What Are The Side Effects Of The Abortion Pill?

A medical decision, like abortion, should never be made quickly. It may sound simple. Take a pill and your unplanned pregnancy disappears, but it’s more serious than that. Learn the side effects and risks of the abortion pill before you choose to have an abortion.

Before The Procedure

There are two types of abortion: medication and surgical. The abortion pill method is medication abortion. You must be less than nine or ten weeks into your pregnancy in order to have this type of abortion. If you are farther along, you will need to have a surgical abortion.

Before you can begin the procedure, you must have an ultrasound. The ultrasound determines how far along you are in your pregnancy, and if your pregnancy is viable. A viable pregnancy means there is a detectable heartbeat and the fetus is growing. If there is no heartbeat, it is possible you had a natural miscarriage. Almost 30%  of known pregnancies end in a miscarriage.

The Abortion Pill Method

The abortion pill is a two-step process. Once you have had an ultrasound and determined your pregnancy is less than ten weeks along, you can begin. 

First, you are given a pill containing a drug that is used to block the production of progesterone which is commonly referred to as the “pregnancy hormone”. Progesterone helps the fertilized egg implant on the wall of your uterus. Taking this first pill causes the lining of the uterus to thin and prevents the fetus from staying implanted. Because of the risks of associated with taking the abortion pill, it’s important to always have a doctor’s supervision when using the drug. In fact, the warning label states, “WARNING: SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL INFECTIONS OR BLEEDING.” 

You are then given the second drug to take hours or even days after taking the first. This pill causes your body to cramp in order to expel the fetus.

Physical Side Effects 

According to the Mayo Clinic, these are the expected side effects of the abortion pill method:

• Heavy bleeding, sometimes passing large blood clots
• Severe abdominal cramping or back pain as you expel the fetus 
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Fever and Chills lasting more than 24 hours
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Foul-smelling vaginal discharge

Emotional Side Effects

You need to weigh your decision carefully. Abortion is a permanent and final decision. Some of the emotions women express feeling are:

• Guilt
• Sadness
• Shame
• Loss

Risks

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

Your Next Steps

As you can see, there is so much more to think about when considering abortion. Before you make any decision regarding your pregnancy, come to Waterleaf Women’s Center. We offer free pregnancy testing, free ultrasounds, and free STD testing. You will need to have all of these tests to make an informed decision regarding abortion. 

No one should have to make this decision alone. We’re here to help you. We promise to give you truthful, non-judgmental answers to your questions. Contact us to make an appointment!