If you’ve listened to the news, you may be confused about whether abortion is still legal or not. When the Supreme Court recently overturned Roe v. Wade, it allowed states to create their own laws regarding abortion–meaning abortion is now legal in some states and illegal in others.
According to New Jersey law, abortion is legal without restrictions, allowing both medical and surgical abortions to be legally performed.
Types of Abortion
There are two types of abortion–surgical and medical.
Medical Abortion
A medical abortion, referred to as “the abortion pill,” uses two different medications to end a pregnancy. The first is called mifepristone and is usually taken as a pill. Mifepristone blocks the pregnancy hormone, known as progesterone, in your body–preventing the embryo from growing in your uterus.
Misoprostol, often also taken as a pill, is then used to help your body expel the pregnancy tissue through your vagina. A medical abortion does have limitations; most importantly, it is only effective in the early stages of pregnancy–the first 70 days. Because of this, a medical professional will confirm the gestational age of your pregnancy before recommending a medical abortion. There are also known risks to having a medical abortion, including:
- Incomplete abortion (which may need to be followed by surgical abortion)
- An ongoing unwanted pregnancy (if the procedure doesn’t work)
- Heavy and prolonged bleeding
- Digestive system discomfort
- Infection
- Fever
Surgical Abortion
A surgical abortion is an invasive medical procedure that is performed in a medical clinic. During the procedure, the doctor dilates your cervix and uses a suction tube to remove the pregnancy and related tissue from your uterus. Because a surgical abortion is invasive, there can be serious complications, including:
- Damage to the womb or cervix
- Uterine perforation
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection of the uterus or fallopian tubes
- Scarring of the inside of the uterus
- Reaction to the medicines or anesthesia, such as problems breathing
- Not removing all of the tissue, requiring another procedure
Getting Answers
If you are worried that you might be pregnant, or have already used an at-home pregnancy test and gotten a positive test, it’s important that you confirm your pregnancy with a medical-grade pregnancy test.
The medically-trained team at Cornerstone Women’s Resource Center will help you administer a lab-quality pregnancy test and verify the results at no cost to you. If the Cornerstone medical staff confirms you are pregnant, they may recommend a free ultrasound as the next step.
An ultrasound exam is an important step in getting the answers you need about your pregnancy–like the age and viability of your pregnancy. The ultrasound exam will also confirm your pregnancy’s location and ensure it is not an ectopic pregnancy. While relatively rare, an ectopic pregnancy is dangerous and requires immediate medical attention to keep you safe and protect your health.
Knowing Your Options
Getting the details you need about your pregnancy is an important first step to knowing all the options available–empowering you to make the best decision for your health and future.
The medical professionals at Cornerstone Women’s Resource Center are ready to provide you with a medical-grade pregnancy test–at no cost–to get you started in finding the answers you need about your pregnancy. Contact us today to schedule a no-cost, confidential pregnancy exam appointment.