Getting an ultrasound is an essential step in the pregnancy confirmation process. A positive pregnancy test does not provide enough details to make a pregnancy decision. To safeguard your health, here are three reasons you need an ultrasound before abortion:

1. Confirm the Viability

Did you know that around 20% of pregnancies end in natural miscarriages? Even though pregnancy tests can still return a positive result for weeks after a miscarriage, an ultrasound will confirm if a fetal heartbeat is detected.

If the pregnancy is no longer growing, the embryo can pass on its own without medical management. Follow-up with a medical provider is critical to confirm whether intervention is needed.

2. Gestational Age

Since medical abortion (the abortion pill) is only FDA-approved up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, it’s essential to get an ultrasound to confirm this detail. Determining how long you have been pregnant is difficult if you struggle with irregular periods.

An ultrasound with your medical provider will determine exactly how far along you are through specific measurements.

3. The Location

Typically, a pregnancy implants in the wall of the uterus. However, the pregnancy could implant in a location other than the uterus, called an ectopic pregnancy. This pregnancy complication could have severe complications, including heavy blood loss due to the tube bursting. This complication can be potentially life-threatening if not addressed right away.

Neither medical abortion nor surgical abortion resolves an ectopic pregnancy, so it is vital to confirm with an ultrasound that the pregnancy is located in the uterus.

No-Cost Ultrasounds

Our limited obstetrical ultrasounds ensure the pregnancy is in the uterus, check and measure the heartbeat, and confirm the pregnancy’s gestational age.