How do I Choose the Best Abortion Service?

The best abortion service may depend on how long you have been pregnant and your personal preferences. Your jurisdiction’s laws may also factor into your decision-making process. Some jurisdictions may have laws against certain abortion services or restrict how late in a pregnancy you can have one. Additionally, you may consider the risks involved when choosing the best abortion service for your case.

One option for terminating a pregnancy is choosing an abortion service that will provide the abortion pill to terminate a pregnancy at an early stage. Usually, you can take this pill until the ninth week of pregnancy, counting from the first day of your last menstrual period. The medication in the abortion pill is called mifepristone and works by interfering with the hormone progesterone. This causes the lining of your uterus to begin breaking down, which renders it incapable of supporting a pregnancy. You will likely also receive a second medicine, called misoprostol, which stimulates the emptying of the contents of the uterus.

The abortion pill is generally considered safe and effective, but there are some effects to consider when deciding whether or not it is the best choice for you. During a pregnancy termination stimulated by the abortion pill, you may experience strong cramping and heavy bleeding from the vagina, much as you would if you were having a miscarriage. You may also feel dizzy or nauseated, vomit, develop a low-grade fever, experience chills, or note abdominal pain with this type of abortion. These unpleasant effects do not usually last for an extended period of time, however.

If you are beyond the ninth week of pregnancy or prefer to avoid the abortion pill, you may choose an in-clinic abortion service. The best abortion service for you may depend on how long you’ve been pregnant and which services are legal in your area. In many jurisdictions, up to the 16th week of pregnancy you may choose to have an aspiration abortion, which involves dilating the cervix and using a medical suction device to remove the contents of the uterus through the vagina. If you are past the 16th week of pregnancy, counting from the first day of your last menstrual period, you may have a dilation and evacuation (D & E), which involves dilating the cervix and using sterile instruments to remove uterine contents.

There are risks involved with all types of abortion services, and you may consider them when you are choosing one. With the abortion pill, there is a slight risk that it will fail to end the pregnancy; it works as expected in about 97 percent of cases. There is also the risk that you could have an allergic reaction to the pill, develop an infection, or have a ectopic pregnancy that continues after you have taken the pills. You may face many of the same risks with an in-clinic abortion as well as the risks of injury to the cervix or uterus, incomplete abortion, and blood clots in the uterus. Rarely, an abortion can adversely affect a woman’s chances of having a child in the future.