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we give information on the safe methods of abortion within the first trimester or the early second trimester of a pregnancy: the abortion with pills (medical abortion).

19/05/2022

Proud to support pro choices
I have been working as an online abortion and reproductive health counselor for 8 years now. I rarely have a pleasure to look in the eye of the people I counsel. Sometimes I hear their voices, but usually what I see are letters they type to my screen.

Yet we manage to build a relationship.

Sometimes people ask me how it feels to communicate by email with people in need of reproductive health service? Does the written form limit the conversation, or does it actually make it easier? Can you support women without seeing them? Is it even safe?

Internet knows no borders and email seems to give an impression of certain anonymity. I have an incredible privilege to correspond with people from so many places in the world. I would never be able to meet them otherwise, and hear their stories. A lot has been written in the last years about undeniable added value of the online communication for health issues, especially for more difficult or stigmatised ones.

Some women write me asking for an advice what to do in their situation and expect me to suggest a solution.

But I am not an advisor. I am a counselor. It would not be fair to decide for you.

I might have more factual knowledge on the subject of reproductive health, but you, out there on the other side of the screen, have knowledge of yourself. I provide information in most comprehensive way I can and in relation to what you ask me and tell me, and I will support you, but I will not diagnose, I will not recommend what you should do. You make your own choices. There is no secret knowledge I have that anyhow positions me as the one with THE answer that can solve your dilemma. YOU have the answer. You really do.

At times you feel the urge to tell me how it happened that you are in this situation. You give me the reason why you have an unwanted pregnancy.

I listen and am grateful that you share with me. But I do not need to know. I will not write to you differently, there is no better more ethical reason than other. I will say though is that 1 in 3 women has an abortion in their lifetime, it is a common fact of our lives that we should embrace. Abortion is health care and your right, no matter why or how many times you need it.

As a counselor I try to frame my communication in a way that is responsive, supportive & non judgmental, clear & concise, medically accurate and empowering.

The empowerment is not in a moment of having found the best solution for you. It is not just a concrete, single event in time, it is rather the process of finding it and acting upon it. It surely was for me.

And lastly - the safety of medical abortion has been extensively proven, and you can read about it in the Questions and Answers section of Women Help Women website.

The follow-up model based on self-assessment is steadily used more and more for provision of early abortion with pills. Women call, text or email the personnel that support them in case of questions.

Can women determine the success of early medical termination of pregnancy themselves?

The short answer to the question in the title of the article is: yes, they can.

And they often prefer to do so, themselves.

I trust them.

09/04/2022

Do you need to "clean your womb" after taking the abortion pill?

Uteruses are basically self-cleaning ovens — that's what vaginal discharge and menstruation are for.

Bubbles
One of the most frequently asked questions we get on social media concerns the need to "clean" oneself after an abortion, i.e, empty the contents of your uterus of the products of conception.

The answer to this question is simple: no, you don't need to do anything to evacuate the remains. Uteruses are basically self-cleaning ovens — that's what vaginal discharge and menstruation are for. When you take abortion pills, the bleeding and cramping are the means by which the fetal tissue leaves your body. There's no other intervention necessary.

That being said, it's important to understand a few things. The first is how abortion pills work. If you opt for the mifepristone and misoprostol combination, which is 95-98% effective to 12 weeks, the mifepristone, which you take first, will block the flow of progesterone to the fetus. Progesterone is the hormone that promotes fetal growth and maintains the pregnancy and makes your uterus more receptive to the next pill you'll take, misoprostol, also called cytotec. Misoprostol softens your cervix and causes your uterus to contract, causing cramps, as well as the expulsion of the fetal tissues in the form of bleeding and clots. If you take misoprostol on its own, it's less effective than the mifepristone/misoprostol combo, but it still works, when used correctly, 80-85% of the time, up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. You don't need to take antibiotics with abortion pills, because the likelihood of infection is so remote. You should, however, avoid putting anything into the v***a until heavy bleeding stops, in order to really cut back on the likelihood of infection.



Another thing to understand is the fact that bleeding after taking abortion pills varies. On average, people bleed for 9-14 days following a self-managed abortion. Some people bleed/pass clots for as long as 4 weeks, and for other people, the bleeding decreases dramatically or stops entirely after it's initially intense for a few days. You could also have bleeding that resembles your period for several weeks. Think about it as though it were menstruation - some people bleed for 3 days, other for 6. It's all normal, and it will stop on its own.

Infection is super rare with abortion pills, but you should be aware of the signs of complications and have a plan that you can put into practice in case it happens. (This is why it's a good idea to notify someone you trust that you're doing a self-managed abortion.) Complications indicating infection include severe bleeding (more than 2 or 3 pads used every hour for more than 2 or 3 consecutive hours), severe abdominal pain that isn’t relieved with painkillers or continues for 2-3 days after taking the pills, a fever over 39º or 38º (102 or 100.4) for more than 24 hours, and abnormal vaginal discharge. If you do suspect that something is wrong, you should seek medical care immediately. These are complications that come with a natural miscarriage, so doctors in a hospital will be able to treat them without knowing that you took abortion pills.

You absolutely must make sure that your medical abortion was successful. Incomplete abortion can result in an infection, and that will likely require a health care professional to remove the fetal remains. As mentioned above, medical abortion has very high success rates, but it's still important to verify that it worked. One indication of a successful abortion is the disappearance of pregnancy symptoms. If you have access to an ultrasound, you can get one to confirm the success of the abortion, or you can take a pregnancy test between 3-4 weeks afterwards.

You do not need to do anything to clean out your uterus after your medical abortion (or a surgical abortion, for that matter). Keep in mind how abortion pills work, how long bleeding can last, the symptoms of infection, and how to tell if your abortion was successful. Remember that self-managed abortion is highly effective and safe. To find out more, including how to get abortion pills

16/02/2022

Yes, you can use abortion pills if...

Medication abortion is safe for most people!

Women asking question
We get a lot of questions about when people should and shouldn’t use abortion pills to end a pregnancy. Yes, there are a small number of specific health conditions that medication abortion could make worse. People who have those conditions should avoid using it. But a person can take abortion pills if...
..they’re pregnant with multiples (i.e. twins). The amount of medication and the protocol for taking it remains the same.
..they’re breastfeeding. Mifepristone has no impact on the developing fetus or on a breastfeeding infant. The amount of misoprostol that actually makes it into breast milk is so small that it will not harm the breastfeeding baby.
..they’ve given birth by Caesarian section (“C-section”). There is no evidence that a previous c-section makes abortion pills less safe or less effective if used for abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy..
..they’re larger or smaller than average. The protocols and dosages for medication abortion are exactly the same regardless of a person’s weight, height, or size.
..they’re transgender. Anyone with a uterus can use abortion pills.
..they’re HIV+. Someone with HIV may be at higher risk of infection or anemia, so they should take iron pills before using abortion pills and antibiotics afterwards, but they can still use abortion pillsto end a pregnancy safely.
..they have Rh negative blood. A person who is Rhesus negative and more than 9 weeks pregnant should get a RhoGAM shot on the day they take the medications, or if that’s not possible, within 72 hours of the abortion if they plan to have a baby in the future[SY1] .

Abortion pills have been available for decades and have been taken by millions of people without clinical supervision, and they are some of the most studied medicines in the world. The research shows that for most people, medication abortion is both effective and safe.

Want to learn more? You can read about abortion pills (and more!) on the Euki reproductive health app, now available in English and Spanish for iOS and Android, and at AbortionPillInfo.org. We’ve even got a confidential portal where you can contact our counselors if you have other questions. We’re here to help! Whatsapp 0202600109/0791076785

16/02/2022

Unintended Pregnancy Happens Everywhere

Everyone needs and deserves safe, reliable abortion access.

pregnancy everywhere
Who do you picture when you imagine someone who wants an abortion? Someone trying to finish their education? Someone trying to advance in their career? Someone who can’t afford to expand their family? Someone who can’t afford contraception?
Someone who isn’t ready for children yet?
Someone who already has all the children they want? Someone who never wants them?

There are as many reasons why someone might not plan to be pregnant, and why someone might choose to end an unintended pregnancy, as there are people who can get pregnant – which is to say, a lot. There were approximately 121 million unintended pregnancies worldwide every year between 2018 and 2021, and 61% of them ended in abortion. That’s about 73 million abortions annually.

Unintended pregnancies are more common in countries where abortion access is heavily restricted, but abortion rates in those countries are similar to abortion rates in countries where abortion is broadly legal. In fact, in countries that restrict abortion, the percentage of unintended pregnancies that end in abortion has actually risen over the last 30 years, from 36% to 50%. That’s because people seek out abortion care whether it’s legal or not.

Regardless of what the law says, no one should be forced to continue a pregnancy just because someone else believes they should. Everyone deserves to make their own decisions about when, whether, and with whom to have a child – and to act on those decisions freely and safely. That’s why we provide accurate, up-to-date information about how people can self-manage their own abortions with pills. Come read our long list of FAQs at AbortionPillInfo.org. Those should cover most of your questions, and if they don’t, we’ve also got a secure portal where you can contact our counselors. We promise we won’t judge your reasons for getting in touch!

16/02/2022

Your Abortion, Your Business

Tips to keep your research and planning safe and private.

Woman keeping secret
Whether you’re making an appointment at a clinic, reading up on how to get and use abortion pills safely, making sure no one can interfere with your plans beforehand, or preventing someone from giving you grief about it after the fact, your reasons for wanting information about abortion are nobody’s business but your own.

Keep it that way! Here’s how:

Use Signal for free, secure texting and phone calls.

Use Protonmail for free, secure email.

Use private searches without online tracking.

Read the Surveillance Self-Defense guide to online privacy. It’s easy to understand and updated regularly with recommendations for the safest online communication tools – and instructions on how to install and use them properly.

Get free information about the law and self-managed abortion online, by phone, or through a secure form.

Look up information on the Euki reproductive health app, which is available in English and Spanish for iOS and Android. It doesn’t send information off your phone. It’s also password-protected, and you can even put in a fake password to show something other than your personal information

Learn about safe self-managed abortion with pills. If our FAQs don’t answer your questions, we also have a confidential portal where you can ask our counselors Whatsapp 0202600109 anonymous questions and get a reply that vanishes so no one can read it later.

Protecting your privacy is an important part of your self-care as you research and plan your abortion. We’re here to help!

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