| Abortion Services | Medical Abortions | Emergency Contraception | Birth Control | FAQ | Locations | Article | Contact Us |
| Abortion Services | Medical Abortions | Emergency Contraception | Birth Control | FAQ | Locations | Article | Contact Us |
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What do your abortion prices include? Not only do we strive to keep our abortion prices low in order to serve patients that would find it difficult to access our services if we did not, but we include more services in our price than any other facility in our local community or the State. It is important to us to not only be the facility where safety of the patient is our number 1 priority, but to prevent a repeat of unwanted or unintended pregnancy, and prevent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and to educate all women about how to maintain their health and to keep them strong and able to maintain independence of their bodies. In order to do so, our abortion price includes FREE oral prep HIV testing, FREE Chlamydia screening, lab work that is needed to confirm positive pregnancy test, Rh typing, and blood count to make sure that the patient is not anemic, state of the art sonogram to determine the length of the pregnancy, counseling to discuss the risks and benefits of the abortion procedure and to make sure the patient is not being forced to terminate the pregnancy, discussion of birth control and emergency contraception (morning after pill, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b), given a month supply of birth control, and post operative medications which include pain medications and antibiotics. For a limited time period at EPOC clinic, we are offering FREE PAP smears to patients who have an abortion procedure performed thanks to a private donor. There is an additional fee for patients that require the microgram or Rhogam injection which is for patients who are Rh negative. For patients who fill out paper work, go through lab and counseling and have a sonogram performed, and then decide not to have the procedure performed for whatever reason, there is a non-refundable $175.00 fee that will be credited towards the procedure if the patient returns to have the abortion procedure performed. Why is the price of abortion so expensive? The price of abortion was approximately one-hundred and seventy-five dollars ($175.00) to two-hundred dollars ($200.00) in the mid seventies. This means that on an inflation basis, abortions should cost approximately one-thousand six-hundred dollars to two-thousand dollars ($1600.00 to $2000.00). Family planning centers have done their best to keep the cost as low as possible in order to be able to have abortion accessible to as many patients that want to have them. The cost of a pregnancy termination varies according to gestational age and the choice of anesthesia. We strive to offer the highest level of quality care at the lowest possible price. We believe that not only will our patients find our fees to be as low, and in some areas even lower than those of our competitors, but also that there are more benefits included with the cost of our services. Abortion costs can range from $175.00 to $1200.00 in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy depending on where in the country the procedure is performed. How much does abortion pill cost? Abortion Pill (RU486, Mifeprex, mifepristone, medical abortion, non surgical abortion) procedures cost approximately the same or a little more than surgical termination procedures for patients who are 9 weeks or less pregnant. At Legal Abortion By Pill, there is no additional fee that is charged for a failed abortion procedure where a surgical aspiration is required in 1 to 5% patients. Can abortions costs be reduced in some manner? Abortion costs can be offset by private donors at times who are dedicated to helping women who are indigent, low income, or many other situations that cause women to not have the full funding for abortion. We regret that we are unable to provide payment plans. Payment is expected in full on the day of your procedure. For your convenience we accept cash and all major credit cards, but we are unable to accept personal checks. Are legal abortions covered by my health insurance? Some policies do cover elective abortion; however many do not. You will need to contact your insurance company to determine if elective abortion is covered under your plan. If you belong to an HMO or PPO, you will need to ask about your out of network benefits and determine exactly what is available. If you find that abortion is covered under your plan, please let us know and we will be happy to contact your insurance company to obtain verification. Is abortion funding available? At times abortion funding is available. Please call the Legal Abortion Pill by Clinic office nearest you to inquire about funding or reduction in fees. Is abortion painful when undergoing surgery? With today’s advanced medications that reduce anxiety, pain and discomfort, there is no reason for any woman to have to experience pain or discomfort during the surgical procedure. Even without an escort a woman who drives herself to and from the facility should not have to experience any pain discomfort with the advanced technology IV sedation medications that are in and out of the body in 30 minutes or less. Less than a decade ago, the majority of patients experienced discomfort because of them not receiving any medications to alleviate pain and anxiety, or the medications given were not able to take care of the patient’s discomfort. Even today in the majority of facilities where abortions are performed, the medications given are not the most advanced in achieving a rapid response to decreasing the patient’s pain and anxiety and they can take a very long time to clear the patient’s body that can take up to 2 or 3 days during which the patient is not able to return to her normal duties. For the patient who does not choose to receive IV medications to relieve anxiety and pain and just undergo local anesthesia where the cervix is injected with Lidocaine, there will be discomfort that most women describe as mild to moderate cramps very similar to what occurs with their menses. In some cases relatively uncomfortable. If you choose to have IV sedation, you should not feel any cramping that you would not be able to comfortably tolerate. If you choose to have only local anesthesia, you will most likely experience cramping that is more intense and less easily tolerated. IV sedation is recommended for patients who may be nervous and apprehensive, for those individuals with a lower tolerance to pain, or for anyone who desire to have the procedure performed as comfortable as possible. For patients who desire, we also offer IV Deep Sedation which makes you feel that you are asleep and will have a pain free abortion procedure. What are the differences between IV Sedation, Deep IV Sedation, Advanced Technology IV Sedation and General Anesthesia? Regular IV Sedation greatly reduces a patient's feelings of anxiety, and causes tremendous relaxation. The patient will be able to follow all commands easily. Patients may or may not be aware of what is taking place. Most patients have no recall of the procedure. Patients will need escort to drive them home.
Patients generally remain in recovery from 20 to 40 minutes after receiving any form of sedation which is the same length of time patients remain if they did not receive any form of sedation. How long does the first trimester abortion procedure take? The actual procedure may take from only 3 to 4 minutes and is safe and pain free. Why does the entire visit require 2 or more hours? Although the actual procedure takes only a few minutes, there are various other important aspects to your visit. Upon arrival, you will be asked to complete medical history forms and read a variety of information and consent forms. You will receive laboratory tests which will include an analysis of your blood volume, your Rh factor, and a routine urinalysis which will also include a pregnancy test. Your preoperative vital signs such as temperature, pulse, and respiration will be established. Once your laboratory tests have been completed, you will spend time with a counselor. The counselor will review all of your forms with you to determine that you fully understand all of the information. She will explain the abortion procedure, the risks involved, and inform and discuss with you what you may expect afterwards. After speaking with the counselor, the receptionist will collect your payment, and you will then be escorted to an examination room or a patient waiting area. Once the procedure has been completed, you will be given an appropriate amount of recovery and observation time prior to leaving. Yes, everything is strictly confidential. We cannot give out any information about a patient without her written permission. How is a surgical abortion performed? The cervix is anesthetized with Lidocaine, which is similar to Novocaine. The cervix is then dilated to allow for access to the uterus. A hollow plastic tube comparable to a drinking straw is inserted into the uterus, and the contents are then removed by suction aspiration. How is a chemical Abortion performed? A chemical abortion is also referred to as an "instrument-free" abortion because surgical instruments are not used. A chemical abortion is performed over a course of three weeks requiring three consecutive weekly visits. During the first visit the physician will perform a sonogram to determine the length of the pregnancy. On this same day he/she will give the patient an intramuscular injection or a medication called Methotrexate or oral form of Methotrexate, RU486, or Tamoxifen which will stop further development of the pregnancy in the majority of cases. You will insert a medication called Misoprostol into the vagina approximately 48 to 72 offices after your initial visit to the office. This medication will be in the form of small tablets and will cause the cervix to dilate without the need for surgical instruments. Within 2 to 6 hours after the tablets have been inserted, the patient will experience bleeding and cramping similar to a menstrual period. On the second visit the physician will perform a sonogram to determine that all of the pregnancy tissue has been eliminated. The success rate of a chemical abortion is approximately 94 to 98%. Should the physician find that the procedure was incomplete, a patient has two options: She may have the Misoprostol reinserted to encourage further elimination of the pregnancy tissue, or she may have a vacuum aspiration procedure performed. What is the best abortion procedure to have? Surgical or Medical (Abortion Pill, Non Surgical, Chemical) Abortions? This is an individual decision. Some women feel the surgical is better because it is not drawn out over the course of a three week period. Other women feel the chemical (abortion pill, Non Surgical Medical) abortion may be more advantageous because they can do it in the privacy of their home and have their significant person with them during the process if they so choose. Some women also feel the chemical is better because it is less invasive and does not require surgical instruments. Each woman may decide which procedure is best suited for her individual needs. Is the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic an early abortion clinic? The Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic Physicians are experts in performing early surgical and medical abortions. We perform early abortions from 3 to 6 weeks gestation using the surgical aspiration procedure or the use of RU 486 (Mifeprex, mifepristone) or Methotrexate with misoprostol or misoprostol alone. How do I determine the best abortion clinic to go to? There are several factors that determine what makes an abortion clinic the best and at Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic, we feel that not only do we meet, but that we excel in all of the factors that are mentioned below which puts us well ahead of our competitors. In addition, we are the number one facility for Physician referrals which has always been the standard for determining very high marks for a facility being the best. Our goal has always been patient safety first beyond anything else as this is crucial in assuring future fertility and no other complications due to the cervical preparation (laminaria placement, cytotec or misoprostol usage to help dilate the cervix) that occurs. Which procedure is less painful? The level of discomfort varies from person to person because every individual has a different degree of pain tolerance. Most women feel that because the chemical procedure is less invasive, it is therefore less painful. If you are found to be less than 6 weeks gestation, the early surgical procedure has the advantage of immediate completion. You are able to return to your normal activities and have sex the following day. Are there any restrictions following an abortion procedure? There are only a few restrictions a patient must follow after an abortion procedure; however, these limitations are very necessary to achieve full recovery. Patients who are more than 6.5 weeks must not insert anything into the vagina for two weeks after having a surgical abortion. This means no tampons, no douching, and no sexual intercourse. Swimming, tub bathing, heavy lifting, strenuous activity, sun bathing and standing for prolonged periods of time are also prohibited. After having a chemical abortion, there are very few restrictions. The first week after the procedure the restrictions are the same as the surgical abortion except that you may engage in intercourse when you feel comfortable. How soon can I return to work or school after having an abortion? Most women may return the following day. If your schedule involves heavy lifting or strenuous activity, we will provide a work or school excuse indicating that you must avoid certain activities for a week. Patients less than 6 weeks pregnant and receive no IV Sedation can return to work the same day and resume normal activities. Will an abortion have any effect on future pregnancies? Having an abortion is more than 10 times safer than having a full term labor and delivery. It is unlikely that you would experience any lasting complications from an abortion procedure; however, as with any type of surgical procedure there are always some risks involved. How long after having an abortion will I have bleeding? This will vary from patient to patient. The bleeding will be similar to that of a menstrual period. Patients may expect to have bleeding from one to seven days. Spotting may even be experienced for the duration of a month. The bleeding may be very light to somewhat heavy. Some blood clots may be passed, and this is normal. When can I expect to have a normal period? Most women will have a normal period within 4 to 6 weeks after having an abortion. Are evening and weekend appointments available? For the convenience of our patients, we are able to provide evening and weekend appointments at one or more of our five easily accessible facilities located throughout Florida. A VIP appointment can be made where the patient and her escort are placed in a private office where her escort is able to stay with the patient until she goes to the procedure room. Patients are usually in and out of the office is less than 120 minutes (two hours). An exclusive appointment can be scheduled for you to be the only patient in the office. Please call for details. Is it necessary to come to the facility for a pregnancy test prior to my appointment? No. It is not necessary because we will be performing a pregnancy test along with your other laboratory tests on the day of your procedure. Is the abortion performed by a "real" doctor? All of our physicians are licensed medical doctors. Our physicians are extensively trained and highly experienced in performing pregnancy terminations. All of our staff members are experienced and tremendously dedicated to providing the utmost care to our patients. The safety and well-being of our patients is always our first priority. We pride ourselves in providing the highest level of quality healthcare to the women of our communities. Should I worry about the protestors outside the offices? There are certain days and times when there are several people standing on the public sidewalk. Our privately owned parking lots separate the demonstrators from our patients. Their techniques are to attempt to speak to you, give you pamphlets of literature that discourage you from having an abortion performed, tell you how unsafe the abortion procedure is, and eventually call you a child murderer, and say or do anything to prevent patients from coming in our offices. The best thing to do is to avoid them, not speak to them, and walk directly into our offices. Although they can be annoying, loud, inappropriate, and harass patients, they have a legal right to voice their opinion on the public right of way. They are not allowed to step onto our properties. If you have any specific concerns or would like to be escorted to your car, please let us know. Will I have to wait long for an appointment? All of our offices offer a wide variety of appointment times to meet your needs. We can arrange early morning or evening appointments. We will do our best to see you the same day or the next day from the time of your call if you choose. Can I go to work/school the next day? Most patients can go to work and resume normal activities the next day. We ask patients who were over 6 weeks pregnant to avoid long periods of standing, heavy lifting, or pushing. These activities may cause increased bleeding and cramping. Women have abortions for many reasons. For every woman that is seen, they have their unique combination of reasons for having an abortion. There are over 200 million abortions that take place in the world today where it is estimated that over 70,000 women die of an unsafe abortion a year. This means that 1 woman a minute dies of an abortion which represents approximately 13% of maternal deaths. The crux of the problem is the number of unintended or unwanted pregnancies that occur because of lack of access to family planning facilities and education about birth control and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Over 50% of pregnancies that occur in the world today are unintended or unwanted. The majority of women believe that they are not able to get pregnant the first time that they have sex or if they are age 40 or greater, they are too old to get pregnant. There are many women who fear getting on any form of birth control because of the fear of side effects. This leaves only the use of natural planning methods or no method of birth control used for many women. Then there are victims of rape and incest. Most women have only heard of Emergency Contraception (morning after pill, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b) which can reduce the incidence of pregnancy by 89% if used within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. Until women gain the education, knowledge and have access to family planning facilities to be on long term contraceptive methods and birth control, and learn to prevent themselves from being exposed to unprotected sex which increases the incidence of pregnancy (unwanted) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, there will be a high rate of abortions that occur even if abortions are illegal and unsafe. Illegal abortions do not reduce the rate of abortion. It does increase the maternal death rate and morbidity. Prior to legalizing abortion in the U.S., there were 5000 maternal deaths and over 100,000 hospitalizations due to unsafe abortions. The most common reason for maternal death was sepsis (bacteria in blood) and bleeding to death. The most common reasons for women wanting abortions are the fact that 1) they are not financially able to afford a child at the moment, 2) they wish not to have any more children, 3) they are trying to advance their career and a child would interfere with doing so, 4) they were using birth control and it failed, 5) they were out of their birth control, 6) they were forced to have intercourse, 7) the partner died or left the mother, 8) maternal illness threatens the mother’s health or life if she continues the pregnancy, 9) severe fetal abnormalities that are not compatible with it living, etc. What is the Safest Abortion method in the first trimester of pregnancy? Patients in the first trimester (3 to 9 weeks) have a choice of having the abortion procedure performed safely with either the surgical or abortion pill method. Both are very safe procedures with advantages and disadvantages of both. Patients undergo surgical procedure because it is faster and they are able to resume their normal activities the same day or the next day. If 6 weeks pregnant or less, patients are able to use tampons or have sex the next day. Bleeding is less with surgical procedures and there is less than a .5% failure rate. The abortion pill procedure takes longer to finish, and bleeding normally lasts 10 to 14 days but can last up to 30 to 69 days. The failure rate is between 1 to 5% and with that requires a surgical aspiration procedure. Why is a Safe Abortion important? We at Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic have spent many years making the surgical and medical abortion procedure safer. Abortions performed legally in sterile, and sanitary facilities by experienced medical staff have less than 1% chance of complications. When abortions are performed in unsafe and illegal facilities, there is increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic uses the latest surgical, medical drugs, IV sedation, Deep Anesthesia, General Anesthesia, and state of the art ultrasound (sonogram) machine are used to make abortion procedures in our facilities some of the safest in the country. The rate of complications are less than .2%. We feel that this is due to the precautionary measures that are taken to reduce the incidence of pelvic infections with our FREE Chlamydia screening test since Chlamydia is the most common Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) in the U.S. which can lead to patients having chronic pelvic pain, increase incidence of ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Treatment with 7 day course of antibiotics at the time of surgery reduces the chance of any long term complications associated with undiagnosed Chlamydia since over 50% of patients do not have any symptoms. Is having an early abortion safe? An early abortion is performed between 3 and 6 weeks pregnant. There was a time that abortions were not performed before 7 weeks due to lack of sonograms and the fear that there was the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy, or the higher complication rates of uterine perforation, incomplete abortion, of cervical tears. With advancement of medical equipment, surgical techniques and new medications, early abortions can be safely performed using our early surgical abortion methods or abortion pill procedure. As long as the pregnancy can be visualized in the uterus by sonogram (ultrasound) it is safe to carry a suction aspiration surgical procedure or non surgical abortion with minimal complications or side effects. Is pregnancy after abortion associated with any problems or complications? Patients who become pregnant after having a abortion procedure using cervical ripening agents, advanced new medications and surgical techniques have no problems with getting pregnant, or maintaining their pregnancy. There is no increase in the incidence of infertility, preterm labor, preterm births, ectopic pregnancies, fetal death in utero, or increased incidence of C-section as long as the abortion procedure occurred without complications. Does post abortion depression occur? Depression occurs in 20 to 25% of the general population. Most women after undergoing an abortion have a lot of anxiety, guilt, unable to sleep, decreased appetite, less interest in things that they are normally interested in before undergoing a termination procedure. Most women feel relieved and less stressed after undergoing a termination procedure. There is a small percentage of patients where if the patient has a history of depression before the abortion, the depression can reoccur or linger after having an abortion performed. There is no such diagnosis as post abortion depression syndrome. This diagnosis is not recognized by any scientific psychiatry society. There is no evidence that abortion can lead to a patient going into a deep depression due to the abortion. Depression can occur at any time to people who are susceptible to it. Is post abortion syndrome recognized as a true medical diagnosis? There is no such medical diagnosis as post abortion syndrome. This diagnosis is not recognized by any scientific psychiatry society. There is no evidence that abortion can lead to a patient going into a deep depression due to the abortion. Depression can occur at any time to people who are susceptible to it. What are the early abortion options available to terminate a pregnancy less than 6 weeks? Early abortion options available to terminate pregnancies 6 weeks or less are the Abortion Pill (RU486, chemical abortion, non surgical abortion, Mifeprex, mifepristone), Methotrexate (injection or tablets) and cytotec, or the early surgical abortion. The abortion pill procedure regimen requires patients to take the RU486 on the first visit in the office and to take cytotec (misoprostol tablets) which is a prostaglandin that causes uterine contractions 34 to 96 hours after taking the RU 486 which leads to contractions and bleeding 4 to 6 hours after taking. A sonogram is done 7 to 14 days after the first visit to make sure that the pregnancy tissue has passed. There is a 95 to 99% of success. Bleeding can last from two days to as many as 69 days. It usually only lasts 10 to 14 days. The early surgical procedure can be done under local anesthesia or with IV sedation. The bleeding usually only lasts for 1 or 2 days. There is minimal cramping associated with the procedure which normally lasts only 5 to 10 minutes. Patients are normally able to return to their normal activities the same day and have sex and insert tampons 24 hours after getting the surgical procedure. Is there a lot of bleeding with abortion procedures? The amount of bleeding that occurs during and after an abortion is always a potential concern as sepsis and hemorrhage are common reasons for maternal morbidity and mortality around the world. The number one reason for maternal death in the U.S. is anesthesia complications. With today’s techniques of priming (softening and opening) the cervix, complications that occurred in the past with cervical tears and lacerations, uterine perforations, bowel and bladder injuries, rarely occurs. Laminaria (sterile seaweed) that is inserted into the cervix , and cytotec (misoprostol) are used singularly or together to prime the cervix. This leads to less chance of heavy bleeding and hemorrhage when the abortion procedure is carried out. For patients who are undergoing the medical abortion (abortion pill) procedure, there is less than a .3% chance of having to have a blood transfusion. Heavy bleeding defined as bleeding greater than 2 pads an hour for two hours in a row is rare with medical abortion procedures (less than 1%) but still occur more often than patients who undergo a surgical procedure. Even after the ultrasound done at the second visit shows the uterus to be empty, heavy bleeding can occur between 25 and 35 days that requires a suction D&C and at times may require a blood transfusion. How can I obtain an abortion where I can get in and out of the office in less than two hours? VIP services can be arranged at any of the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic facilities where an abortion procedure can be obtained and the patient is in and out of the facility in under two hours. The patients escort may stay with the patient in their private room until she goes into the procedure room. After the procedure, the patient may return to the private room where her escort is and recover in the same room. Does Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic offer private abortion services? We are glad to offer private abortion services for patients that request our VIP or exclusive services. Our VIP services consist of patient and her escort being placed in their private exam room and the escort being able to stay with patient the entire time except for when she goes to the exam room for her procedure to be performed. Our exclusive service consists of the patient being the only patient in the building along with her escort and our medical staff. This allows complete privacy for the patient and her escort. The VIP and exclusive service fees are additional, but are well worth the costs depending on the patients circumstances. Is Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic a private abortion clinic? Yes. Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic are privately owned facilities. The Physicians that work in them have more than 150 years of experience in performing first, second and late term surgical and medical abortion procedures between them. Their complication rates are among the lowest in the U.S. and world. Do you have an abortion hotline that we can call to answer questions? We do not have an abortion hotline. Patients or potential patients are able to get in touch with Dr. Pendergraft via e-mail or by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many people use this service as they find it invaluable to be able to ask a Physician directly on a host of sexually related questions. What are the potential side effects of abortion? Abortion procedures whether medical (abortion pill, Mifeprex, mifepristone or non surgical abortion), or surgical abortion in the first trimester where close to 90 percent of abortions occur at 12 weeks or less. Complications occur in less than .5% of cases regarding surgical abortion procedures which include cervical tears, or lacerations, perforation of the uterus, damage to the bowel or bladder, retained pregnancy tissue, uterine infection, pelvic infection, perforation of the uterus, sepsis (infection in the blood), or heavy vaginal bleeding (hemorrhage). Patients with abortion pill procedure have a higher risk or failure (1 to 5%), retained tissue, pelvic pain while bleeding, uterine infection, hemorrhage, fever, pelvic pain with intercourse, prolonged bleeding, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. Bleeding normally last for ten to 14 days but it can last up to 69 days. After abortions, when are patients able to return to normal activity? Patients who are 6 weeks or less who have the surgical abortion procedure are able to return to their normal activity the same day and can insert tampons and have sex the next day. Patients who have medical abortions performed are able to have sex whenever they are comfortable in doing so. Are you able to have an abortion at 12 weeks if having a medical abortion (RU 486, Mifeprex, mifepristone) performed? Patients in U.S. commonly can undergo medical abortion procedure with RU486 up to 9 weeks pregnant. There have been several studies done in the U.K. involving pregnant women up to 13 to 14 weeks where undergoing a medical abortion procedure was found to efficient and safe. 92 to 93% of women had a successful abortion using the combination of RU 486 followed by misoprostol given 48 to 72 hours later. There are a few Physicians who meet certain criteria that will allow medical abortions to be performed up to 12 to 14 weeks if certain criteria are met. Please call the Abortion By Pill Clinic facilities to see if you are a candidate to undergo this procedure if more than 9 weeks pregnant. Intrauterine devices do not cause miscarriages or abortions to occur. In essence; once implantation of a fertilized ova into the uterine wall occurs an IUD does not cause an abortion. An IUD that is in the intrauterine cavity at the time of pregnancy is associated with an increase risk of second trimester spontaneous abortion due to it causing an increase in intrauterine infection leading to sepsis (bacteria in blood). This is the reason for removal of the IUD as soon as possible in the first trimester of pregnancy even though there is a high incidence of spontaneous abortion (around 50%) after its removal. How many women in the U.S. have abortions on a yearly basis? Approximately 1.1 to 1.2 million women a year have abortions performed in the U.S. on a yearly basis which is a decrease from the peak of 1.3 to 1.4 million abortions just a few years ago. This is due to the combination of abstinence, and women increasing their use of contraceptive methods (condoms, birth control pills, and injections). The only way to continue to decrease the incidence of abortion is for women to have access to family planning facilities to be taught how to prevent pregnancy and become educated on how to use Emergency Contraception (morning after pill, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b) when exposed to unprotected sex due to failure of contraception, not using contraception, or being forced to have sex. When Abortion was illegal in the U.S. were there less abortions that took place? It has been shown time and time again that whether abortion is legal or illegal the number of abortions that occur does not change. There were approximately 1.1 million abortions that took place in the U.S. prior to 1973 when Roe v Wade made abortions legal in the U.S. There were over 5000 deaths and over 100,000 women admitted to the hospital due to botched and illegal abortion in the U.S. prior to it becoming legal. There were hospital wards that were set up in major cities due to admission of women who were septic (bacteria in blood), pelvic infections and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Complications that occur with performing abortion procedures today are very low. Patients admitted to hospital after an abortion procedure is rare. The incidence of maternal death is 10 times less with an abortion than a patient having a full term delivery today due to the advanced surgical techniques, medications, and medical equipment such as ultrasound used to assure the safety of the abortion procedures. The definition of abortion is the fetus being removed from the uterus before it is viable. This includes spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) or induced abortion, in which a layperson, the woman herself, or physician causes the abortion to occur. Before modern methods of abortion, this sometimes meant women going to untrained people in mostly unsanitary conditions allowing women to drink turpentine, rat poison, placing foreign objects like catheters or coat hangers into the uterus attempting to disrupt the placenta and embryo (or fetus), instilling water, bleach or other toxic substances, insertion of wood sticks, glass, or knitting needles so that a miscarriage would result. Jumping off a top flight of stairs and falling, jumping off the top of a roof, or hitting the pregnant woman in the abdomen over the uterus and jumping on her abdomen while she lies on the ground were all common techniques used in attempt to cause an abortion. Although these methods were effective for some patients, they result in long term injuries of cervical tears, uterine perforation, bowel and bladder damage, chronic pelvic pain, infertility and death of the woman if her uterus ruptured or if some of the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus enters her bloodstream, sepsis (bacteria in the blood leading to multiple organ failure, or bleeding to death due to internal injuries. Today where abortions are legal such as Legal Abortion by Pill, abortions are performed surgically or by the medical abortion procedure using modern surgical and medical techniques that make the procedure very safe. Yes. Abortion is legal in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, India, China, other parts of Asia, South Africa, Australia, and other developed countries. It is in the undeveloped countries, (South America, other parts of Africa except of South Africa, and other countries) where abortion is illegal. It is in these places that account for most of the illegal abortions in the world take place and the consequences of maternal morbidity and high maternal mortality that consumes a lot of the GDP of those countries needed to address the illegal abortion issue due to the hospitalization costs, and the long term consequences of maternal complications of infertility and chronic pelvic pain. The Abortion Pill was approved by the U.S. FDA in the year 2000 after many years of delay due to the politics associated with abortion. Yes abortion is legal is the USA. It has been legal in the United States since the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973. Since that time there has been a lot of uproar by conservative groups and right wing politicians to male abortions illegal due to their position that abortion is murder. The only way to make it so is to make a fetus have all the rights of personhood so as to not allow a woman to have the right to make the decision to carry or not to carry her pregnancy to term. From an ethical and moral point of view, a woman should have the right to decide to carry a pregnancy as being pregnant is something that can cause physical harm to the individual woman including death from numerous reasons (sepsis, hemorrhage, eclampsia, preeclampsia, hypertensive emergency, uncontrollable seizures, pulmonary embolism, amniotic fluid embolism, uterine perforation etc. Why are anti abortion groups so much against abortion? Abortions date back over 5000 years. Throughout history there has been controversy about abortion. What most people do not know that in the 1500’s the Catholic Church agreed with abortion before quickening (mother felt fetal movement) occurred. More than 70,000 women die every year mostly due to botched or back ally unsafe abortions where pregnancy terminations are illegal. Yet Anti abortion groups are against abortion because they feel that abortion is murder, unethical, immoral, unreligious, improper, and wrong. So it is not unethical, immoral, unreligious, improper and wrong that 70,000 women die each year and leave over 200,000 children without their mothers due to unsafe or botched abortions. Never mind the 5000 maternal deaths that occurred in the U.S. every year or over 100,000 women that were admitted in abortion hospital wards due to back ally or botched, unsafe and illegal abortions. These are also the same people who disagree with meals on wheels, feeding the poor, health care for all people in America, a health care public option, and agrees with government for being able to write them a check to get a $100,000.00 car and call it a tax incentive refund, do not support family planning clinics in order to educate patients on not only abstinence, but long term birth control and emergency contraception (morning after pills, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b) that are all used to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Anti abortion groups do not agree with women having abortions who got pregnant by rape or incest or agree that women should have the right to terminate their pregnancy even when there is a fetal abnormality that is known to be incompatible with life. When can a woman have abortion? Due to state of the art ultrasound equipment, abortions can take place before the patient misses her first period through 24 weeks on an elective basis and beyond that if the pregnancy poses a threat the mother’s life or health. Each state has its own criteria of the number of weeks the abortion can occur, where it can occur, the number of physicians required to agree that the abortion procedure is necessary etc. Unfortunately; most hospitals do not allow abortions to take place in their facility due to them being purchased by religious organizations or political reasons. Even if a hospital allows abortions to be performed, one must find a physician and medical staff that agree to perform the abortion procedure which is rare and far between in the U.S. as medical personnel can object to participate without repercussions. Most women who are pregnant and have a medical indication for abortion are not aware of the complexity of this problem until the abortion services are needed. Therefore; late term abortions are being forced to be performed mostly on outpatient basis which only a handful of places in the U.S. do. Where is abortion legal in the U.S.? Abortion is legal in the United States in all 50 States since the Roe v Wade decision was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973. Prior to legalized abortion in the U.S., how did abortions cost women’s lives? Prohibiting abortion does not stop abortion. If a woman feels that it is necessary to have a termination of pregnancy procedure performed, she will find a way to do so even if she knows she is going to a place that is dangerous and could be detrimental to her health or her life. Women become desperate and behave as if they are criminals when confronted with an unwanted pregnancy prior to the legalization of abortion in the U.S. Allowing abortions to become legal protected women’s lives and overall health as the long term sequel of botched abortions (incomplete abortions, perforation of uterus, bowel or bladder problems, uterine perforation, sepsis, heavy bleeding, infertility, and maternal death) are not completely abolished, but are dramatically decreased to less than .5%. Is legal abortion threatened in the United States? Yes. Legal abortion is threatened in the United States as it is alleged that four of the nine judges that sit on the U.S. Supreme Court presently (Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Roberts) do not believe that the U.S. Constitution protects women’s rights to have abortion on demand as found in the 14th amendment under the right of privacy. Thus we are only one vote away from abortion declared illegal and once done it would be left to the individual States to decide the question of legality of abortion. There are already 13 states where abortion would automatically become illegal once the Supreme Court says that it is so. What is the legal abortion limit in the United States? Patients are able to undergo an elective termination of pregnancy up to the point of viability in the U.S. and this point must be determined on an individual basis as there are many complex issues in determining when a fetus is able to sustain its life independently from the mother. Abortions are able to performed after viability (normally between 24 and 26 weeks but again there are complex issues that may change the age of viability) if the mother’s life or health is endangered by the pregnancy. Severe diabetes where the mother may lose her eye site, severe hypertension that can lead to the mother suffering a severe stroke, or preeclampsia with severe liver disease or life threatening seizures occurring, severe heart abnormalities that can lead to over 50% incidence of maternal death if pregnancy continues are just a few of the life threatening situations that can occur. Is a late term abortion legal? Late term abortion does not have a specific definition. It is defined anywhere from 16 weeks to 26 weeks pregnancy. Most people define late term abortions as occurring after 20 weeks gestation. The Supreme Court has ruled in Planned Parenthood vs. Casey that patients are allowed to have an abortion electively up to the point of fetal viability without placing an undue burden on the patient. After the point of fetal viability, the state has a high interest in protecting the life of the fetus. It is only then that the patient’s life or health (mental or physical) being in danger must take precedence and this allows a medical indication for the termination of pregnancy. Was legalizing abortion morally the right thing to do by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Roe v Wade decision in 1973? Legalizing abortion without question was the right thing for the U.S. Supreme Court to do. Women need to have control of their bodies in order to gain their independence, freedom, and ability to truly be equal to men. Women die from back ally and botched abortion every minute of each and every day around the world. That is, a total of over 70000 women die every year from illegal abortions. When abortion was illegal in the U.S., there was much pain and suffering requiring hundreds of thousands of hospital admissions and thousands of maternal deaths as women will seek out back alley abortions in order to not have an unwanted or unintended child. How can abortion become safe, legal and rare? In order for abortion to be safe and rare, it must become legal and available to all women who would like to have the service. When abortions are legal, there is no need to go to individuals that are not experienced and expose women to unsanitary and unhealthy conditions which can lead to patients having a higher incidence of infection and complications from the abortion procedure. In order for abortion to become rare, there must be preventive measures in place besides abstinence that are able to decrease the incidence of unwanted or unintended pregnancy which includes condoms, birth control pills, birth control injections, and emergency contraception (morning after pill, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b). Without access to all of these methods of prevention which means women need to have access to family planning facilities at little to no expense for those who cannot afford to access the medical system, there will always be a high incidence of unwanted pregnancy which means a high incidence of abortions. In places where abortions are illegal this translates into high maternal morbidity and mortality due to botched abortions. Is second trimester abortion legal? Second trimester abortions (generally 12.5 to 24 to 26 weeks) are able to be performed on an elective basis with states having an interest in intervening due to “maternal safety” issues only. Though second trimester abortions are very safe if done by medical personnel that are experienced, states continue to pass laws that add bureaucracy to the abortion procedure and not make the procedure safer such as 24 hour delay in abortion being performed as if a patient has not had a chance to think about whether or not she has had the chance to think about the abortion procedure before coming to the office. This increases the time patients have to spend away from work, their families, and the extra transportation costs, and babysitting fees, or even for some having the ability to have access to transportation may prolong the length of their pregnancy and may even prevent some patients from having their abortion due to these surmounting costs. Is third trimester abortion legal? Third trimester abortions (after fetal viability which is generally 24 to 26 weeks) are only legal in the U.S. if there is a threat to the mother’s life or health (physical or mental). Why should third trimester abortion remain legal? The diagnosis of a severe abnormal fetal abnormality that is incompatible with life may not be evident on sonogram until late in pregnancy. A woman may develop a severe medical problem such as severe preeclampsia, eclampsia, severe liver or kidney or heart disease, or medical conditions such as severe diabetes where the patient my loose her vision, severe connective tissue disease and other diseases where the mother’s life or health are clearly in danger. Anencephaly, body stalk anomaly, severe pulmonary hypoplasia (absence of growth of lungs), renal agenesis (absence of fetal kidneys) are just some of the abnormalities that should lead to a third trimester termination of pregnancy defined as fetal age greater than 24 or 26 weeks of pregnancy by most medical personnel. How do we keep abortion legal? Abortion was made legal when a combination of events occurred. Women exposed to thalidomide that caused severe birth deformities in the early 60’s, there were over 15,000 women in 1963 to 1965 that were exposed to German measles and had deformed children. These women were not able to choose to have a legal abortion performed. Physicians on abortion wards in hospitals seeing thousands of women dying every year and hundreds of thousands of others being hospitalized due mostly to pelvic infections, sepsis, and severe bleeding, and politicians and lawyers being aware of the necessity of abortions needing to be legalized to not only save women’s lives and decrease maternal morbidity, but to achieve equality for all women in the U.S. took a keen interest in abortion being legal. It is difficult for most young people to know the history of abortion in the U.S. which is why I emphasize it at this time. Physicians younger than 52 years old would not have any exposure to patients who underwent an illegal abortion, so they would not be an advocate or have much understanding of keeping abortion legal and safe. This is why it is so very important for this information to be dispensed. When abortion became legal in 1973 what did that do to the maternal morbidity and mortality rate in the U.S.? In the State of New York when abortion became legal in the early 70’s there immediately was a reduction in the maternal mortality rate by 50% the first year that continued to decrease yearly thereafter. The same occurred all over the country with abortion becoming legal in the U.S. by the Roe v Wade decision in 1973. Abortion clinics were open and Physicians with the expertise and experience with clean and sterile facilities were able to continue to improve their complication rates as the years have gone by such that abortions are one of the safest surgical procedures performed in the United States at this time. Is partial birth abortion legal? Partial birth abortion is the lay term for the medical term Dilation and Extraction (D&X) procedure that was presented at the National Abortion Federation conference in 1992. As soon as the meeting was over, there was movement from the conservative party to outlaw the abortion procedure because it was felt that piercing the posterior portion of the cranium of the fetus with scissors was not a humane may for a fetus to succumb after half of its body is removed up to its umbilicus before the skull piercing was performed. After numerous State legislatures passed laws to make it illegal and counter federal lawsuits to prevent the laws from taking effect, there was the Carhart vs. Stenberg and then Cahart vs. Gonzales to both make it to the Supreme Court. The first case was ruled 5 to 4 against the procedure being made illegal because it did not include an exception to the mother’s life as a reason that the surgical procedure could be performed. In the Cahart vs. Gonzales ruling, it was concluded that the Dilatation and Extraction procedure was illegal due to the inhumane way that the abortion procedure was carried out. Though the D&E (dilation and evacuation) procedure may be not as safe for the mother, it was declared safe enough to be used in the performance of the abortion procedure method to terminate second trimester and late term abortion procedures though there were many experts who testified the D&X procedure was the safest procedure for the mother. The argument of undue burden was rejected regarding not being able to perform the D&X procedure because the alternative procedure is the D&E procedure which was not being declared illegal. What are alternatives to abortion? The alternatives to abortion are adoption or to keep the pregnancy. When patients come in to the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic the benefits and risks of the abortion procedure are discussed as well as the alternatives to abortion. Besides making sure that the patient is not being coerced (forced) into terminating her pregnancy, the alternatives to abortion is very important for the patient to understand. How did most women die of an illegal abortion before Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in the U.S. in 1973? It was always assumed that most women died at the hands of a back alley abortionist, but most women die of a self-induced illegal abortion. Women inserted catheters that were not sterile through their cervix and used turpentine, lysol, bleach, liquid rat poison, and other caustic poisonous agents to attempt to induce an abortion. This caused tearing or the patient’s cervix, perforation of the uterus, burning and destruction of the uterus to the point of severe pelvic infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, bowel and bladder damage and infertility. Other methods used were glass, knitting needles, coat hangers, and different forms of forceps in order for the woman to attempt to remove the pregnant tissue herself. Many times women would end up with severe maternal morbidity and death. How is the method of abortion determined? There are different procedural methods used for terminating a pregnancy. This involves selecting a method that is determined by the length of gestation of the pregnancy and the individual preference of the pregnant woman. There are less options available in terminating a pregnancy the further in gestation the woman happens to be. Early abortions are able to be performed in several ways. The most crucial distinction between methods is surgical versus medical abortion. Surgical abortion involves the surgical removal of the contents of the uterus by the medical provider while a medical abortion involves induced expulsion of the contents of the uterus following the administration of abortifacients vaginally or orally. Surgical abortion is faster, more certain, and in direct control of the abortion provider. The disadvantage is that it is a surgical procedure that carries slight risk of cervical tears and laceration, uterine perforation, bowel and bladder injury, bleeding, incomplete abortion and infection. Medical abortion is less invasive and more private and for most people it seems more natural like a spontaneous miscarriage. The disadvantages is that it sometimes takes weeks after administering the abortifacient medication, it is less predictable in that it has a higher chance of failure, there can be excessive bleeding, and the chance of incomplete abortion with retained pregnancy tissue in the uterus. Descriptions of how first, second, late term, and third trimester abortions both medical and surgical are described elsewhere in the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic website. Abortion: how many weeks after getting pregnant can you have an abortion? Over 80 percent of abortions are performed at 8 weeks or less and over 90% are performed at 12 weeks or less. Less than 1.5 percent of abortions occur after 21 weeks gestation. The further along in pregnancy a woman is, the more technical and more difficult the procedure becomes along with higher risk and potential complications unless the Physician is highly skilled and understands how cervical preparation must be carried in order to have a safe and successful abortion procedure. Is there any birth control that causes abortion? Birth control is made up of hormonal or mechanical barriers that prevent pregnancy from occurring and do not actually cause abortion. Birth control pills, Depo-Provera, Intrauterine Device (IUD), hormonal pellets that can be placed under the skin, Emergency Contraceptives (morning after pill, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b), are frowned on by the Catholic Church, religious groups, and other conservative groups because of the possibility that some of the hormonal or mechanical barriers mentioned may not prevent fertilization from taking place, but may inhibit implantation of a fertilized ovum on a theoretical basis. After extensive studies, there is no evidence that birth control pills, IUD, or emergency contraceptive pills inhibit implantation into the uterine wall of a fertilized egg from taking place. A patient does not meet the criteria from being pregnant until the pregnancy is embedded into the uterine wall. Any mechanism (surgical or medical) that causes the disturbance of a viable pregnancy that was embedded in the uterine wall and causes its removal is an abortion. Thus by definition birth control methods do not cause an abortion. Where can I find an abortion doctor in the U.S.? Abortion Physicians in the U.S. are a dying breed. This is because most of the Physicians that are dedicated in wanting to help women out in one of the most difficult times in their lives are retiring, dying, leave the profession because of threads to themselves or family members, or murdered. Since 1992, there have been 7 Physicians that have been murdered due to people who feel strongly that they have the obligation to protect the unborn. What they choose to not remember, conveniently forget, or do not have any understanding of when abortions were illegal in the U.S. that there were thousands of women who died mostly due to their attempt to self induce their own abortion. Over 70,000 maternal deaths occur every year due to mostly illegal and unsafe abortion. Over 220,000 children a year are left without their mother to care from them due to a botched or back ally abortion, or self induced abortion. Physicians who perform legal abortions are needed in order to allow the abortion procedure to be carried out safely for the mother. Legal abortion saves women’s lives and allows them to be able to choose when, how and where they have other children if they choose to do so. All family planning facilities where abortions are performed will say that the biggest thing threatening women having access to abortion on demand is the fact that there is a shortage of Physicians to perform the procedure. So instead of women being able to go to a facility where the abortion procedure can be carried out in a safe, supportive, clean, and comforting environment, women may eventually be forced to go back to self induced methods of abortion once again which will lead to disastrous consequences which were seen prior to the legalization of abortion in the U.S. At Legal Abortion by Pill, we have Physicians that are available 6 to 7 days a week to terminate pregnancies. We are proud to be able to help women in one of the most difficult times in their life. What is abortion risk when undergoing a medical or surgical abortion? The risk of undergoing an abortion whether medical or surgical is associated with far less complications than delivering at full term. The maternal death rate is ten times higher with carrying a pregnancy to term. Medical and surgical abortions are associated with certain risks that include the chance of the pregnancy continuing (<1% surgical and 1% medical abortion), incomplete abortion (<1% surgical and 1% medical abortion), moderate to heavy bleeding requiring blood transfusion (<.3% surgical, .4 to .5% medical abortion), sepsis (<.2% surgical, <.4 % medical abortion). There have been several deaths reported with taking RU486 with cytotec inserted vaginally but not orally which appears to be due to a rare bacterial infection. No one knows if the medications directly caused the deaths. A recent study shows that by taking antibiotics when undergoing the medical abortion procedure reduces the incidence of infection. Cervical tears, uterine perforation, damage to bowel or bladder, and complications associated with anesthesia including death are associated with surgical abortion procedures though cervical tears, uterine perforation, damage to bowel and bladder are very rare with the way that the cervix is prepared (laminaria, cytotec) by experienced medical personnel today. Is natural abortion safe or effective? Natural or herbal abortions are generally considered unsafe because they most always lack medical supervision. Many women seek at home herbal methods of abortion as a natural alternative to clinical abortions. People choose natural abortion methods because they do not trust Physicians, they think that it is a safer method than surgical or medical procedures. The lack of supervision of abortion from a medical Physician is very dangerous and may be associated with high morbidity and mortality for patients. The possibility of ectopic pregnancy, incomplete abortion, continued pregnancy, retained tissue, heavy vaginal bleeding, pelvic infection, and hemorrhage can all occur. The most common reasons for maternal mortality in natural self induced abortion is sepsis (bacteria in blood leading to multiple organ failure, i.e. kidneys, lungs, liver, and heart) and can no longer maintain adequate blood pressure and proper amount of oxygen going to vital organs) and massive bleeding. All abortions come with some degree of risk, and it is impossible to compare the relative safety of herbal abortions because of limitation of data. Parsley is used as an herb to induce menstruation when menses is “late”. It has weak uterotonic (contractions of the uterus) activity so it is unlikely effective after implantation of the ova into the uterine wall (actual definition of pregnancy) has taken place. Parsley is dangerous in that it can cause severe inflammation throughout the body leading to high temperatures, swelling, allergic reactions and even death. Black Cohosh, is another herb that has been traditionally used to induce labor or abortion. This herb is a very powerful anticoagulant and this can lead to heavy and prolonged bleeding. Prolonged and heavy bleeding is a medical emergency and if patients do not seek care can die from their blood loss. Even with improper medical supervision of abortions with RU486, cytotec (misoprostol) that is being purchased over the internet have the same inherent dangers as described above. The medications may not be what they are suppose to be with the FDA having no control over labeling, packaging, or strength of the medication that is being sent through the mail without a prescription. Physicians and other medical personnel strongly discourage the use of herbal or any form of unsupervised natural abortion due to their inherent dangers. What is a therapeutic abortion? A therapeutic abortion is when a termination of pregnancy is done to save the life or health (mental or physical) of the mother while an abortion performed for any other reason is termed an elective abortion. Why has infanticide abortion become popular in certain countries? Hi technology sonography, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), and blood being drawn from the mother and detection of fetal blood circulating in the mother, are all ways for parents to determine sex before birth. This has led to sex-selection abortion or the targeted termination of female fetuses. Sex selection abortion is the reason for disparities between the birth rates of male and female children in places such as Mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, and India. In the People’s Republic of China, parents are only able to have one child since 1979 due to overpopulation concerns. There is a history of son preference in China. Naturally this has led to targeted termination of female fetuses or even the abandonment of unwanted daughters. If a mother has a second child, it has been alleged that the Chinese government will engage in infanticide immediately after the birth of the child. Understandably there are moral, ethical, religious overtones to any government engaging in infanticide or even dictating to its population the number of children a mother or family should have. At the same time, overpopulation leads to famine, war and death. The Chinese government is well aware of these problems and is attempting to circumvent them with their 1 child per family rule. There are some parts of China where the male to female birth ratio is 130 to 100. If this continues they will begin to have the problem of there being too many men and not enough women for the women to marry. The normal ration of male to female births is close to 105 to 100. In India, costs associated with dowries (women’s families have to come up with large amounts of money to marry off their daughters) , men leading the last funeral rites (no women involved), have been influential in sex selection and infanticide. The ratio of male to female infants born in India is 108 to 100. As the population continues to grow in the world, sex selection, infanticide and dictation of how many children a mother can have will become the norm unless we begin to address population control measures now as overpopulation of the world will lead to more wars, famine, poverty and death. When governments are not able to feed their people a natural uprise occurs from the people which not only leads to civil war, but also world wars. Thus the world’s overpopulation problem must be addressed with artificial forms of long term birth control such as the Copper T Intrauterine Device (IUD) when inserted can prevent pregnancy for up to 12 years. Over 35% of IUD usage occurs in China. We must allow all women in the world to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of birth control, and allow them to make the decision on how many children they should have, and how far apart they should have them. We also need to find newer and more advanced forms of birth control that are more effective and have less side effects. We must be able to break down barriers to women who fear accessing the medical system because they fear that they will be harmed by medications given to them, or they can’t get pregnant because they are too young, it is their first time, or they are too old. How much time should abortion recovery take? The answer to this question depends on the length of gestation of the pregnancy and the abortion procedure that the patient chooses to undergo. Generally the earlier the pregnancy, the sooner patients are able to resume their normal activities. The further in weeks of pregnancy, the longer it will take for patients to return to their normal duties. For patients who are six weeks or less and undergoing a surgical abortion, they are generally able to return to their normal duties the same day and to wear tampons and have sexual intercourse 24 hours after the procedure. For women 7 weeks or more, we general ask that they do not lift anything heavy for 2 or 3 days, and after that they are able to return to their normal duties with modified restrictions on no insertion of anything in the vagina for two to 3 weeks in order to reduce the unknown risk of introducing a bacteria in the vagina that can lead to a pelvic infection. For patients who are 17 weeks or greater undergoing a combination of medical and surgical procedure, once they delivery we ask them to not engage in any heavy lifting or prolonged standing for 2 or 3 days. They are able to return to school or work the following day after the procedure is performed. There is no insertion of anything into the vagina for 2 to 3 weeks. Approximately 25% of patients will have engorged breasts and we suggest placing cabbage leaves on the nipples and wear tight bras. Once the cabbage leaf wilts, they should be replaced. For patients who have severe pelvic pain not relieved by anti-inflammatories or acetaminophen (Tylenol), or have a temperature greater than 100.4 or bleed more than two pads an hour for two hours in a row, they should get in touch with the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic facility where their abortion procedure was performed. Can I get an abortion with Medicaid? In some States women are able to obtain an abortion using their Medicaid. Florida is not a State where a woman can electively use Medicaid to terminate their pregnancy unless it is detrimental to the woman’s life or health. What is defined as a late abortion? Late abortion has different definitions. Some people define late abortion as any pregnancy that is terminated after 16 weeks. Most people agree that late abortions start after 20 weeks gestation. They are generally performed with preparation of the cervix (softening and dilation) with the use of laminaria and cytotec over a 2 to 3 day period of time. At 21 weeks or later, the fetal heart is stopped with intraamniotic, intrafetal, or intracardiac injection of digoxin, potassium chloride (kcl), or hyperosmolar urea which stops the fetal heart rate either immediately or over several hours. Induction of labor proceeds with oxytocin, prostaglandins, or can occur by itself. RU486 (Mifeprex, mifepristone) is taken on the first day to increase the sensitivity of the uterus to the uterotonic agents which reduced the induction to delivery time. What is a coat hanger abortion? A coat hanger abortion was one of the most common methods of self induced abortion when abortion was illegal in the U.S. A coat hanger was made into a loop at one in and the opposite end was made as straight as possible. It was guided into the cervix where the pregnancy was attempted to be disturbed from the implantation site in the uterine wall. Because of it being a blind procedure and unsterile, there was a high incidence of cervical tears, damage to the bowel and bladder, uterine perforation¸ continuous to severe heavy vaginal bleeding, retained tissue leading to sepsis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and death of the mother. Coat hanger abortions are very common in areas where abortions are illegal. This is part of why 70,000 deaths occur yearly due to botched abortions. What is a back alley abortion? A back alley abortion generally takes place in an environment that is unsterile, with unsanitary instruments with medical or lay personnel who do not have adequate experience in performing abortions. These procedures are associated with a high incidence of maternal morbidity and mortality due mostly to sepsis, and hemorrhage. When abortions are legal, it allows competent people to come forward and perform sanitary and safe abortion procedures which saves women’s lives. In Florida, in order to obtain an abortion, is parental consent required? In the State of Florida, parental notification is required and not parental consent. In essence, one parent was to be informed that their daughter who is less than 18 years old wants to have an abortion. They do not have to agree or disagree with the daughter’s decision. In order to not have to notify a parent, the teenager may elect to have a judicial bypass to occur. This is where the patient can appear before a judge and if found competent and mature enough, a judge will sign paper work in order for parents not to be notified and the abortion procedure may proceed. This process is not difficult to do. Patient’s may call The Legal Abortion by Pill Clinics in order to get proper instructions on how to go about getting the Judicial Bypass for patient’s less than 18 years old. Do abortion rates increase or decrease when abortions are legalized? The abortion rate remains essentially the same when abortions are legal or illegal in a country. The way to reduce abortion rates in different countries is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. The only way to do this is to educate women on the benefits and risks of long term contraceptive methods and when they fail, to be able to use Emergency Contraception (morning after pill, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b) when the primary form of contraception fails, or the patient was forced to have intercourse unprotected, or the patient does not use contraception because the patient feels that she is too young or too old to get pregnant. Abortion should be left up to the individual patient and her Doctor. It is a private matter. If it is morally, ethically, financially, socially, religious, age, and family have been considered and it is right for the patient, then it is the right thing to do. A woman should not be forced to have an abortion. The alternatives to abortion are to have the child and keep it or to give the child up for adoption. None of these choices are necessarily easy to make and depend on her circumstances. Conservative groups feel that once an egg is fertilized it is murder if there is a possibility that a drug prevents implantation or causes detachment from the uterine wall. Neither the government nor recognized medical societies say pregnancy takes place prior to implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine wall. Pregnancy is a medical state that has the capability of killing a woman from ectopic pregnancy, severe bleeding occurring in the first trimester of pregnancy, to abruption of the placenta (separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus), uterine perforation, eclampsia, preeclampsia, emergency c-section and its complications (pulmonary embolism, air embolism, and amniotic fluid embolism) are just a few of the diseases in the pregnancy state that can cause maternal death. So for a mother to be forced to carry a child to term and it is unwanted or unintended is both morally and ethically wrong. Abortions will always be necessary even if everyone used long term methods of birth control as no method is 100% effective. So if everyone truly wants to make a serious reduction in the number of abortions in the U.S. and around the world, all women must have access to birth control. It is only this way that we can make abortion rare and safe. We must also make abortion legal all over the world to decrease the incidence of maternal morbidity and mortality. A botched abortion is the lay term for a abortion being attempted in which complications occur from caustic burning of the reproductive tract (vagina, cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes) from bleech, turpentine, lysol, to laceration or tearing of the cervix, or perforation of the uterus, damage to the bowel or bladder with use of blunt or sharp instruments, knitting needles, forceps, glass, catheters, etc. Jumping off stairs or a roof and even being kicked in the stomach to attempt to separate the placenta from the wall of the uterus lead to uterine perforation lead to detrimental results. Not to mention incomplete abortions which lead to sepsis and severe hemorrhage. Once the abortion is performed, what happens to the fetus? By law, a waste management company that is certified to pick up medical biohazard waste disposes the fetal tissue as required. Patients may make arrangements for cremation or burial. How many days of the week do you offer your abortion services? The Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic offices offer abortion services 6 to 7 days a week depending on the location. Same day appointments can generally be made. We will make every effort to accommodate any patient’s schedule. We perform medical and surgical first, second, and late term abortions. We consult on third trimester abortions (3rd trimester abortions). Please contact Dr. Pendergraft via e-mail preferably at Drpendergraft@gmail.com or by phone at 321-445-2545. What is happening to the number of Abortion Providers in the United States? The number of Abortion Providers in the United States are diminishing at an alarming rate due to multiple factors.
At the rate that Physicians are retiring and there not being the appropriate number of Physicians to replace them, it will lead to abortion remaining legal in the United States (which it should) with no Abortion Providers. Americans must do everything in their power to prevent this catastrophe from happening. Is abortion in America safe from becoming illegal? Abortion in America is not safe from becoming illegal. Four of the nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices allegedly feel that the U.S. Constitution does not allow for women the right to have access to abortion on demand. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned which made abortion legal by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973, there are at least 13 States that have in place legislation that will cause abortion to become illegal in their State. We must remember that one additional vote on the Supreme Court with the right challenge will make abortion illegal in the U.S. We must do everything politically in our power to assure that women continue to have the right to abortion on demand. What is the abortion pill availability? The abortion pill is available at many family planning facilities such as the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic or Private Physicians office. Patients are also able to obtain VIP services or exclusive service at our offices where the patient has her own private room the entire time she is in our offices and with the exclusive service, she is the only patient in our office for the ultimate in privacy and confidentiality. Abortion pills can be purchased over the internet and the black market. The problem with that is that the abortion pill procedure is not without complications and to attempt to do the procedure without proper medical supervision can lead to serious maternal morbidity and mortality. We at Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic recommend patients to be under medical supervision when having an abortion pill procedure performed. There is always someone that patients are able to communicate with 24 hours a day 7 days a week even just to answer a non-emergent question. We are always there for you. Is the Abortion Pill after 9 weeks effective? There have been several studies done in the U.K. that show that the combination of RU486 and cytotec are effective up to 13 to 14 weeks. There is a slightly higher incidence of failure rate and incomplete abortions. Otherwise; the procedure was found to be highly effective (94%) and safe. Can the Abortion Pill be used while breastfeeding? Abortion Pill and Breastfeeding: There is no contraindication against patients patient’s taking the RU486 or Abortion Pill While breastfeeding. There is the theoretical possibility that when taking cytotec (misoprostol), it can lead to the infant or child having non-threatening episodes of diarrhea. It is recommended that when starting to take misoprostol, that the patient withhold breastfeeding for 24 hours. What is the Abortion Pill Age Limit? The abortion pill age limit in the U.S. is used up to 9 weeks from last menses. There are studies done in the U.K. that show that the abortion pill is safe and effective to use up to 13 to 14 weeks gestation. The abortion pill is also used in patients from 15 weeks through the third trimester of pregnancy due to its effect to increase uterine tone leading to uterine contractions and also increasing the sensitivity of the uterus to respond to uterotonic medications at lower dosages and decrease the start to delivery time significantly. The mean duration of delivery is approximately 9 to 10 hours vs. greater than 24 hours for patients who take RU486 (Mifeprex, mifepristone, abortion pill) 48 hours prior to induction of labor being started. In essence, there is no fetal age limit in using the abortion pill any longer. Can the Abortion Pill and Alcohol be taken together? There is no contraindication with using the abortion pill and alcohol. The difficulty is that the alcohol can increase a person’s sensitivity to pain and if the patient drinks too much and passes out, she will not be able to monitor if she begins to bleed and starts having too much blood loss which requires medical attention. For this reason, the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic does not recommend the use of Alcohol and Abortion Pill to be taken together. What is the overall Abortion Pill Success Rate? The overall Abortion Pill Success Rate is quoted between 94 to 98%. The earlier in pregnancy the patient undergoes the Abortion Pill procedure, the higher the success rate. For patients that are 6 week or less, there is close to a 100% success rate. There is also less pain and less bleeding for patients who have the Abortion Pill procedure performed at 6 weeks or less. The further along in pregnancy, the less chance of success, the heavier amount of bleeding that occurs and the more pain associated with the procedure as a general rule. When after the Abortion Pill is Surgical Abortion Indicated? There are only a few times after the Abortion Pill is Surgical Abortion Indicated. This is because the Abortion Pill Procedure is highly effective and works 94 to 98% of the time. The most common reasons for Surgical Abortion after the Abortion Pill procedure is started are the following:
We at Legal Abortion by Pill are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for evaluation at our facilities. Most family planning facilities have a Physician “on call” but do not come into office after hours for evaluation of emergencies if required. Are there any Abortion Pill After Effects? The majority of patients who undergo the Abortion Pill procedure do not experience in after effects. If there are no complications, patients are able to return to their normal duties the same day that they take the RU486 tablet and we time the second medication so that work or school does not have to be missed. Patients are able to have sexual intercourse as soon as they feel comfortable and they do not have any problems getting pregnant, carrying future children to term or experiencing preterm or premature births. There is no increase in breast cancer or psychological problems. When is Abortion Pill Bleeding Abnormal? Bleeding during an Abortion Pill procedure is always a concern as bleeding too little or too much can be normal or abnormal. Bleeding too little can mean that the procedure did not work or bleeding too much can be an emergency where a surgical aspiration procedure is required and in very rare cases, a blood transfusion may be needed. Patients that bleed very little can still have a successful termination of pregnancy. The only way to be certain is to perform a sonogram on the second visit which is normally scheduled between one week to 14 days after the initial office visit. For patients who experience vaginal bleeding where they are using more than two pads an hour for two hours possibly need to be evaluated to see if they need to undergo a surgical aspiration, and also whether they may need a blood transfusion. Surgical aspiration may be required during the first day or two after insertion of the cytotec tablets up to 30 to 60 days after the abortion procedure is complete. We at the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic do not charge for the Suction Aspiration procedure. We charge a small fee of $80.00 for the IV sedation which allows the patient to have a pain free procedure. Does the Abortion Pill cause cramping? The Abortion pill procedure is associated with cramping which is caused by uterine contractions. There is only a 1% chance of bleeding starting after taking the RU486 pill. After taking the misoprostol tablets (cytotec) 24 to 72 hours after taking RU486, cramping generally starts 2 to 4 hours and bleeding between 4 to 6 hours after taking the cytotec. The heaviest cramping and discomfort occurs as the pregnancy tissue passes through the cervical canal and then the cramping and bleeding begins to decrease. Some patients do not pass the tissue until later and whenever it occurs, there is pain and discomfort generally associated with it. Patients who are very early in pregnancy (6 weeks or less) may have little to no pain associated with the abortion procedure. The further along patients are in their pregnancy, the heavier the bleeding and the more cramping will occur. Over 50% of patients do not have to use any type of pain medications. 40% of patients use pain medications such as Tylenol or anti-inflammatory medications. 10% of patients need stronger medications such as Tylenol #3 or Vicodin. What Abortion Pill Complications can occur during the procedure? Abortion Pill Complications include the following:
Have there been any Abortion Pill deaths? There have been deaths associated with taking RU486 and insertion of the cytotec tablets vaginally. There have been no deaths associated with cytotec tablets taken orally. There have been studies done that have questioned whether the insertion of cytotec leads to a local decrease in the immune response locally in the pelvic area leading to overgrowth and invasion of a rare clostridium species. Patients have a tendency to become lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue, low grade fever, and sudden drop in blood pressure giving a septic picture. Patients not treated aggressively have died. 7 deaths have occurred in the U.S. with most of them being in California. The Abortion Pill did not work, so what am I to do? There is a small percent of patients where the Abortion Pill procedure does not work. We usually offer patients the opportunity to repeat the cytotec medications up to 3 times one week apart before we resort to the suction abortion procedure unless the patient elects to have the procedure performed earlier. It is our experience that by being patient and waiting for the 3 weeks, the procedure is over 99% successful. Other abortion facilities and Physicians do not give the patient this length of time to allow the procedure to be completed. Please be sure to ask when you call other facilities. What are the Abortion pill directions? There is no one way to instruct patients on how to perform the abortion pill procedures. We at Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic have been performing the medical abortion procedure since 1987 when we used Methotrexate and misoprostol (cytotec) tablets. We have more experience than most Physicians in the U.S. which is important to understand that we are used to dealing with most if not all complications that can occur with the Abortion Pill procedure. The most common complication that we see is failure of the procedure to work and we think that our protocol allows patients to have the best chance of not having to undergo a suction aspiration procedure. After taking the RU486 tablet, patients usually take the cytotec (misoprostol tablet) 48 hours afterwards. This can vary from 24 to 96 hours depending on the patient’s work or school schedule as we do our best to allow the patient not to miss any work or school. The patient takes the initial set of cytotec and 24 hours later takes another set of cytotec medications. She then returns in a week to 14 days where it is determined if the medications worked. What is the Abortion Pill Effectiveness in the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinics Statistics? The Abortion Pill Statistics in the U.S. show that the Abortion Pill is effective in 94 to 98% of the time. At Legal Abortion by Pill, we have a higher effective rate of closer to 99% with the abortion pill procedure we feel due to the slightly different method used to perform the procedure. Does using the Abortion Pill alter Exercise? After taking the RU486 Pill there is no reason to stop exercising or other normal activities that patients engage in. After taking the cytotec medication 24 to 96 hours after taking the RU486, patients may have to stop exercising for 24 to 48 hours until the cramps and bleeding have decreased. If begin exercising again and the cramps and bleeding increase, then exercise should stop for another day or two. After that, most patients are able to return to their normal activities without any problems. Is the Abortion Pill associated with Ectopic pregnancy? An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus. It most commonly occurs in the fallopian tube. Patients are not started on the abortion pill procedure until an intrauterine pregnancy is visualized. Heterotopic pregnancies (pregnancy in the uterus and in the fallopian tube) are increasing in frequency and therefore an abortion pill procedure can be successfully completed yet there could be a simultaneous ectopic pregnancy. The most common symptoms of ectopic pregnancy is pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding. These are the same symptoms that can occur with an ectopic pregnancy so ectopic precautions must be given to all patients undergoing an abortion pill procedure. Do you know any place that I can get the Abortion Pill for Free? At times we have private donors that specifically give us money for patients to have their abortion free. When this occurs, the money is generally used very fast. We are always looking for donors who want to help our patients who are not able to afford the entire cost of abortion. We at Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic have two days a week in Orlando where we reduce the cost of abortion by $100.00 to help out patients in our community afford the abortion procedure. Do you know a place where I can get the Abortion Pill Cheap? Places where one can obtain the Abortion Pill Cheap are to purchase it over the internet or through some other illegal means. The problem with these inappropriate methods are there is no medical supervision. The abortion pill procedure is associated with complications that can lead to maternal morbidity and mortality. It is important to understand when seeing the Doctor for potential problems should be followed. We at Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic only recommend medical supervision of abortion procedures. Is the Abortion Pill before 9 weeks safe? The Abortion Pill before 9 weeks is very safe and between 94 to 98% effective in most studies around the world and the U.S. When should I be worried with bleeding after the abortion pill? Patients who bleed greater than 2 pads an hour for 2 hours in a row need to be evaluated by medical personnel to determine if a surgical aspiration is required or and including a blood transfusion which may occur 1 or 2 times out of 1000 abortion pill procedures. Is the Abortion Pill associated with birth defects? RU 486 (Mifeprex, mifepristone) is not associated with birth defects. Cytotec (misoprostol) causes changes in the circulation of the placenta where there is decrease in the blood supply to the face and extremities. This leads to abnormalities of the face, skull, lower and upper extremities. Do you have an abortion pill hotline? Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic does not have an abortion pill hotline. Patients are able to communicate with one of our counseling Physicians 24 hours 7 days a week and ask any question that comes to mind regarding this topic as they are experts in this area. The way the Abortion pill procedure works is by several mechanisms. RU486 is an anti-progestin medication. Progesterone helps to maintain uterine quiescence. When Progesterone decreases either in quantity or due to progesterone receptors being filled with the RU 486 molecule, the intrauterine pressure begins to increase along with uterine contractions occurring. In addition, there is the sleuthing off of the lining of the uterus and local changes occur in the cervix that leads to softening and opening to the cervix. There is a 1 to 5% chance that spontaneous miscarriage can occur before patients take the second medication (cytotec, misoprostol) which causes uterine contractions to occur which leads to termination of pregnancy or abortion. What are the Abortion Pill Long Term Side Effects? As long as the abortion pill procedure is performed without any complications, there are no long term side effects that occur. As with any medical or surgical procedure, there are risks involved. A medical abortion using the abortion pill is very effective with minimal risks and complications that occur. The procedure has a 94 to 98% success rate in the medical literature. At Legal Abortion by Pill, our success rate is slightly higher. Complications that occur less that 1 percent of the time include continued pregnancy, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, retained pregnancy tissue, fever, pelvic pain, uterine infection, heavy vaginal bleeding requiring emergency surgery and or blood transfusion. There have been 7 deaths reported associated with the use of the Abortion Pill procedure. There has not been a direct causal effect noted. There have now been over millions of women who have taken the abortion pill in the U.S. With Abortion Pill Safe as suction aspiration, do you see the abortion pill procedure becoming more frequently used in the near future? 25% of women in the U.S. use the abortion pill vs. surgery to terminate their abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. In several European countries, over 50% of abortions that occur in the first trimester are performed using the abortion pill method. With multiple studies now showing that Abortion Pill results are just as good as the results with the surgical aspiration procedure, the abortion pill procedure will increase in popularity and will reach the 50% rate of the abortions that occur in the first trimester within the next 4 to 5 years. Where do I find good Abortion Pill Providers? Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic has providers that have been performing the Abortion Pill Procedure with misoprostol or a combination of misoprostol and Methotrexate many years prior to performing the abortion pill with RU486 which was not approved in the U.S until the year 2000. The abortion pill procedure sounds very simple and straight forward to perform. Unless patients are prequalified and contraindications to the procedure are strictly followed along with strict evaluation of patients if they develop complications and the provider is able to perform a surgical abortion procedure (as some Physicians who prescribe the abortion pill do not perform surgical abortions, but refer the patient out), I would not consider a patient has found a good Abortion Pill Provider. Please never compromise your health by performing abortion without medical supervision having a top notch Abortion Pill Provider as we are at the Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic. Can I get the Abortion Pill Without Prescription? If one searches hard and long enough, one can find almost anything without a prescription. This can be achieved on the internet or the black market. With either one, you never know if you are getting what it says that you are getting or if it is the proper dose of the medication. It could also be mixed with chemicals that could be detrimental to the point of death. As discussed throughout this website, we do not approve of any method of unsupervised abortion procedures as at any point a complication could arise and if patients do not know what to expect or when to go seek medical attention, a major catastrophe could occur. Abortion Pill Reaction: What percent of people say that they would do the abortion pill medication abortion again? Over 80% of patients who have the abortion pill procedure say that they would undergo the procedure again if they ever had another unwanted or unintended pregnancy. Patients who have had both the abortion pill vs. aspiration prefer the abortion pill over the aspiration procedure. How does Abortion Pill Recovery compare to Surgical Abortion Recovery? Abortion pill procedures are associated with more days of vaginal bleeding compared to surgical abortion procedures. Bleeding with medical abortions normally last 7 to 14 days but can last up to 30 to 69 days. Surgical abortion bleeding normally lasts anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks but rarely goes beyond 3 weeks. When patients leave after having the Abortion Pill procedure, they may have to return 1 or 2 other times to make sure that the tissue has passed. With the surgical abortion procedure, the procedure is done and completed on the first day. We ask patients to return to check to make sure that there are no complications but it is not necessary as it is for patients who have the abortion pill procedure as having a sonogram on the second visit is required to assure that the procedure is complete. With the Abortion Pill can Tampons be used? We do not suggest using tampons when performing the medical abortion procedure until a week after taking the last misoprostol(cytotec) tablets. What is the Abortion Pill Price? The abortion pill price is usually not that much different from the Surgical Abortion price which depends on the location and geographical area where the abortion is being performed. The cost can be anywhere between $350.00 to $750.00 as a general rule. Please call the nearest Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic facility to get a price quote. Remember that patients should not look at the least expensive place to have their abortion pill procedure performed. Your health and welfare is much too important for that. Look for the facility that has the experience in performing the procedure, and are there to evaluate you if required in a very short period of time. Abortion Pill Where to get it? Unless a Physician registers with the distributor of RU486 in the U.S. they are not able to get the medication. No regular Pharmacy in the U.S. carries the medication. Physicians who dispense the medication must be able to perform a surgical abortion procedure or refer to a Physician who is able to do so if complications occur. RU486 (Mifeprex, mifepristone) is found on the black market and the internet. We only recommend medical supervision with undergoing any abortion procedure. Otherwise it is unsafe and can lead to maternal death. Patients are unable to purchase the abortion pill (RU486, Mifeprex, mifepristone) by a prescription. The only way to get the medication is through a Physician that has a contract with the distributor. That Physician must show that they can perform a surgical abortion procedure or be able to refer patients who need surgical abortions to a Physician who is competent in doing so. Are the Abortion Pill and Morning after pill the same? The abortion pill and the morning after pill are not the same. The morning after pill (emergency contraception, day after pill, post coital contraception, day after contraception, plan b) is a form of birth control that decreases the incidence of pregnancy after unprotected intercourse if used within 5 days (120 hours) after intercourse. It is most effective when used immediately after intercourse instead of the next day. If taken in the first 72 hours after unprotected intercourse the chance of pregnancy decreases 89% with plan b (levonorgestrel). The morning after pill does not work after the patient becomes pregnant (implantation of the fertilized ova into the intrauterine wall). The abortion pill (RU486, Mifeprex, mifepristone) works as an abortifacient. It increases the intrauterine pressure, causes uterine contractions, and makes local changes to the uterine glands and vessels such as to cause the uterine tissue to sleuth off causing a miscarriage. MEDICAL ABORTION QUESTIONS A medical abortion occurs by taking medications that will cause termination of pregnancy. 25% of early abortions in the U.S. are ended with the medical abortion procedure. In France the percentage is 50%. Mifepristone (RU486, mifeprex, abortion pill) or methotrexate injection are both used on the first day of the medical abortion process to stop the growth of the fetal tissue. The second medication (misoprostol or cytotec) is used a few days later to cause uterine contractions and the miscarriage. What is the medical abortion pill? The medical abortion pill (RU486, Mifepristone, mifeprex, early option pill, abortion pill) is a medication that is an anti-progestin medication called an abortifacient (causes abortion to occur). It was developed in France and first licensed in France and China in 1988. Following an arduous political battle, RU486 was approved in the U.S. in Sept 2000. It has been used safely and efficiently by millions of women around the world. How does the medical abortion pill work? Does a medical abortion cause pain? The medical abortion causes uterine contractions which are usually mild to moderate in discomfort. Most women describe the pain as hurting less than their menstrual period but there are some patients who may require anti-inflammatory medications and even a small percentage (10%) may need narcotics. These are patients who are generally further along in their pregnancy and have heavier vaginal bleeding. Women generally experience cramps for several hours and the cramps increase when passing the gestational tissue which occurs for a large percentage before 4 to 6 hours, although in some patients it may take up to 2 to 3 weeks for the tissue to pass completely. At 49 days the embryo is only 1/5 of an inch in size and not visible to the naked eye. A grayish gestational sac may be visualized at 7 weeks but patients will see mostly blood clots. Is a medical abortion associated with a lot of bleeding? Medical abortions are associated with bleeding as this is the hallmark of a miscarriage. There is a small percentage of women who may be very early and therefore bleeding does not occur in the first two weeks after insertion of the misoprostol tablets, and when an ultrasound is done on the patients 7 to 14 day follow up exam, there is no gestational sac present. When a sac has been documented on the first visit but not the second, this is a sign that absorption of the sac has occurred and there will not be any bleeding until the next menses. This first menses is usually heavier and longer. It returns to normal by the second menstrual cycle after termination of the pregnancy. Bleeding with the medical abortion process usually lasts 5 days to 2 weeks. It can be shorter or last as long as 69 days. Bleeding for more than 30 days occurs in less than 1 to 2% of patients. What are the possible medical abortion complications? Complications of medical abortion include infection, incomplete abortion, failed abortion, ectopic pregnancy and death.
A patient may request an exclusive or private appointment with Dr. Pendergraft by contacting him by E-mail preferable: Drpendergraft@gmail.com or call him directly at 321-445-2545 or call office location nearest you by clicking locations. Same day appointments can be arranged. For further information including family planning, please visit our premiere website. Legal Abortion By Pill Clinic |
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