What Are the Risks of Ordering the Abortion Pill Online?
Ordering the abortion pill online comes with more risks than receiving the abortion pill under medical supervision in a clinical setting. If you’re considering ordering online, here are four safety factors to think about first.
1. The Pharmacy’s Legitimacy
The FDA advises against ordering abortion pills online, especially from unregulated, overseas pharmacies. Because they are outside of the United States’ regulated supply chain, the FDA cannot guarantee the quality, effectiveness, and safety of the drugs.
Moreover, women who receive medical abortion drugs cannot verify whether they are the correct drug, tainted, or the wrong dosage. It’s dangerous to take drugs when you can’t trust the ingredients.
2. Your Gestational Age
The FDA has only approved the abortion pill up to 70 days of pregnancy. After this time, an abortion provider might recommend another type of procedure they believe is safer for you.
Only an ultrasound can definitively tell you how far along you are, i.e., your pregnancy’s gestation. You cannot rely on period trackers or your estimate to determine this age because it might be inaccurate.
Ordering the abortion pill online means you will not know exactly how far along you are, which can impact your safety. We offer an ultrasound as a part of our no-cost medical screening before an abortion at Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center.
3. Your Medical History
Not every woman qualifies for the abortion pill. Certain conditions would make medical abortion unsafe, such as having an IUD in place, having a bleeding disorder, taking a blood thinner, or being allergic to the drugs. The Mayo Clinic lists conditions that would make the abortion pill no longer an option for certain women.
Talking to a medical professional about your history, current prescription drugs, and other conditions will help screen for preventable risks, like drug interaction.
Also, if you have an existing STD, it’s in your best interest to get that treated to prevent it from spreading deeper into the reproductive system during an abortion procedure.
4. Chance of Non-Viable Pregnancies
Roughly 10-20% of early pregnancies end in miscarriage, and about 2% are ectopic. These numbers indicate there’s a chance an early positive on a pregnancy test could be a non-viable pregnancy.
An ultrasound can screen for both of these complications.
If you have a miscarriage, also known as a spontaneous pregnancy loss, before the 20th week, a medical professional should determine whether treatment is necessary to prevent infection.
If you have an ectopic pregnancy, meaning the pregnancy is growing outside the uterus, it will require immediate medical treatment. This condition can become life-threatening if left undetected. The abortion pill does not treat ectopic pregnancy.
Ordering the abortion pill online without the knowledge only an ultrasound can provide can be dangerous.
Schedule a Medical Screening
Schedule a medical screening at Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center for pregnancy confirmation, an ultrasound, STD testing, and to talk to a medical professional about your health history. You can ask questions in a confidential setting and receive accurate information.
We provide our medical screenings and other services at no cost to you.
Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center does not perform or refer for abortions.
Medical Screening Before An Abortion
A positive result on a pregnancy test isn’t enough. Get the information you need before scheduling an abortion. We can provide this screening for you at no cost.
Pregnancy Testing
Even if you’ve taken an at-home pregnancy test, be confident you got the correct result with our free pregnancy testing service. You’ll have your test result during your appointment that day.
Ultrasounds
You need to know how far along you are in your pregnancy, if your pregnancy is viable (growing), and its location. Critical information you can only get with an ultrasound.
Medical Screening Before An Abortion
A positive result on a pregnancy test isn’t enough. Get the information you need before scheduling an abortion. We can provide this screening for you at no cost.
Pregnancy Testing
Even if you’ve taken an at-home pregnancy test, be confident you got the correct result with our free pregnancy testing service. You’ll have your test result during your appointment that day.
Ultrasounds
You need to know how far along you are in your pregnancy, if your pregnancy is viable (growing), and its location. Critical information you can only get with an ultrasound.
