A woman who experiences an unplanned pregnancy often feels anxiety and a need to deal with the situation quickly. Thoughts whirl like a tornado. She faces a decision that affects her future, whether she chooses to have an abortion or to continue the pregnancy.
At or before 10 weeks, a woman can choose to have a medical abortion also known as the abortion pill. Before any abortion, including the abortion pill, a woman needs to ask herself these four questions:
Things to Know Before Taking the Abortion Pill
- Am I really pregnant? Even if you have taken 10 pregnancy tests that give you a positive result, that simply means you have a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. However, you may not have a viable pregnancy, meaning the embryo or fetus is in your uterus and has a heartbeat. True Care uses lab-quality urine pregnancy tests, and our nurses conduct limited obstetrical ultrasounds to discover viability. It’s imperative to know if your pregnancy is viable so you don’t waste time and money for an abortion you may not need. About 31% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, often before a woman even knows she’s pregnant, and occasionally women experience an ectopic pregnancy. This means implantation happens outside the uterus, and the situation can be life-threatening. Therefore, if you’re considering abortion, knowing you have a baby with a heartbeat in your uterus through ultrasound is critical.
- How far along am I? Ultrasound determines how far along you are in your pregnancy. Knowing that information is crucial if you are looking to take the abortion pill. Medical recommendations for using the abortion pill, which is actually two drugs (Mifepristone and Misoprostol), include a woman being 10 weeks or less along with in her pregnancy. We’ve had women come to True Care thinking they were eight weeks, but during the ultrasound, they learned they were sixteen weeks along. Taking the abortion pill past ten weeks can result in an incomplete abortion, which may cause serious health issues. True Care provides free limited obstetrical ultrasounds for women who come to us for pregnancy testing.
- Do I have an STD? If you are sexually active, you may have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Many people are contagious with no or few symptoms. Whether you choose to have an abortion or continue your pregnancy, you need to know if you have an active STD in your system. If untreated, many of these diseases can affect your future fertility. True Care’s nurses use the same urine sample from your pregnancy test to also test for three STDs: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis; they also treat our patients who are positive for these diseases. Our nurses also can refer patients to other agencies, like the public health department, for testing and treatment of other STDs, like HIV and herpes. All True Care’s medical services except for some prescriptions are free of charge to our patients.
- What are my rights? You have rights, no matter your choice. Don’t feel pressured to make a quick decision. You have the right to make an informed decision as to the outcome of your pregnancy, and that includes access to information about all your pregnancy options. At True Care, once our nurse lets you know that you have a viable pregnancy and how far along you are, you will receive accurate education on all three of your pregnancy options. Your advocate will give you information about abortion, parenting, and adoption so you can make an informed decision. We even provide an informational brochure Patient’s Rights Regarding Abortion: Health & Safety Checklist.
You also have the right to change your mind. If you arrive at the abortion clinic and feel uncertain if you’re making the right decision, you can turn around and walk out. Also, if you take the first abortion pill and regret that decision, you may still have a choice to continue your pregnancy through Abortion Pill Reversal. Medical professionals use the hormone progesterone to block the effects of the first abortion pill, mifepristone.
Progesterone has been used successfully for more than 50 years with women who have a history of miscarriage. Thousands of women have used Abortion Pill Reversal in the past 15 years with successful outcomes and healthy babies born. True Care provides the progesterone protocol for women who change their minds after taking the first abortion pill.
Know Your Resources
Not only do you have rights regarding your pregnancy options, your abortion decision, and the right to change your mind about abortion, but you have the right to know what resources are available to help you in your situation. One of those resources is Medicaid. True Care can help you through that process. Our Resource Coordinator assists hundreds of our patients to traverse the Medicaid maze, offering pre-eligibility so you can know quickly if you qualify.
She also helps patients with other valuable resources, including housing, job training, employment programs, online education opportunities, physicians, addiction recovery, stop smoking programs, WIC, and many other resources. She knows the various community agencies and helps patients connect with the different resources they may need. Our Resource Program is another free service provided to True Care patients.
Schedule Your Free Appointment
To make your free appointment, learn all your rights, and find answers to your questions, call or text our Scheduling Line at 307-215-9684. You can also request an appointment by visiting True Care’s Contact Us page online.