Before Your At-Home Abortion

At-home abortions using the Abortion Pill have become the most common way to administer abortions in the U.S.

Like any surgical or medical procedure, it’s important to ask questions and explore the options so you can make the best-informed decision for you. While we don’t perform or refer individuals to abortion clinics, our medical professionals and advocates are here to answer your questions.

Before Your At-Home Abortion

At-home abortions using the Abortion Pill have become the most common way to administer abortions in the U.S.

Like any surgical or medical procedure, it’s important to ask questions and explore the options so you can make the best-informed decision for you. While we don’t perform or refer individuals to abortion clinics, our medical professionals and advocates are here to answer your questions.

Abortion Information and Post Abortion Care

Like any surgical or medical procedure, it’s important to ask questions and explore the options so you can make the best-informed decision for you. While we don’t perform or refer individuals to abortion clinics, our medical professionals and advocates are here to answer your questions.

What do you need to know about at-home abortions?

There are two methods of abortion: in-clinic abortion and the abortion pill, also known as RU-486. The pill can be taken up to 10 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP).

The Abortion Pill is a synthetic steroid called Mifeprex RU486 or Mifepristone. It comes in generic tablet form.

Mifepristone is used for the medical termination of a pregnancy and can be taken up to 10 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP).

A typical Abortion Pill dose comes with 2 steps:

The first step is a dose of Mifepristone followed 24-48 hours later by a dose of Misoprostol.

The Abortion Pill works by blocking the progesterone receptors in your body.

When you become pregnant, progesterone is responsible for building up your uterine lining and preparing your body to carry a viable pregnancy.

Mifepristone blocks the natural progression of progesterone in your body, causing the lining of your uterus to shed.

The second dose of Misoprostol causes your uterus to contract, expelling the contents of your uterus, thereby ending the pregnancy.

The Abortion Pill is a very common way to administer abortion in America, but there are a number of side effects and dangers to be aware of.

Side effects may include:

  • Cramping
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting and diarrhea
  • Heavy bleeding w/ large clots
  • Stomach pain
  • Fatigue
  • Mild fever or chills

Before taking the Abortion Pill, you should be fully aware of the risks by learning more here.

The Abortion Pill can be especially dangerous if the pregnancy is Ectopic (a pregnancy in which the fertilized eggs implants outside the walls of the uterus).

These types of pregnancies are always high-risk and are not resolved with the Abortion Pill. Left unresolved, these pregnancies can result in serious illness or death to the mother.

Ectopic pregnancies are typically found with an ultrasound, but in the case of a medical abortion, no ultrasound is required. This is extremely dangerous because the ectopic pregnancy may go undetected.

You can learn more about Ectopic pregnancies here.

Potential Physical Risks(1)

  • FDA black box warning: “Warning: Serious and sometimes fatal infections and bleeding.”
  • Infection
  • Undiagnosed ectopic (tubal) pregnancy
  • Failed abortion
  • Risk of fetal malformations

*Medical studies that support risk factors cited can be found in Before You Decide, © 2018 Care Net

In Arizona, the following restrictions on abortion were in effect as of January 1, 2020:*

  • A patient must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage the patient from having an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. Counseling must be provided in person and must take place before the waiting period begins, thereby necessitating two trips to the facility.
  • Health plans offered in the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act can only cover abortion in cases of life endangerment or severely compromised physical health or severely compromised physical health of the mother.
  • Abortion is covered in insurance policies for public employees only in cases of life endangerment or severely compromised health or severely compromised physical health of the mother.
  • The use of telemedicine to administer medication abortion is prohibited.
  • The parent of a minor must consent before an abortion is provided.
  • The Medicaid program does not provide coverage for medically necessary abortions, despite a court order directing it to do so.
  • A patient must undergo an ultrasound at least 24 hours before obtaining an abortion; the provider must offer the patient the option to view the image.
  • An abortion may be performed at or after viability only if the patient’s life or health is endangered.
  • The state prohibits abortions performed for the purpose of race or sex selection.

*Information taken from the Guttmacher Institute

Cost of an abortion can range dramatically based on a variety of factors from several hundred dollars to $1,000 or higher.

No one can tell you how you are going to feel. Every person is different. Some individuals report negative emotions after abortions that linger, unresolved. For some, problems related to their abortion emerge months or even years later. There is evidence that abortion is associated with a decrease in long-term emotional and physical health.
In line with the best available research, you should be informed that abortion significantly increases the risk for

    • Clinical depression and anxiety
    • Drug and alcohol abuse
    • Symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
    • Suicidal thoughts and behavior

We have helped thousands of women and men in the Phoenix area overcome their feelings of shame and regret associated with abortion, many who have carried it for decades. Contact us confidentially at FindHope@cpcphoenix.org if you have an abortion in your past and are looking for hope and healing.

If you have taken the Abortion Pill and want to reverse the effects, Abortion Pill Reversal is a proven method of success.

Abortion Pill Reversal works by flooding your body with a high dose of progesterone, often negating the effects of Mifepristone and resulting in a continuation of the pregnancy.

This method has been proven to be safe and effective with no side-effects to the mother or baby.

Learn more about Abortion Pill Reversal here.

If you’ve already taken the abortion pill and are having second thoughts, contact us as soon as possible:

Learn More

Schedule a Pregnancy Test

Book Now