Abortion pills are safe and effective throughout pregnancy. However, after 13 weeks the process may take longer and more people require follow-up care afterwards. This is why it is recommended that abortion with pills at this pregnancy stage take place in clinics or with the support of a trained person.
If you choose to have an abortion with pills after 13 weeks at home, it is important to have reliable information on how to use the pills to minimize the possible risks.
At this stage, make sure you’re close to a hospital or medical center and plan where you would feel safe getting follow-up care. This is important in the rare event of an emergency. You may also want someone you trust to be with you during the process for support.
Abortion with pills at home is always safer than methods not recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Sources
- World Health Organization. 2023. Clinical Practice Handbook for Quality Abortion Care. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240075207
- Morris, Jessica L., Beverly Winikoff, Rasha Dabash, Andrew Weeks, Anibal Faundes, Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson, Nathalie Kapp, et al. 2017. ‘FIGO’s Updated Recommendations for Misoprostol Used Alone in Gynecology and Obstetrics’. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 138 (3): 363–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.12181
- Lerma, Klaira, and Paul D. Blumenthal. 2020. ‘Current and Potential Methods for Second Trimester Abortion’. Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 63:24–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2019.05.006
- Whitehouse, Katherine, Ashley Brant, Marita Sporstol Fonhus, Antonella Lavelanet, and Bela Ganatra. 2020. ‘Medical Regimens for Abortion at 12 Weeks and above: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?
- World Health Organization. 2022. Abortion Care Guideline. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/349316
- Gerdts, Caitlin, Ruvani T. Jayaweera, Sarah E. Baum, and Inna Hudaya. 2018. ‘Second-Trimester Medication Abortion Outside the Clinic Setting: An Analysis of Electronic Client Records from a Safe Abortion Hotline in Indonesia’. BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health 44:286–91. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsrh-2018-200102
- Zurbriggen, Ruth, Brianna Keefe-Oates, and Caitlin Gerdts. 2018. ‘Accompaniment of Second-Trimester Abortions: The Model of the Feminist Socorrista Network of Argentina’. Contraception 97 (2): 108–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2017.07.170
- Kapp, Nathalie, and Patricia A. Lohr. 2020. ‘Modern Methods to Induce Abortion: Safety, Efficacy and Choice’. Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 63:37–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2019.11.008
- Moseson, Heidi, Kimberley A. Bullard, Carolina Cisternas, Belén Grosso, Verónica Vera, and Caitlin Gerdts. 2020. ‘Effectiveness of Self-Managed Medication Abortion between 13 and 24 Weeks Gestation: A Retrospective Review of Case Records from Accompaniment Groups in Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador’. Contraception 102 (2): 91–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2020.04.015
