A surprise pregnancy can have your mind swirling in a thousand different directions. Is your period late? Are you feeling queasy and nauseous a lot lately?
For women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, abortion seems like the only solution. If you’ve been considering an abortion, take five minutes to understand what’s needed before scheduling your termination appointment.
Your future self will thank you for being prepared.
Get A Verified Pregnancy Test
Even if you’ve recently taken an at-home pregnancy test, you’ll want to get a lab-quality test done to confirm your results. At-home pregnancy tests are a great tool, but they can produce inaccurate results sometimes.
At Birthright of Atlanta, we offer free and efficient pregnancy tests. All you need is five minutes!
Why An Ultrasound?
An ultrasound is an essential piece of pregnancy protocol, even for women considering an abortion. Ultrasounds allow healthcare providers to understand three things about a pregnancy: gestation, location, and viability.
Gestation
Gestation is the scientific term for how far along a pregnancy is. Using an ultrasound, healthcare providers will be able to measure the growing pregnancy and tell you exactly how many weeks along you are.
Gestation is used to better serve your health needs. For example, the abortion pill is only effective through the first 9 weeks of pregnancy. Ultrasounds guide you to the best plan for termination.
Location
Although rare, a pregnancy can begin to grow and develop outside of the uterus. This is known as an ectopic pregnancy. As the Mayo Clinic states, an ectopic pregnancy is unable to survive and can cause life-threatening complications. By getting an ultrasound done, you can effectively safeguard yourself against medical emergencies.
Viability
Did you know that 10-20% of all pregnancies will end in spontaneous miscarriage? Viability is simply confirming your pregnancy is still alive and growing.
Your pregnancy may have already miscarried. If so, having an ultrasound will free you from getting any unnecessary procedures done. At Birthright of Atlanta, we will get you all the information needed to have an ultrasound scheduled.
Get Tested For STIs
Even if you aren’t experiencing any symptoms, it is a best practice to get tested for STIs. Some STIs, such as syphilis, can pass from mother to baby during pregnancy. Other STIs can cause harm to the reproductive system if left detected and untreated.
Where Should I Start?
Start here. At Birthright of Atlanta, we offer extensive pregnancy counseling and a variety of assistance options to help you through this journey. You don’t have to navigate your future alone. We offer a 24/7 Helpline to provide you answers when you need them most. Call us anytime at 1-800-550-4900 and schedule an appointment today!