Ever since the pandemic, people have wanted to do more things at home or online. It just seems easier and in some cases, more private. Perhaps for you, an abortion falls under this same category.
Rather than travel to another state and enter an abortion clinic, you are considering just doing an at-home abortion.
But before you do that, there are some things you should know.
The Abortion Pill Takes Time
Taking the abortion pill is not like popping a couple of Tylenol pills that makes your headache disappear within an hour. The abortion pill is a series of pills that can take several days to complete because you will be essentially giving yourself medication that propels your body into early labor to deliver your pregnancy at home. Since everybody is different, this medication can have different effects.
It essentially works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which is needed to thicken the uterine lining and provide nutrients to the womb. Once progesterone disappears, the pregnancy dies. Then the second part of the pill series triggers cramping that will help your body propel the pregnancy. The emptying of the uterus can take hours or days.
An At-Home Abortion Has Risks
The abortion pill can create some health risks that include:
- Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
- An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Infection that can lead to sepsis and pelvic shock
- Fever
- Digestive system discomfort
- Abdominal pain and heavy cramping
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
You Can’t Just Get the Pill Anywhere
According to the FDA, only certain healthcare providers can prescribe the abortion pill. Since abortion is illegal in TN, you will need to travel out of state to legally get a prescription for the abortion pill from an FDA-approved source.
While it’s possible to order medical abortion drugs online through unregulated and illegal sources, the FDA strongly advises against this due to safety concerns.
“The FDA does not recommend purchasing mifepristone outside of the Mifepristone REMS Program – e.g. buying it online or personally transporting it from a foreign country. If a person does so, they would be bypassing important safeguards specifically designed to protect their health.”