The abortion pill is a two-drug process with specific medical requirements, and those requirements exist for good reasons. Ordering online bypasses every one of those reasons. From unregulated sources and counterfeit drugs to undetected ectopic pregnancies, the risks of skipping in-person screening are significant and, in some cases, life-threatening.
At Crossroads PRC La Grange, our team is here to give you the information you want to know about abortion procedures, along with no-cost pregnancy testing and the opportunity to meet with a registered nurse who can walk through your health history and answer your questions.
Contact us to request a confidential appointment.
What Comes in the Package and What Doesn’t
The abortion pill involves two drugs taken in sequence. Mifepristone1 is taken first to block progesterone, a hormone essential for sustaining a pregnancy. Misoprostol2 follows 24 to 48 hours later, prompting the uterus to contract and expel the pregnancy and related tissue through vaginal bleeding. The FDA3 approves this regimen only through 10 weeks of gestation.
When ordered online, the package may contain the drugs, but it will not contain a verified gestational age, a confirmed pregnancy location, or any knowledge of a patient’s individual health history. Those are not small omissions. Each one represents a gap that can have serious long-term consequences.
Drug Quality Is Not Guaranteed
A significant portion of online pharmacies selling abortion drugs operate outside the United States, where regulatory oversight looks very different from FDA standards. Pills sourced this way may contain the wrong dosage, inactive or harmful ingredients, or, in some cases, may not contain the intended drug at all.
Without a licensed provider involved in the process, there is no mechanism to flag these issues before a patient takes the drugs. What a woman believes she is taking may not reflect what is actually in the pills.
Three Things an Ultrasound Confirms That Online Orders Cannot
An ultrasound is a critical step before taking the abortion pill, and it cannot be replicated through an online transaction. At Crossroads PRC La Grange, our registered nurse, trained in limited obstetric ultrasound, may be able to provide patients with images to confirm the following:
- Gestational age: How far along a pregnancy is also affects what procedures are available and what risks may be involved. Without confirmed dating from an ultrasound, a woman may not have an accurate picture of her timeline or her options.
- Pregnancy location: When a pregnancy develops in the fallopian tube rather than the uterus, it is called an ectopic pregnancy.4 An undetected ectopic pregnancy that continues to grow can cause the fallopian tube to rupture, which is a dangerous and potentially fatal condition requiring emergency surgery. This condition cannot be treated with the abortion pill.
- Pregnancy viability: Miscarriage affects about 1 in 4 known pregnancies5 and does not always produce symptoms a woman would immediately recognize. If a miscarriage is already underway, taking the abortion pill may not be appropriate and could still cause side effects.
Risks That Don’t Come With a Warning Label
The abortion pill carries documented risks.6 These include heavy or prolonged bleeding, incomplete abortion requiring a follow-up surgical procedure, infection, fever, and severe cramping. When drugs are ordered online, women often have no provider to contact if something feels wrong, no follow-up care is arranged, and have no clear threshold for when to seek emergency help.
What Crossroads PRC La Grange Can Offer
Our team is here to give you accurate, straightforward information so you can move forward with confidence. Along with lab-quality pregnancy testing, patients may be eligible for an ultrasound performed by a trained registered nurse. Patients also have the opportunity to speak with the nurse and meet with an advocate who can answer questions and provide supportive guidance.
Contact Crossroads PRC La Grange today to request a confidential appointment with our team.
Crossroads PRC La Grange does not provide or refer for abortion services.
References
1. Mifepristone (Mifeprex). MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a600042.html
2. Misoprostol. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a689009.html
3. Research, C. F. D. E. A. (2023, March 23). Information about Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks of Gestation. U.S. Food And Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/information-about-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation
4. Ectopic Pregnancy. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9687-ectopic-pregnancy
5. Why do miscarriages happen? Mayo Clinic Press. https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/pregnancy/why-do-miscarriages-happen/#:~:text=Around%201%20in%204%20recognized%20pregnancies%20ends%20in%20a%20miscarriage
6. Medical abortion – Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/medical-abortion/about/pac-20394687