Medical abortions are abortions performed without surgery using pills instead. In some countries a pill called RU-486 is available for abortion. This pill is not available in North America. For the purpose of this article we will not be discussing RU-486. We will be discussing a medical abortion using medications approved for other purposes. In North America approved drugs can be prescribed for other purposes, this is known as off-label use. Medical abortions in North America are performed with approved drugs that are being used off-label and must be performed under the supervision of a trained medical professional.
Medical abortions can only be performed very early in a pregnancy, no later than 7 weeks after the first day of your last regular period. Having a medical abortion will require a minimum of three visits to the clinic or doctor's office.
The first visit will be a long one, 1-2 hours, and will include verification of the pregnancy, an ultra-sound to identify the date of conception (to see if you can even have a medical abortion), blood testing for your Rh factor, a pap smear to rule out STDs like chlamidya and cancers, and counselling to explain the procedure and address your feelings on the issue. Most medical professionals will want you to go away and think about the decision for at least 24 hours to ensure that it is really what you want to do.
The second visit will be very short, less than half an hour, and at this visit you will be given a shot or a juice containing Methotrexate, a medication that will stop the pregnancy from growing. At this visit you will effectively be ending the pregnancy, the cells will stop dividing and the pregnancy will stop growing. At this point it is not recommended that you change your mind as the pregnancy is over and the cells are simply waiting to be expelled. In rare cases where this does not terminate the growth of the pregnancy the drug you are given can result in severe birth defects. You must know and really understand this should you change your mind at this point. At this visit you will be given medications to take home. You will need these medications to complete the abortion. These medications will be self administered, you will do this part of the abortion by yourself. The medications you will be given include a set of pills, Misoprostol pills, that you will insert high up in your vagina three full days after your second visit, anti-nausea medications, and pain killers. You will also be given a second set of Misoprostol pills, these are the pills that start the contractions that will expel the pregnancy. This second set should be used 24 hours after the first to ensure that the pregnancy is no longer in your body.
The final visit will be a check up to confirm the pregnancy has ended. Another ultra-sound will likely be performed. If you are still pregnant at this point, a rarity, you will be offered one more cycle of Misoprostol pills or given the option of a surgical abortion. If the abortion is complete your doctor will discuss your feelings, tell you how to contact post-abortion support services, and discuss what you can expect to feel over the coming weeks. Your doctor will discuss birth control and will likely suggest that you start taking the pill.
This article is not pro- or anti- abortion, it is an unbiased explanation of what one can expect when having an abortion. It is not a political article or a religious article. It will not make any moral assertions on the issue. It will not promote or discourage this choice. It is for informational purposes only.
