This nurse is about to offer an ultrasound to a woman in need of pregnancy confirmation.

5 Reasons You Need an Ultrasound Before Abortion

If you’re considering getting an abortion, there are a few important, often-overlooked steps you should take to ensure you’re fully informed and staying safe and healthy along the way.

Here are a few reasons why getting an ultrasound before your abortion is essential to your health and safety.

1. An ultrasound is the only way to truly confirm a pregnancy.

There’s a common misconception that a pregnancy test “confirms” your pregnancy. While a pregnancy test does detect the pregnancy hormone, HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), it is unable to confirm that the pregnancy is viable.

In other words, the only way to know you are pregnant with a pregnancy that has a chance of developing and surviving outside of the womb is to get an ultrasound scan.

In some cases, an ultrasound will identify a pregnancy that has stopped developing, has already ended, or is located outside of the womb (known as an ectopic pregnancy). Knowing whether or not your pregnancy is viable will help determine your pregnancy options and give you and your doctor insight into the next steps.

2. An ultrasound determines what kind of abortion you may be eligible for.

Even for women who carefully track their menstrual cycles and have an idea of when the pregnancy was conceived, an ultrasound is the only way to confirm the age of the pregnancy.

You may be wondering, “Why would I care what my due date is if I’m going to get an abortion anyway?”

Good question! Actually, the age of your pregnancy will determine what kind of abortion you will be eligible for. For example, medical abortions are typically only provided to women in their first 10 weeks of gestation and the various methods of surgical abortions provided differ depending on how developed the pregnancy is.

3. An ultrasound will help identify any serious health conditions.

Abortions can be ineffective or lead to serious health complications if provided under certain conditions. One of these conditions is an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies are nonviable and can result in fatal consequences if left untreated.

An ultrasound will identify where the pregnancy is located and whether or not there are any conditions that would make abortion particularly dangerous to the health of the woman.

4. Getting an ultrasound means being more informed.

Before making any major medical decisions, it’s important to gather all the information you need. In fact, “knowledge itself is power,” which means the more you understand your unique pregnancy, your health conditions, and the options available to you, the more power you’ll have when it comes to making a confident choice.

5. They’re free at your local pregnancy clinic.

Unexpected pregnancies typically come with stress and fears regarding finances. That’s why Mendo Lake Women’s Clinic is passionate about providing women with free healthcare resources like lab-quality pregnancy testing, ultrasound scans, and medical consultation services.