Recently updated on February 15th, 2023 at 06:45 am
As you take abortion pills and encounter physical changes, whether to take an ultrasound after an abortion is always a concern for women. A lot of women buy online abortion pills and end their pregnancy at home. Hardly a few visit clinics to know the status of pregnancy or abortion before or after taking the tablets. But, is an ultrasound really necessary for the medical termination of pregnancy?
This blog helps you understand the importance of ultrasound after medical abortion.
An ultrasound is a technique that can help make images of soft tissue structures in the human body. It can examine areas such as the kidney, bladder, uterus, liver, pancreas, etc. During pregnancy, it helps understand the contents present in the uterus. It also tells you the position of pregnancy in the fetus. It is helpful for medical abortion as it can make you aware of complications if any.
How do you perform a medical abortion?
Medical abortion is performed using a certain combination of medicines that make hormonal changes in the body. Mifepristone and Misoprostol medicines are widely known abortion medications for the termination of pregnancy. One pill of Mifepristone stops the growth of the pregnancy. Similarly, Misoprostol pills remove pregnancy tissues from the body. Both pills are required for a successful abortion procedure. The pills work for up to 9 weeks of pregnancy gestation.
How can you confirm the success of your abortion?
Misoprostol pills have prostaglandin in them. They make hormonal changes in the body and remove pregnancy contents. Since the components bring contractions in the uterine lining, women encounter cramps in the abdominal area. It is followed by bleeding, which starts around 24 hours after the consumption of Misoprostol medicine.
Bleeding and cramping are the two symptoms of pregnancy termination. Women typically rely on these symptoms to know the efficacy of abortion pills. That being said, you may not get correct results only based on these symptoms. Though bleeding lasts for about 2-6 days, it can take more if the pregnancy growth is more.
Is ultrasound necessary after an abortion?
Not always. If you have taken a pregnancy test, the results pretty much tell you about the efficacy of pregnancy termination tablets. However, an ultrasound test can give you a better picture and accuracy. Hence, women can prefer having an ultrasound for the confirmation of pregnancy.
If you are planning to ultrasound after an abortion, it is advised to take it 7-10 days after the medical abortion. Doing it before may not show you proper results.
Home pregnancy tests, however, may not always give you accurate results.
Most healthcare providers suggest doing an ultrasound before the woman decides to consume abortion pills. It is because abortion pills work only on normal pregnancies. If the woman has an ectopic one, pregnancy termination medicines may not work. When you do an ultrasound test, you understand the positioning of the pregnancy. Hence, it becomes easier for the gynecologist to know if the woman is eligible for medical abortion. You can perform accordingly.
