When you see a positive pregnancy test and your mind starts racing, it can feel like you need answers immediately. If abortion is something you are considering, you deserve to understand what happens in your body during the process. Knowing how abortion ends a pregnancy medically can help you slow down, ask informed questions, and protect your health.
Pregnancy Help Center offers no cost, private services designed to give you clarity before making any decision. We provide pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds performed by a registered nurse and sonographer, options counseling, and pre-abortion consultations. Everything is confidential and focused on your well-being.
Contact us today to schedule a private appointment and get the facts first.
Medical Abortion (Often Called the Abortion Pill)
A medical abortion, typically called the abortion pill, involves a regimen of two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, a hormone the body needs to continue a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later and causes the uterus to contract, leading to cramping and bleeding as the pregnancy is expelled.
The FDA approves the abortion pill through 10 weeks of gestation. Common side effects can include cramping, bleeding, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever, or chills.
Possible risks include heavy bleeding, infection, or an incomplete abortion, which may require follow-up treatment or a surgical procedure. In some cases, the drugs do not end the pregnancy.
Surgical Abortion
Surgical abortion is performed in a clinic or hospital, where an abortion provider removes the pregnancy from the uterus using suction and medical instruments. Types of surgical abortions include vacuum aspiration, dilation and curettage (D&C) or dilation and evacuation (D&E). These procedures involve dilating the cervix and using suction or surgical instruments to manually remove the pregnancy and related tissue from the uterus. Local anesthesia or sedation is used.
After a surgical abortion, cramping and light bleeding are common for several days, though symptoms can vary.
Surgical abortion carries potential risks. These can include infection, heavy bleeding, damage to the cervix, uterine perforation, or scarring of the uterine lining. A medical provider can explain how these risks may vary based on gestational age and your health history.
Why Pregnancy Testing and an Ultrasound Matter First
Before any abortion decision, confirming your pregnancy with pregnancy testing and an ultrasound is important. An ultrasound can help determine how far along you are, confirm the pregnancy is located in the uterus, and check for signs of viability.
Viability refers to whether the pregnancy is developing as expected and shows measurable signs of progression, such as fetal cardiac activity. Among known pregnancies, about 10 to 20 percent end in miscarriage, most often during the first trimester.
An ultrasound can also detect an ectopic pregnancy, a serious condition in which a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube, and which requires immediate medical care, and it cannot be treated with abortion drugs.
You Deserve Support
You have the right to get honest information, ask questions, and take time to think through your options without pressure. Pregnancy Help Center offers no-cost, private services to help you understand your pregnancy and what comes next.
Schedule a no cost, confidential appointment today to get pregnancy testing, a limited ultrasound, and a pre-abortion consultation.
Pregnancy Help Center does not provide or refer for abortions.
All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.