Pregnant? – First Steps

You are reading this probably because you want to know your pregnancy options, but mostly about the Abortion Pill and the telehealth online procedure.

Wow! Pregnant?! You may be in shock, or at least surprised by a possible pregnancy. You may have taken a home pregnancy test and/or are feeling some symptoms of pregnancy, so you are trying to wrap your head around this somehow. Surprise. Anxiety. Unsureness about what to do. These are just a few thoughts and emotions you may be feeling.

Hopefully, you realize that your health, your body, and your mind are important. You want to be healthy now, and in the future, so it is important to make the right decisions for yourself. It is your pregnancy, your right to know, and your decision.

So you do not overwhelm yourself, take a pause,…and then take one step at a time. This situation may resolve itself since a miscarriage may occur. Miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur very early in pregnancy.1

Abortion Pill – Brief Summary

The Abortion Pill is considered a medical, medicine, or non-surgical abortion, since it uses two prescription medications, not surgery. It is a multi-step procedure that needs to be carefully followed by a licensed medical professional and the patient.

The first preliminary steps are to confirm the pregnancy and pregnancy condition, with a pregnancy test and ultrasound. This helps determine your options and potential risks. See this link for more detailed descriptions of the abortion pill medical procedure, risks, and side effects.

For abortion pill information – watch this overview video below, and/or read through the text content on this page.

Abortion Pill – Telehealth – Things to Consider

There are many advertisements trying to make medical abortion sound simple and quick by obtaining an abortion through telemedicine (virtual / remote / video) medical care, which eliminates having to travel to an abortion clinic. An abortion provider conducts a virtual evaluation over the internet and prescribes the medications to the patient. A few days later, the patient receives the abortion pills in the mail and proceeds through the multi-step medical abortion.

The Facts.

Let’s examine the facts, so you understand the big issues. CAPS Pregnancy + Medical Clinics, a licensed medical clinic, can provide you more specific details during the FREE preliminary pre-abortion screening appointment. This is when we also provide you with a FREE pregnancy test and FREE ultrasound, which can help determine your options.

  • The medication. The U.S. FDA warns that you should not buy Mifeprex or its approved generic over the Internet because you will bypass important safeguards designed to protect your health. Also, drugs purchased from foreign Internet sources are not the FDA-approved versions of the drugs, and they are not subject to FDA-regulated manufacturing controls or FDA inspection of manufacturing facilities.2
  • Ultrasounds. Medical abortion requires two in-person ultrasounds – one preliminary ultrasound confirms the location and dating of the pregnancy, and the second ultrasound confirms that the abortion is complete. Therefore, you need to be seen at least twice in-person by a licensed medical professional during the abortion procedure. The ultrasounds should be done by a trained sonographer.
  • Risks. Having a medical abortion is a major decision with the potential for negative emotional and psychological results. If you’re considering this procedure, make sure you understand what it entails, potential side effects, possible risks, complications, and alternatives.3
  • Medical Provider Care. There are multiple issues for you to address during the preliminary pre-abortion screening and the abortion procedure. This can be challenging to address through a brief telehealth interview and/or telehealth follow-ups. It is important to confirm what type and level of care you will receive during the procedure.
    1. The licensed medical provider needs to be aware of your medical history. Some circumstances would make a medical abortion unsafe. Before prescribing the two types of medical abortion pills a licensed medical provider needs to determine if medical abortion is the appropriate course of action for you.
    2. You should clearly understand the following:
      • The potential costs including financial, physical, mental health, and others.
      • The risks and side effects.
      • Your legal rights.
    3. Your questions and concerns should be addressed, so you feel comfortable with your choice and knowledgeable about the procedure. NOTE – Be aware that, depending on the clinic / provider, you may not be under constant close medical supervision during some of the abortion process that occurs at your home. Therefore, you or someone with you (family, friend, significant other) will need to be responsible for your care, to assess if your symptoms require urgent medical attention and/or mental health care.
    4. Complications. There may be issues that occur along the way. If there are problems that occur, for example excessive bleeding, unusual health symptoms, or flu-like symptoms that indicate a possible infection, you need to be able to quickly contact your medical provider or a hospital for help. They need to be available.
  • In-Person Comfort. For many people, when there is health risk involved, there is something that feels safer and more comforting about being in person, in the room with a doctor or a nurse. A doctor’s or nurse’s personal presence in the room can often help put one at ease. Many people need someone who takes the time to carefully listen, be supportive, and explain the specific details – in person. Telehealth has limitations.
  • Abortion Pill Reversal. Some women regret taking the abortion pill afterwards. The abortion pill may be reversible – however, you must make the decision to reverse it within hours of taking the abortion pill (though success has been reported in a window of up to 72 hours.) Call the Abortion Pill Reversal Helpline (not a CAPS service) to get more information and support, 877-558-0333.

Here for You! – Get Help

No matter what choice you make, CAPS will be there for you before, during, and after your pregnancy.

CAPS is different than some other medical clinics since we receive no financial profit from your pregnancy because we do not perform or refer for abortions or arrange adoptions. We do refer to other organizations for adoptions if you are interested in that option. We will help you examine the full range of options (abortion, parenting, adoption) including the variables for each option, so you can make the best choice for your situation.

All pregnancy services are FREE, including FREE pregnancy test, FREE ultrasound, and FREE pregnancy and abortion education.

Other Services – We also provide low to no cost STI / STD testing.

All our services to you are private – your privacy is important to us.

To get help, contact us at any of the San Diego area clinic locations, call us at 619-337-8080, or schedule an appointment.

Citations

1 Mayo Clinic. (n.d). Miscarriage. Retrieved May 20, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pregnancy-loss-miscarriage/symptoms-causes/syc-20354298

2 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2022 from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/mifeprex-mifepristone-information

3 Mayo Clinic. (n.d). Medical Abortion. Retrieved May 20, 2022 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/medical-abortion/about/pac-20394687