If you have found out you are unexpectedly pregnant, you might be considering abortion as one of your options. Although the abortion pill has a simple name, it is actually a medical process involving two drugs and can carry risks, especially for those with certain medical conditions.

Understanding the facts, side effects, and potential risks of medical abortion is important to protect your health, especially if you have existing medical conditions.

Heart of the Hills provides free pregnancy services that can help give you accurate information about abortion and its risks, as well as your other options, parenting, and adoption in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

Schedule your confidential appointment today.

Risks and Concerns Related to Certain Health Conditions

Certain medical conditions can make taking the abortion pill unsafe. The Mayo Clinic recommends that people who have these medical conditions should not get a medical abortion.

• Anemia
• Bleeding disorders
• Chronic adrenal failure
• Certain heart or blood vessel diseases
• Severe liver, kidney, or lung disease
• Uncontrolled seizure disorder

Women who have an IUD in place can also increase the risk of complications. This is why undergoing medical screening before considering an abortion is so important.

Possible Drug Interactions to Be Aware Of

The abortion pill could interact with other prescriptions or treatments you are taking.

If you are on long-term steroid therapy, take blood thinners, or have allergies to certain drugs, these are direct contraindications, meaning they are specific conditions or circumstances in which a drug or procedure should not be used because it may cause harm.

Why Medical Screening Is Important Before Any Decision

A medical screening and ultrasound provide important information about your pregnancy that a test alone cannot. Heart of the Hills provides free ultrasounds to help confirm the location of the pregnancy, how far along you are, and whether the pregnancy appears viable (confirmed by a heartbeat).

These details are important, as they directly affect your options.

For example, 2% of pregnancies can implant outside of the uterus, which is also known as an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy cannot continue and can cause life-threatening internal bleeding if it is not treated promptly. An ectopic pregnancy cannot be treated with the abortion pill.

It also confirms whether a miscarriage may have already occurred, since you can get a positive pregnancy test even after a miscarriage due to the remaining levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

A medical screening will also take into account your health history and current medications.

Get Accurate Information at the Heart of the Hills

If you’re unsure about where to go from here, Heart of the Hills offers free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and options counseling.

We believe that every woman deserves access to accurate information about her options so she can make an informed and confident decision about her pregnancy.

Contact us to make an appointment; we are ready to listen.

Heart of the Hills does not provide or refer for abortions.