Your Options?

If you live in Pennsylvania, and your pregnancy is less than 24 weeks, abortion is a legal option. After 24 weeks, abortions in Pennsylvania are only permitted in cases of life or health endangerment.

The cost of an abortion varies greatly depending on the type of abortion and your insurance coverage. 

An abortion can be done as soon as you have the answers to a few questions — Are you 100% certain you’re pregnant? Do you have a viable pregnancy? How far along are you? A pregnancy confirmation and dating ultrasound answers all three questions.

Abortion Pill (Mifeprex, Mifepristone, RU-486)

• Up to 9 weeks from the first day of your last period.
• How much does the abortion pill cost? Varies depending on insurance coverage.
• This type of abortion involves taking two different drugs – one to stop the growth of the pregnancy (mifepristone) and one to contract the uterus (misoprostol) to remove the fetus. The first pill is usually taken in a doctor’s office, and the second pill is often taken at home – hence why many call this an “at home abortion.”
• Another option, rather than taking both medications orally, is to have a misoprostol tablet placed in one of three places – your vagina, between your teeth and cheek, or under your tongue.
• Misoprostol can be used alone, via a tablet inserted into the vagina (less effective than other types of medical abortion).
• Regardless of which method medical abortion you have, it’s important to note the misoprostol will cause pain and bleeding – the severity will depend on how far along your pregnancy was.
• If you have a pregnancy outside of the uterus (an ultrasound would identify if this is the case), and your pregnancy is within seven weeks from the first day of your last period, then a slightly different approach may be used. Methotrexate, the first drug, would be administered through a shot or vaginally, and the misoprostol would be taken after at home.
• Risks of a medical abortion include:*
  • Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
  • An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn’t work
  • Heavy and prolonged bleeding
  • Infection
  • Fever
  • Digestive system discomfort

*Risks provided by Mayo Clinic.

Vacuum Aspiration Abortion / Suction Aspiration Abortion

• Up to 16 weeks from the first day of your last period
• How much does a vacuum aspiration abortion cost? Varies depending on insurance coverage.
• Like the name suggests, a vacuum aspiration uses suction to pull the fetus and placenta out of the body. This abortion procedure won’t take more than a matter of minutes, but you will likely need to stay and be monitored for a few hours to ensure the abortion is complete.

Click here to learn more about Surgical Abortion

• After 14 weeks from the first day of your last period
• How much does a second trimester abortion cost? Varies depending on insurance coverage.
• This surgical abortion uses vacuum aspiration, forceps and dilation and curettage (D&C) and is often a two-day procedure.
• The first step is to open or dilate your cervix so that the doctor can remove the fetus.
• Once the cervix is dilated, usually the next day, the doctor will use forceps to remove the fetus and placenta, suction to remove the uterus and a curette (kind of like a scoop) to scrape your uterine lining.
• Risks resulting from D&C include*:
  • Perforation of the uterus.
  • Damage to the cervix.
  • Scar tissue on the uterine wall (potential for abnormal, absent or painful menstrual cycles, future miscarriages and infertility)
  • Infection.

*Risks provided by Mayo Clinic.

• 13-27 weeks from the first day of your last period
• How much does an induction abortion cost? Varies depending on insurance coverage. 
• It’s unlikely an induction abortion would be an option for you, as it’s rare in the United States.
• This abortion procedure begins with medicine that puts you into labor, so that your uterus contracts to release the fetus. The doctor may want help from suction or a curette (kind of like a scoop).