Medical Abortion, Why Women May or May Not Choose It?

Medical abortion is sometimes misunderstood to be unsafe or not that effective to end a pregnancy. However, this is untrue. In fact, more than half of all unplanned pregnancies in the early stages are terminated through abortion pills, not just in the United States, but worldwide. But fewer women may use it due to not being able to understand how the medicine works, or the advantages it has over a surgical pregnancy termination. In this post, we will talk about why women may get hesitant in trusting the medication method, and simultaneously discuss why they also prefer the medicine for unintended pregnancy.

1.      Travel Involved

Most women want a feasible pregnancy termination that can happen without the troubles of traveling for long. So, they find abortion with pills more acceptable. You can use the medicines in a private setting at home. You do not have to travel to a clinic or any pharmacy. You can even obtain the medication by ordering abortion pills online on a prescription. The medicine will arrive at your doorstep within the promised duration. But when it comes to invasive procedures, you need to step out even if the care center is nearby.

2.      The Symptoms and Side Effects

The acceptability of medical abortion is influenced by its symptoms and side effects. You may encounter some abdominal men from uterine contractions caused by Misoprostol medication. It widens the cervix to help dispel the products of conception out of the womb. Heavy vaginal bleeding disperses the pregnancy portions as well. Some of the expected side effects are nausea, diarrhea, headache, tiredness, dizziness, etc. But these are temporary.

3.  Time Taken for Termination

The whole procedure can take anywhere between 24 and 72 hours. This is a natural expectation. The duration for medical abortion depends on how further along you are in pregnancy. If the pregnancy age is lower, then the pregnancy ends sooner, and vice-versa. Thus, try to take the medicine as early as possible in the first trimester to get the quickest outcome. An invasive process may take half an hour or so. Thus, many may want to use this method instead. But it also comes with its own set of cons.

4.      Need for Follow-up

A point of contention is the need for follow-up after the pregnancy termination pill course. You should get it done after 2 weeks of Mifepristone intake. An abdomen ultrasound scan will confirm whether the womb has emptied out completely or not. Taking this precautionary step is important to avoid potential issues from the rare possibility of incomplete abortion. But this is much better than multiple clinic visits in case of surgical abortion. This is why many women choose medical abortion instead.

5.  Bleeding from Abortion Pills

Until the uterus empties, heavy vaginal bleeding follows. The bleeding is a bit lesser in surgical abortion, yet it is not completely absent. The bleeding however reduces after the womb is relieved of all the products of conception. Expect the light bleeding to last for 4 to 8 weeks depending on the gestation age. For some, bleeding is the reason why they may not prefer to end a pregnancy, especially through pills. However, the symptom is just like a natural miscarriage and there is no harm in it. But now everyone is aware of the fact.

6.  Risk of Incomplete Abortion

If the uterus contains any leftover pregnancy portions, then it is an incomplete abortion. The risk of the same is rare as Mifepristone and Misoprostol have a success rate of 97-99%. But in case of such an incident, the pregnancy has to be ended at a clinic, surgically. Women who fear this consequence may be skeptical about medical abortion. However, there is some amount of risk always involved in any medical procedure.

7.  Cannot Use it for Advanced Pregnancy

If the pregnancy is over 9 weeks of gestation, then abortion pills may not work. For such a pregnancy, invasive termination is the only option. Dilation and evacuation or dilation and curettage are the two methods available for pregnancies beyond 9 weeks of age. So, those in the advanced pregnancy stage may not opt for medical abortion due to obvious reasons. However, being careful and noticing early pregnancy signs can help you take the step to terminate early with pills.

To Conclude

Abortion with pills is beneficial for women in early pregnancy. But fewer women may use it due to a lack of awareness about the procedure and how efficiently the pill works.