Why Does an Ultrasound Matter if I’m Considering Abortion?

Are you wondering why you need an ultrasound if you’re thinking about abortion? An ultrasound is essential to your pregnancy confirmation journey. It’s vital for determining your pregnancy’s viability and available pregnancy options.

Why An Ultrasound Matters

An ultrasound safeguards your health and gives you clarity to help you move forward with whichever option you choose. Here are three details an ultrasound confirms for you.

1. How Far Along You Are

An ultrasound tells you the gestational age or how far along you are in your pregnancy. This will help you understand the options available at your pregnancy stage and your estimated due date.

For instance, the abortion pill (medical abortion) is only FDA-approved for women through the first ten weeks of pregnancy. After this point of pregnancy, there are increased risks involved, which could make another option safer for you.

Additionally, if you are planning to carry to term for parenting or adoption, an ultrasound will help you estimate your due date to plan for the future.

2. The Location of Your Pregnancy

An ultrasound confirms your pregnancy’s location to reveal whether it is located inside or outside the uterus.

When a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, it is known as an ectopic pregnancy. It is a non-viable pregnancy that can be dangerous and even life-threatening if not treated quickly.

Keep in mind that medical abortion will not treat an ectopic pregnancy due to its location. This means ectopic pregnancies can go undetected if women decide to take the abortion pill without first having an ultrasound scan.

3. Whether Your Pregnancy Is Progressing

Lastly, an ultrasound confirms whether your pregnancy has a heartbeat and is progressing.

You can get a positive pregnancy test and still be experiencing a miscarriage. If an ultrasound cannot detect a heartbeat, it could be too early in the pregnancy to detect it, or you may have experienced a miscarriage, which is a sudden pregnancy loss.

It’s critical to seek medical attention if you may have miscarried to determine if treatment is necessary or if the miscarriage has resolved on its own.

Before an Abortion

You deserve all the information to make an informed pregnancy decision. At First Care, we offer lab-quality urine pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, options counseling, material assistance, and STI testing and treatment, all completely free of charge.

Talk with our team today and schedule a free appointment to get answers about your pregnancy and options. We’re here for you.