Facing an unexpected pregnancy brings up a lot of terms, "abortion pill," "Plan B," and "emergency contraception," and it's easy to get them mixed up. Understanding the differences between these three options will help you make an informed choice.
What Plan B Does
Plan B is considered one of the emergency contraceptives and is designed to help prevent getting pregnant after unprotected sex. The primary purpose of Plan B is to stop ovulation to prevent fertilization of an egg by a sperm. In other words, if you take Plan B after unprotected sex but before you ovulate, you will not become pregnant. Because of this, it won't terminate an existing pregnancy. Once an egg has implanted in the uterus, Plan B will not cause that pregnancy to end.
Plan B is most effective in preventing pregnancy if taken within 72 hours following unprotected sex. However, the effectiveness of this emergency contraceptive decreases the longer you wait before using it. You can purchase Plan B over-the-counter at many pharmacies located in Moses Lake and Ephrata, and you do not need a prescription. If you have already conceived and the egg has attached to your uterine wall, Plan B will not affect that pregnancy.
Plan B vs. The Abortion Pill
The abortion pill consists of two medications used to terminate existing pregnancies, usually up to ten weeks from your last menstrual period. The first medication is mifepristone (RU-486), which inhibits the effects of the female hormone progesterone, necessary to maintain the pregnancy. The second medication is misoprostol, which causes uterine contractions and bleeding in order to remove the contents of the uterus.
The abortion pill is completely different from emergency contraceptive measures. The abortion pill terminates an existing pregnancy. Plan B helps to prevent a pregnancy from happening. Mixing these up could lead you to develop misunderstandings about your health or make decisions based on misinformed reasoning.
3 Things to Understand Before Attempting to Determine Pregnancy Status
Before obtaining either medication, it would be a wise decision to speak to our staff nurse. She can help you to understand three key pieces of information: whether you are currently pregnant, the gestational age of your pregnancy, and whether your pregnancy is progressing normally. Knowing these answers will change what course of action you can take. A positive home pregnancy test result indicates that you are pregnant; however, it does not tell you how far along you are or whether your pregnancy is developing normally.
This is where Crossroads Resource Center can help! We provide free lab-quality pregnancy testing (99% accurate) for anyone in our community. If your test is positive, we will also schedule you for a free limited OB ultrasound appointment to determine the gestational age, how many weeks you have been pregnant, and whether or not there is a fetal heartbeat. Additionally, we can confirm whether your pregnancy is ectopic, which would require immediate medical treatment, not just an abortion pill.
Crossroads Resource Center also provides free sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, which is crucial to have prior to making a decision about your pregnancy options. STI testing for both chlamydia and gonorrhea is available at our Moses Lake location, as these are the two most common STIs in our community. Untreated STIs can potentially affect both the health of a woman and the development of her fetus. Therefore, finding out if an STI is present before making a decision is critical.
Using an Abortion Pill for Medication Abortion: The Facts
In Washington, medication abortion is available from clinics and telehealth sources; however, what the advertisements do not address is the potential medical risks. Some examples of risk factors reported by the Mayo Clinic include heavy bleeding, incomplete abortion where some tissue remains in the uterus and requires a follow-up surgical procedure, and infections. Complications can occur in very rare cases. Approximately 2 to 7% of all medication abortions require a follow-up surgical procedure. This statistic is important for you to consider before you take the first medication in the abortion pill regimen.
Our abortion information page provides further details concerning the medical process involved in determining your decision. While we do not provide referrals for abortions, nor perform abortions, we do our best to ensure that you are fully informed about the potential physical, emotional and medical consequences prior to making your decision. Many women who come to our center share that they didn't know about the importance of an ultrasound or gestational age verification before visiting us.
Take Advantage of Our Available Resources
If you live in Grant or Adams county and would like help sorting out your pregnancy status, please contact Crossroads Resource Center for assistance. We provide confidential services at no cost, and we do not provide any information to anyone, including parents or insurance companies.
To make an appointment at Crossroads, simply call or text us at (509) 765-4425. The physical address for Crossroads is 1555 S. Pilgrim St, Moses Lake, WA 98837. We are available Monday through Thursday between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If you are a student, we will try to work with your schedule to help accommodate your needs.
Our goal is to ensure that you receive as accurate and precise information as possible about your pregnancy status without the pressure of outside sources influencing your decisions. That is why Crossroads exists.