Deciding not to proceed with a pregnancy is never easy. Globally, medical termination or the abortion pill is now recognised as the method of choice for women who are under 9 weeks of pregnancy. Women seem to manage better in terms of their emotional health as the process is initiated and managed by them personally.

 

Medical abortion involves taking tablets in 2 stages. The first tablet ends the pregnancy and the second tablets (36-48 hours later) start a miscarriage with fairly intense bleeding and cramping. The second stage needs to be timed so that another adult can be present for support in the same dwelling during this 4-6 hour process.  After this stage, vaginal bleeding will likely continue for about 2 weeks, like a period. Occasionally the process is not complete and so follow up is extremely important to check that everything is back to normal. 

Every woman wishing to terminate a pregnancy must have an ultrasound before proceeding  to check they are no more than 9 weeks pregnant and also to confirm the pregnancy is in the uterus and not an ectopic. Many ultrasound providers will bulk bill for this.

 

Unplanned pregnancies happen because of inadequate or a failed contraceptive method. This is a great opportunity to explore finding a better contraception to meet your needs for the future. 

 

At East Sydney Doctors we are committed to providing quality healthcare to all. The choice to continue or to terminate an unplanned pregnancy is and should be made by the individual woman. Fortunately that decision has been made easier by change in law in NSW, but the choice is still hampered by the cost and geographical availability of the service. Very few terminations are done in the public sector with the vast majority being in the privately run clinics. For many women the cost adds to the stress of the decision and the process. We are proud to offer a bulk billed face to face service, but telehealth consults are no longer covered by medicare unless you have been an existing patient of the practice.

 

The cost of medication and shipping is arranged with our local friendly pharmacist. The medication can be costly at around $300 if you do not have medicare. Otherwise it is $7 with a HCC or $40 with medicare.