ve been pregnant.
If you are in your 11th or 12th week, you will have a vacuum aspiration procedure. This abortion method uses suction to remove your pregnancy.
Dilation and curettage (D & C) usually can remove a pregnancy 13 through 15 weeks. Suction is used along with an instrument that scrapes the lining, placenta, and pregnancy from the uterus.
Finally, dilation and evacuation (D & E) removes a pregnancy past 15 weeks. The procedure uses a vacuum, scraping instrument, and forceps to remove larger pieces.
Risks of a Surgical Abortion
The Mayo Clinic lists these as possible risks of surgical abortion:
- Perforation of the uterus
- Damage to the cervix
- Scar tissue on the uterine wall
- Infection
How We Can Help You
At Ridgeway, we offer a pre-abortion evaluation at no cost to you. The evaluation includes an on-site, free pregnancy test and ultrasound.
Ultrasound is the only way to find out if your pregnancy is viable (growing) or you’ve had a miscarriage. Experts say up to 20% and possibly more pregnancies end in a natural miscarriage. Plus, an ultrasound will tell you how far along your pregnancy is.
After your pregnancy confirmation, we can talk about your future plans and your current situation. Schedule your free appointment today. Get the answers you need to make a confident decision.
