If you’re considering your options after learning you have an unexpected pregnancy, then you likely have heard of online abortions, also known as “mail-order abortion pills,” or “at-home abortion drugs.”
Ordering abortion pills online can vary in safety due to differences in regulation, medical oversight, and the quality of care provided. Before getting an abortion, it’s important to take steps such as getting an ultrasound to protect your health.
Next Step Pregnancy Decision and Support Services offers abortion information so you can make an educated decision about your pregnancy. We also offer free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds.
Schedule an appointment today. We’re here to listen and answer your questions along the way.
What Is An Online Or At-Home Abortion?
An online or at-home abortion means ordering abortion pills online without in-person medical guidance. Some women order abortion pills through telehealth services or online pharmacies, including unregulated or international sources.
Abortion pills online are not always medically regulated and can vary in reliability and safety. The abortion pill is only FDA-approved through 10 weeks of pregnancy, so having an ultrasound first can help protect your health by confirming how long you have been pregnant before taking the drugs.
The Safety Risks Of a Home Abortion
Taking online abortion pills without in-person medical guidance and an ultrasound can carry risks, such as:
- An incomplete abortion where the pregnancy isn’t fully expelled.
- Heavy bleeding that will not stop.
- Complications from taking the drugs after 10 weeks of gestation.
- Infection.
- Allergic reactions.
- Unregulated drugs.
- Being unaware of whether you have an ectopic pregnancy, which needs urgent medical care.
You should not have a medical abortion if you use long-term corticosteroids, have an intrauterine device (IUD), or have a blood-clotting disorder, significant anemia, or chronic adrenal failure.
Why Medical Guidance Matters When Getting An Abortion
Getting professional support before considering an abortion is important for your health, so you can make a calm and informed decision about your pregnancy, free from pressure and with all the knowledge and support you need.
Before an abortion, we recommend you confirm your pregnancy through pregnancy testing and an ultrasound. An ultrasound will confirm key details, such as the location of the pregnancy, gestational age, and cardiac activity, which provide important information about pregnancy viability.
It’s also worth getting to know your options so that you can understand the risks of each one. The options when facing an unexpected pregnancy are parenting, adoption, and abortion.
Get Help At Next Step Pregnancy Decision and Support
You don’t have to feel alone if you’re considering your options with an unexpected pregnancy. What matters most during this time is that you feel supported and knowledgeable when it comes to each option.
At Next Step Pregnancy Decision and Support, we provide confidential, no-cost services including pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, along with non-judgmental pregnancy options consultations.
Schedule your confidential appointment today. We are here for you.