Abortion Pill Myths & Facts

• Considering The Abortion Pill
• Three Abortion Myths & Facts
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Unplanned Pregnancy? Considering the Abortion Pill?

Unplanned Pregnancy can be a shock! Plus, it may be overwhelming for you to think about the Abortion Pill with the many details and facts you may not yet know.

Because your current and future health are important, you probably want confidence that you are getting accurate pregnancy options and abortion facts.

This article will help you dismiss the myths and misinformation that you may hear, and instead understand the Abortion Pill facts. This will help you be healthy now, and in the future, and help you make the right decisions for yourself. It is your pregnancy, your right to know, and your decision.

As your best first step, it is important to get a medical grade pregnancy test to confirm an accurate pregnancy test, and then an ultrasound, to confirm the viability of the pregnancy. This will help to define your options including details about the pregnancy and about the Abortion Pill.

On this page is a list of some of the more common Abortion Myths and Facts topics – click on each item below to jump to that section on this page.

• Women’s abortion experiences
• Abortion side effects, risks, and complications
• Abortion clinics – what they tell you

Here are the Abortion Myth statements discussed on this page.

• All women have the same abortion experiences.
• There are no consequences to having an abortion.
• Abortion Pill side effects and risks are tiny or so rare it doesn’t matter.
• Abortion Pill doesn’t have any mental health impact.
• The US government has assessed the Abortion Pill drugs as being completely safe.
• Abortion clinics always provide you with complete and unbiased information.
• Some abortion clinics say or imply the Abortion Pill does not have potentially significant physical risks, so it must be true.
• Abortion clinics don’t make money on abortions.

These are not listed in any order of importance or frequency. Check back here again as we may expand this list. Let us know if there are any other abortion myths or facts you would like to see addressed.

Feel free to ask about these or other Abortion Pill Facts and Myths at your appointment.

Within this myth statement, there are other related myths often included:

• Since some women experience Abortion a certain way, this means you will likely experience it the same way.
• There are no consequences to having an abortion.

The American Psychological Association (APA) research states, “It is important that women’s varied experiences of abortion be recognized, validated, and understood.” ¹

It is a logical and medical fallacy to conclude that what occurs for some women will occur for all women.

Women’s abortion experiences may include a wide range of possible physical and mental/emotional side effects, risks, and complications. ^2,3,4,5,6,7

Network Medical has reports from women who had physical and emotional issues for which they were unprepared, after having an abortion from an abortion clinic.

Within this myth statement, there are other related myths often included:

• There are no consequences to having an abortion.
• Abortion does not increase your risk of having mental health problems.
• The Abortion Pill does not have potentially significant physical risks.

It is important to understand these effects, risks, and possible complications before having an abortion ² to make sure you have clarity and peace about your decision. In addition to obvious physical issues, the experience of abortion has risks for mental health issues and emotional responses – for example it can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and problems with interpersonal relations.³

Emotional / Psychological Side Effects

It is not unusual for a woman to experience a range of psychological and emotional responses after having an abortion. ^2,3  Any pregnancy loss (abortion, miscarriage) can lead to an interruption in a woman’s hormone cycle. As you may know, when a hormone cycle is interrupted or changed, it can have a deeply emotional, psychological, and physical impact on a woman.

The negative feelings a woman has after a planned pregnancy termination (elective abortion) may be at least partly due to hormonal changes, like those that occur after a spontaneous unplanned pregnancy loss (miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion). Also, for some women, how they cope with crisis, their existing mental health and stressors, and their support system can all affect how they deal with an abortion.³

Abortion Pill Side Effects ^2,7,9

Mayo Clinic lists about 30 possible abortion pill side effects.⁷  Here are just a few of them:

• Intense cramping of the uterus
• Pelvic / abdominal pain
• Vaginal bleeding – excessive bleeding may require surgery to stop it
• Fever and infection
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Nausea / digestive system discomfort
• Vomiting
• Emotional / psychological impact / distress ^{2, 3}

Abortion Pill Risks

• Telehealth (virtual / remote) audio or video assessment – limited medical contact
• Ectopic pregnancy – can be life-threatening
• Hemorrhaging – may require surgery to stop it
• Infection – incomplete removal of the fetus or surrounding tissues may require antibiotics and/or surgery

U.S. FDA Drug Warnings & Use

The U.S. FDA has enough of a safety concern that they have the medical abortion drug mifepristone under their Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. This program is for certain medications with serious safety concerns to help ensure the benefits of the medication outweigh its risks. While all medications have labeling that informs healthcare stakeholders about medication risks, only a few medications require a REMS.^{8, 9}

Before using one of the Abortion Pill drugs Mifepristone, the FDA has a requirement that the patient must sign a Patient Agreement Form indicating that the patient received counseling from the healthcare provider regarding the risk of serious complications associated with Mifepristone. ¹⁰

Within this myth statement, there are other related myths often included:

• Abortion clinics don’t make mistakes.
• Abortion clinics don’t make money on abortions.
• Some abortion clinics say or imply the Abortion Pill does not have potentially significant physical risks, so it must be true.

Abortion Clinics may have certain motives – Abortion clinics make substantial money from abortions, so they have a strong interest in doing abortions. Network Medical patients have sometimes told us about abortion clinics that pushed an abortion appointment, before the woman had a complete chance to get tested and carefully consider other options.

U.S. FDA Drug Warnings & Use – is sometimes missing or not very prevalent on Abortion Clinic websites. The U.S. FDA has enough of a safety concern that they have the medical abortion drug mifepristone under their Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. This program is for certain medications with serious safety concerns to help ensure the benefits of the medication outweigh its risks. While all medications have labeling that informs healthcare stakeholders about medication risks, only a few medications require a REMS.^{9, 10}

Abortion Telehealth used with the Abortion Pill process has limitations – telemedicine or telehealth is a virtual (remote / video) evaluation and support over the internet. It has some severe limitations and should not be your sole source of healthcare.

Limitation 1 – Abortion Telehealth lacks in-person physical examination and ultrasound, which a major concern. An ultrasound is crucial to rule out ectopic pregnancies which can be life-threatening, especially when taking an abortion pill as an ectopic pregnancy grows outside of the uterus. An ultrasound also determines the gestational age of fetus which determines the patient’s ability to take the abortion pill. The FDA has approved the abortion pill up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. Before taking the abortion pill, schedule an ultrasound at Network Medical to ensure you are within the 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Limitation 2 – The human contact factor. For many women, when there is health risk involved (like the Abortion Pill), there is something that feels safer and more comforting about being in person, in the room with a doctor or a nurse. Our medical team is supportive, respectful, and caring, so you feel comfortable getting an exam and discussing your options.

Limitation 3 – Limited follow-up care. While telehealth providers offer follow-up consultations, the ability to provide immediate, in-person care in the event of complications is limited. This can delay critical intervention and perhaps worsen outcomes. Get more information about this at your appointment with Network Medical.

Limitation 4 – Potential for coercion (pressuring towards a certain decision). Concerns exist that individuals may be coerced into seeking a medication abortion remotely, without the privacy and support they would have in a conventional clinical setting.  Network Medical creates a safe and non-judgmental space for our patients.

Full range of options – Network Medical services are FREE and unbiased, so we do not make any money from abortions. We will help you examine the full range of options (abortion, parenting, adoption) including the details about each option, so you can make the best choice for your situation. We inform, you decide.

Quality of service – not all medical clinics are the same. Some medical clinics provide excellent service, and some provide poor service – with many clinics being in between. Network Medical is at the top end of highest quality service as shown by our wonderful patient reviews. The number of 5-star Network Medical reviews is much higher than many abortion clinics and other medical clinic reviews.