What you need to know before taking the pill

People look this up because they want a straight answer before they swallow anything. This page is what you can know before you walk into a center or an ER. It is not a booking page. It is not a vendor list.

A nurse can talk with you in chat, or write back on the form. Free and private. You decide. Find a pregnancy center near you if you want a test or scan at their location.

Talk with a nurse — free, private.

Get the facts. You will not be pressured here.

Can you get the pill in Alabama?

Alabama does not allow elective abortion, including the abortion pill. Packs still show up in the mail. They are not a quiet way around the law, and they are not a clinic recovery room.

Alabama law makes it unlawful for any person to intentionally perform or attempt an abortion except as the statute itself provides. The definition of abortion includes using or prescribing a medicine or drug with the intent to end a known pregnancy.

We do not sell, ship, or name vendors. This is not legal advice.

No woman upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted shall be criminally or civilly liable under that Act. The Act’s target is not the woman upon whom it is performed. Still tell an ER what you took so they can treat you.

If a pack is already on the way, read If a pack is already in the mail before you take anything from it.

There are two drugs, not one. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, the hormone a pregnancy needs to continue. Misoprostol is the second medicine. The label describes it as causing the pregnancy to be passed from the uterus.

What the two drugs are

People say “the abortion pill.” There are two.

FDA-approved labeling describes a two-medicine sequence: mifepristone on Day 1, then misoprostol 24 to 48 hours later. The label states effectiveness may be lower if misoprostol is given less than 24 hours or more than 48 hours after mifepristone. The Medication Guide says the pregnancy is likely to be passed from the uterus within 2 to 24 hours after taking both medicines. That is what the label describes. It is not a set of steps to follow, and this page will not turn it into one.

FDA-approved labeling is for medical termination of intrauterine pregnancy through 70 days gestation. The Medication Guide says it is not approved for ending pregnancies that are further along. A mailed envelope cannot tell you how far along you are.

The approved regimen is not treatment for ectopic pregnancy. Pain and bleeding may resemble a ruptured ectopic. A ruptured ectopic can be fatal.

The fuller page is There are two drugs, not one. Why a scan first: Why an ultrasound first.

What can go wrong at home

These medicines are taken outside a clinic. There is no in-state elective clinic to finish what pills started if something is incomplete.

Uterine bleeding happens in almost all patients after both medicines. Bleeding or spotting then lasts 9 to 16 days on average. Abdominal pain and cramping are expected. About 85% report at least one adverse reaction. The label says most people bleed more heavily than they do during a heavy menstrual period.

Medication abortion can fail. The pregnancy can continue. If it does, you need a clinician, not a leftover tablet from a friend.

Leftover misoprostol is a danger, not a plan. Do not take a friend’s tablets. Do not take a pack until you know where the pregnancy is.

Soak through two thick full-size sanitary pads per hour for two consecutive hours: that is an ER. If you are crashing before the second hour, do not wait. Fever of 100.4°F or higher lasting more than 4 hours belongs there too. Tell the ER you took the abortion pill — mifepristone, misoprostol, or both, if you know.

Serious and sometimes fatal infections and bleeding occur very rarely. No causal relationship between mifepristone and misoprostol and those events has been established. Prolonged heavy bleeding may be a sign of incomplete abortion. Serious infection can present without fever.

FDA labeling says follow-up about 7 to 14 days after mifepristone is very important. If listed contacts cannot be reached, go to an ER.

If you are bleeding now and stable enough to read, If you are bleeding now. If you are not stable, 911. What it can feel like: What it feels like. What you might see: What you might see. After: After the pills.

If you already took the first pill and want to continue

If you have taken only mifepristone and you want this pregnancy to continue, that conversation lives on Changed your mind after the first pill?. Talk with a nurse here first. The APR number on that page is for abortion pill reversal. It is not a nurse line.

If you already took misoprostol, that is not an APR page. If you are crashing, 911.

What now, before dose one

Do not take leftover pills from a friend tonight. Confirm you are pregnant. Confirm it is in the uterus. Confirm how far along. Then talk. What now is the numbered version.

A nurse is here.

> Emergency. Soak two thick pads an hour for two consecutive hours, fainting, severe pain, or fever of 100.4°F or higher lasting more than 4 hours: 911. If you are crashing before the second hour, do not wait. If you may harm yourself, 988.

A nurse can use an interpreter. We write in English first.

For more of the law, see Can I get an abortion in Alabama?. For a map of independent pregnancy centers, see Find a center near you.

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We do not sell, ship, or name vendors. Independent centers named here are not a chain.

Chat is not medical care. An emergency room is.

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