Abortion

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for how painful a medication abortion is. Some people experience very little pain, like mild period cramps, and some people experience very intense pain, which feels more like the pain of the contractions you’d have when giving birth.

If you’re having a medication abortion, you can take over-the-counter pain medication, like ibuprofen, or you can ask your provider to prescribe pain medication for you to take at home. In addition to pain medicine, you may find that using a heating pad, taking a hot shower, or other techniques like breathing exercises and meditation can also help with pain.

While the pain with a medication abortion can last longer than with an abortion procedure, many people find that the pain improves after they pass the pregnancy. If your pain isn’t getting better or is getting worse after you pass the pregnancy, contact the clinic where you had your abortion.

How long an abortion takes depends on what type of abortion it is. With the abortion pill, you take two different medications. The first medication stops the pregnancy from continuing to develop, and the second medication starts the abortion process. You take the second one someplace safe and comfortable with easy access to a bathroom up to three days after taking the first medication. Once you take the second medication, the abortion usually starts within an hour and can take up to several hours to be complete. With the abortion procedure, the actual abortion typically only takes five to ten minutes.

If you’re having an abortion procedure, you may have the option to have sedation during your procedure. One way to do this is for your abortion provider to give you anti-anxiety medication that you take by mouth before the procedure to relax you. You will be awake but should be more relaxed than usual. If you have what’s called “conscious sedation”, you’ll be awake but extremely relaxed, and the procedure should be virtually pain-free. If you have general anesthesia, which is a type of IV sedation that puts you to sleep completely, you won’t feel or experience anything during the procedure—you’ll simply wake up and it will be over. Sedation generally costs extra.

If you’re living in a state with an abortion ban, you’re probably wondering what viability means. Fetal viability is the point at which the fetus is likely to be able to live outside the uterus (with medical support). It usually occurs between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

The further along in pregnancy you are when you get an abortion, the more complicated and more expensive it can be and the harder it can be to find an abortion provider. How far along you are can also affect what type(s) of abortion are available to you, since the abortion pill (medication abortion) is only available up to 11 weeks of pregnancy (and at some clinics, it isn’t even available up to 11 weeks of pregnancy). Also some states don’t allow abortion past a certain point in pregnancy. It’s important to take the time you need to make a decision about whether you want to get an abortion. Just keep in mind that the sooner you seek abortion services, the less expensive and easier it will be, and the more options you might have.