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If you’re considering the abortion pill but can’t remember exactly when your last period started, you may not know whether you’re five weeks pregnant, eight weeks pregnant, or further along.
The abortion pill is only FDA-approved through a certain point in pregnancy, so guessing at your dates can leave you with the wrong information.
This is just one reason an ultrasound is useful when your dates are uncertain. Caring for Women offers pregnancy tests and can provide a referral for a free onsite ultrasound to verify this information. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
The FDA Limit Is 10 Weeks
Mifepristone, used with misoprostol for a medical abortion, is FDA-approved only through 10 weeks of gestation, or 70 days from the first day of your last menstrual period.
Pregnancy dating begins with that first day, not the date you had sex or the date you received a positive test.
If your periods are regular and you remember when the last one began, you may have a reasonable estimate. However, irregular cycles, spotting, or simply not keeping track can make that calculation less reliable.
An ultrasound will use measurements from the pregnancy to help estimate gestational age.
Location Matters, Too
Finding out how far along you are is not the only reason an ultrasound is crucial to the decision-making process.
A pregnancy can produce a positive test even when it has implanted outside the uterus. This is called an ectopic pregnancy, and it most often develops in a fallopian tube.
Abortion drugs do not treat an ectopic pregnancy. Without medical treatment, it can rupture and cause dangerous internal bleeding.
Severe pelvic or abdominal pain, shoulder pain, fainting, dizziness, or heavy bleeding are reasons to seek immediate medical attention.
A Test Can’t Answer Every Question
A pregnancy test detects hCG. It does not show how far along you are, where the pregnancy is located, or whether the pregnancy is developing.
After a pregnancy test, Caring for Women can provide a referral for a free onsite ultrasound to verify your pregnancy. Depending on how far along you are, the scan may also indicate whether the pregnancy is developing as expected.
If the pregnancy is too early to be clearly seen, additional medical follow-up may be recommended.
Don’t Rely on a Guess
If you’re unsure of your dates, getting more information about the pregnancy can help you determine which information actually applies to you.
Contact Caring for Women to schedule a pregnancy test and ask about a referral for a free onsite ultrasound.
*All abortion information in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.
**This blog is for informational purposes only. This facility is not a licensed medical facility. We do not offer, recommend, or refer for abortions or abortifacients; therefore, we receive no financial gain from your decision. We are committed to providing accurate information about pregnancy options, abortion procedure risks and alternatives, and after-abortion care.