RU486
Medical Abortion
Mifepristone (RU486), Misoprostol, and Methotrexate are drugs used in regimens for medical termination of early pregnancies. These drugs are given by mouth or by injection. After receiving these drugs, you might experience cramping and bleeding, pass clots, tissue, and the embryo within hours or days. Some amount of bleeding is common following non-surgical abortion. This type of abortion can take up to 3 visits, and may require a surgical procedure if the abortion is incomplete. Before getting any abortion, you will need to know:
- Am I really pregnant?
- How far along?
- Is the pregnancy viable or will I have a natural miscarriage?
- Am I at risk for an STD?
Before you decide, the Hagerstown Area Pregnancy Clinic can help you understand your options. Make an appointment to speak with our staff about your personal situation, and answer any questions you have. All services at the HAPC are confidential.
Pregnancy Testing
Before getting any type of abortion, you will need to verify that you’re actually pregnant. Even if you have pregnancy symptoms or have taken a home-test, it helps to have a medical quality pregnancy test to confirm. The Hagerstown Area Pregnancy Clinic offers free laboratory pregnancy tests that are more accurate than many over-the-counter varieties. And if you test positive at Hagerstown Area Pregnancy Clinic, we offer limited ultrasounds to determine the status of your pregnancy.
Free Ultrasounds
Having a limited ultrasound to determine the status of your pregnancy is important before getting any type of abortion. An ultrasound can help identify:
- the location of your pregnancy. If the pregnancy is in the fallopian tubes (or ectopic pregnancy) you are not a candidate for abortion and will need to seek immediate medical attention.
- whether the pregnancy is viable. As many as 25-31% of all pregnancies will naturally miscarry – avoiding the need for an abortion.
- gestational age of the embryo/fetus. This is the deciding factor in determining what abortion procedures are available to you.