May 19, 2022 At-home abortions may seem like they are a more accessible and less invasive option than an abortion done under the care of a medical professional. Still, the stark reality is that at-home abortions deprive you of the necessary medical consultations and care required for a safe and effective treatment. In addition, not having the proper supervision of a licensed medical professional can have dangerous consequences that you might not consider upfront, such as medical complications, sickness and even incomplete abortions. Gestational Age Can Effect Abortion Failure Rates One of the major issues with at-home abortions is the lack of pre-care. Before having an abortion, it is essential to know the gestational age of your pregnancy. Having an accurate gestational age will ensure that the abortion pill is the right method for your abortion. The only way to get an accurate gestational age is through an ultrasound. Without an ultrasound, you rely alone on your LMP (last month’s period), which can lead to inaccuracies that can put you in danger and affect the outcome of your at-home abortion. So, why is Gestational age so important? Because the higher the gestational age is, the higher the failure rate of an at-home abortion (1). The failure rate continues to rise into the second trimester causing a 40% failure rate. If your abortion fails, this leaves you with some hard choices to make between a late term abortion which carries its own risks, pursing adoption or choosing to parent. Why is relying on a woman’s last menstrual period a bad idea? Not everyone is in tune with their cycle and tracking. They have irregular periods, implantation bleeding, or simply forget when their last period was. This causes discrepancies in the data, which can have long-term implications for the women getting the abortion. How We Can Help To accurately determine gestational age, having an ultrasound is the best option. This allows you to determine whether your pregnancy is viable and that you are as far along as you thought. There are some occasions where you might have a positive pregnancy test but have had an early miscarriage. There is also the possibility that you have an ectopic pregnancy, a dangerous medical condition requiring prompt emergency care. A pregnancy test alone will not pick up on ectopic pregnancy, putting you at risk if you have an at-home abortion. At the end of the day, there are just too many possible variables in the at-home abortion process. If you think you might be pregnant and need verification, we offer no-cost ultrasounds and medical consultations at our clinic. We can help you determine if the pregnancy is viable and how far along you are and provide resources and referrals if you need them. Contact our team today to schedule an appointment. References 10 Mifepristone U.S. Post-Marketing Adverse Events Summary through 12/31/2018. In:2018 Chen MJ, Creinin MD. Mifepristone With Buccal Misoprostol for Medical Abortion: A Systematic Review. Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126(1):12-21. Mentula MJ, Niinimäki M, Suhonen S, Hemminki E, Gissler M, Heikinheimo Immediate adverse events after second trimester medical termination of pregnancy: results of a nationwide registry study. Hum Reprod. 2011;26(4):927-932. Bennett KA, Crane JM, O’Shea P, Lacelle J, Hutchens D, Copel JA. First trimester ultrasound screening is effective in reducing post term labor induction rates: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;190(4):1077-1081.
