FAQs

A medical abortion is the use of pills to end a pregnancy. These pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) essentially induce a miscarriage. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone in 2000, and since then over 3.5 million people in the U.S. have had a medical abortion. Medical abortion works up to 70 days (10 weeks) of pregnancy.

Medical abortion is highly effective. Research has shown that the pill regimen completely terminates pregnancy in about 95% of patients. About 5% of patients may need to have a uterine aspiration (a surgical abortion) because of a continuing pregnancy, incomplete abortion, or persistent bleeding.

Medical abortion is also very safe. Serious risks, such as heavy bleeding and infection are rare. It is very unusual for someone to need admission to a hospital for treatment or to have a blood transfusion after a medical abortion.

Side effects of medical abortion are common; they include vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and mild fever. These side effects usually last a short time and can be treated with over-the-counter medications.

Find out more about medical abortion at these websites:
Planned Parenthood »
National Abortion Federation »

To have an in-person medical abortion, you would go to an abortion clinic to be evaluated by the abortion provider and have all the necessary tests completed before the abortion. The abortion provider would then give you the abortion pills at the clinic.

A TelAbortion involves all the same steps and procedures, but you do not have to travel to an abortion clinic. Instead, the study abortion provider conducts a video evaluation over the internet. You obtain all the necessary tests at medical facilities near your home. The abortion pills are then sent to you by mail.

A TelAbortion involves all the same steps and procedures as a regular medical abortion, but you do them without going into an abortion clinic.

1. You will have a video evaluation with the study abortion provider over the Internet. During the evaluation, the provider will:
   » answer any questions you may have.
   » ask you some questions about your medical history.
   » help you find medical facilities near you where you can get the pre-abortion tests, which may include an ultrasound or pelvic exam and possibly blood tests. If getting these tests pose a significant difficulty for you, please call the TelAbortion coordinator to discuss your options.
2. You will electronically sign the consent forms for the study.
3. You will obtain the tests at the selected facilities and direct the reports to be sent to the study provider.
4. If you are eligible for a TelAbortion, the study provider will send you a package containing the necessary medications and an instruction sheet by mail. The study provider may also send prescriptions to a pharmacy near you. If you are not eligible, the study provider will advise you about options for further care.
5. When you receive the medications, you will take them according to the instructions provided.
6. If your blood type is Rh-negative, we may recommend that you get an injection of a medicine called Rh(D) immune globulin before you take the mifepristone.
7. After you take the pills, you will have some additional tests as directed by the abortion provider to verify that the abortion is complete. These tests may consist of an ultrasound, pelvic exam, blood tests and/or urine pregnancy tests.
8. You will have another consultation with the study provider to review the results. If you need further treatment, the study provider will help you obtain it.
9. At the final consultation, you may be asked some questions about how easy or difficult it was to follow the study procedures and the acceptability of the TelAbortion service. This questionnaire may be done over the phone with the provider, or you may complete it online.

If at any point you wish to come to the study clinic in person instead of continuing with the TelAbortion, you are welcome to do so.

A TelAbortion uses the same evaluation procedures and administers the same abortion medications as an in-person medical abortion. Therefore, if you follow the instructions, we expect that it will be equally effective and safe.

Yes. The TelAbortion Study uses an encrypted, HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing platform. The information that you provide to the study abortion provider will be stored securely. No personal identifiable information about you will be shared with anyone outside the research team, except as required by law.

TelAbortion has several potential advantages over an in-person abortion:

• You don’t have to go in person to an abortion clinic to have the abortion, which may make the abortion more convenient and less costly.
• You also may be able to schedule the video evaluation sooner than you could go to a clinic for an in-person abortion.
• A TelAbortion may be more private because you can consult with the abortion provider from your home.

But TelAbortion may also have significant disadvantages for some:

• Having to get the necessary tests before the abortion may delay the start of the abortion.
• If someone other than you opened the study package that is mailed to you, that person could find out that you are having an abortion.
• Depending on where you get the tests and what kind of medical insurance you have, the total cost of the TelAbortion may be more than the cost of an in-person medical abortion.

The amount you will have to pay for a TelAbortion will depend on many factors, including your location, the specific tests that you will need before and after the abortion, and your insurance coverage. The study abortion provider will give you an estimated cost range before you enroll in the study. The total out-of-pocket cost for you may be more or less than you would pay for a standard in-person medical abortion.

To qualify for the TelAbortion Project, you will need to meet all the same standard criteria as for an in-person medical abortion. These include:

1. You are pregnant and want a medical abortion.
2. You will be able to have all the necessary pre-abortion tests, receive the medications, and take the first abortion pill before you are 70 days (10 weeks) along in your pregnancy. If getting these tests pose a significant difficulty for you, please call the TelAbortion coordinator to discuss your options.
3. You must not have any of the following conditions that could potentially make a medical abortion unsafe for you:
   » an intrauterine device (such as Paragard, Mirena, Skyla, Liletta, Kyleena) in your uterus now
   » any problem with your adrenal glands
   » any condition that affects the ability of your blood to clot normally
   » inherited porphyria (a genetic blood disease)
   » an allergy to the abortion drugs
4. You are not using certain kinds of medicines that could interfere with any drugs administered during the abortion. These include anticoagulants (blood thinners) and steroids.

Based on the information you provide in the video evaluation and on the results of your tests, the study abortion provider will make a final determination as to whether you qualify for a TelAbortion.

Phone, tablet or computer with:

• internet connection
• webcam
• microphone

When you call the TelAbortion provider in your state, the TelAbortion Coordinator will give you more details about what specific equipment or browsers will be needed.

At this time, the TelAbortion Study is available only in the project states listed here. If you live elsewhere but are able to have your consult and receive the package in a project state, please call the TelAbortion Coordinator to discuss your options.

Otherwise, you will have to go in person to a clinic or medical office to have an abortion.

If seeking telehealth medical abortion in Mexico, see TeleAborto.org for information on Gynuity’s Mexico-based study.

No. The study can send the medical abortion pills by mail only to those who participate in the study.

Why is this a study? »

This study is sponsored by Gynuity Health Projects, a non-profit reproductive health organization. The abortion care is being provided by partner clinics in our project states.

It has been reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as by multiple institutional review boards.

No pharmaceutical company is involved in the TelAbortion Study.

If you meet all of the basic qualifications, just follow the directions on our Get Started page.