With so much information available online, it can be challenging to sort through what you need to know when you’re considering an abortion, especially when you’re unexpectedly pregnant!

Calaveras Pregnancy Center can provide you with the critical details you need to know and offer essential pregnancy services so you can walk away feeling informed and prepared to take the next steps.

Determine Your Eligibility

To start, you’ll want to review your health history and find out what options are available. For instance, the abortion pill is only FDA-approved through ten weeks gestation (how far along you are). After that, surgical abortions are the only type of procedure you’d be eligible for.

Even when considering the abortion pill, there are a set of circumstances where it would not be an option for you, such as if you:

  • Are too far along in your pregnancy.
  • Have an intrauterine device (IUD) currently in place.
  • Have a suspected pregnancy outside of the uterus. This is called ectopic pregnancy.
  • Have certain medical conditions. These include bleeding disorders, certain heart or blood vessel diseases, severe liver, kidney, or lung disease, or an uncontrolled seizure disorder.
  • Take a blood thinner or certain steroid medicines.
  • Can’t make follow-up visits to your provider or don’t have access to emergency care.
  • Have an allergy to the drugs used.

Know The Risks

Abortion is a serious medical procedure. As with any medical procedure, you’ll want to know the risks involved.

The abortion pill, or a medical abortion, is the process of using drugs to terminate a pregnancy.

The risks of the abortion pill include:

  • Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical treatment
  • An ongoing pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
  • Heavy and prolonged bleeding
  • Infection
  • Fever
  • Digestive system discomfort

A surgical abortion uses a combination of drugs, medical instruments, and suction to remove a pregnancy from the uterus.

The risks of surgical abortion include:

  • Uterine perforation (which is when the surgical instruments poke a hole in your uterus)
  • Uterine scarring (which can cause painful periods and future infertility)
  • Cervical damage
  • Infection

Get The Facts

This article is merely an introduction to what you need to know about abortion.

By visiting us at Calaveras Pregnancy Center, you can get the full scope of your situation with essential pregnancy services, such as a free professional-grade pregnancy test and ultrasound referral.

Contact us today to get a free and confidential appointment.

*We do not perform or refer abortions