If you’re considering abortion, it can help to begin with a few concrete pieces of information rather than trying to answer everything at once. Knowing more about your pregnancy, understanding the procedure you’re considering, and looking at all your available options can give you a better basis for your decision.
Read on to learn the three things needed before an abortion, or contact Choices Pregnancy Center. We offer self-administered pregnancy tests and abdominal ultrasounds following a positive pregnancy test or proof of pregnancy. We’re here to give you the answers you need to stay safe and make an informed decision.
1. Confirm Important Pregnancy Details
A positive pregnancy test tells you that hCG has been detected, but it cannot tell you how far along you are, where the pregnancy is located, or whether the pregnancy is developing.
An ultrasound can provide those details.
Knowing gestational age matters because abortion procedures vary depending on how far the pregnancy has progressed. The abortion pill, for example, is FDA-approved through 10 weeks of gestation.
An ultrasound can also help confirm that the pregnancy is located inside the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy develops outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube, and requires medical treatment rather than abortion.
2. Learn What Abortion Involves
If abortion is the option you’re leaning toward, make sure you understand the procedure before moving forward.
Medical abortion uses drugs to end and expel an early pregnancy, while surgical abortion is performed in a medical setting using suction, instruments, or both. Each method has its own expected side effects and possible risks, and the procedure used depends partly on gestational age.
This is also a good time to review your health history and ask a healthcare provider about anything that could affect your care.
3. Learn About All Your Options
Even if abortion is the option you’re thinking about most, it’s still worth learning about parenting and adoption before making a final decision.
You may discover resources for parenting that you didn’t know were available, or learn that modern adoption offers more choices than you expected. Looking at all three options does not obligate you to choose one over another; instead, it gives you more information to work with.
You can also use this time to think about your support system, finances, housing, education, work, and the questions that matter most in your situation.
Get the Information You Need
You don’t need to arrive with your decision already made.
Schedule a free appointment with Choices Pregnancy Center today to confirm your pregnancy, discuss your options, and more. We’re here to help.
*Choices Pregnancy 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.