Is it safe to have a medical abortion at 10–13 weeks?
Pill abortions that occur early in a pregnancy have a low risk of complication. The risk of complication, including incomplete abortion, increases as the pregnancy continues to develop. For example, pregnancies less than nine weeks have a complication rate of less than 1%, while pregnancies between 10–13 weeks have a complication rate of up to 3%.
What Will You See During An Abortion Between 10-13 Weeks?
A medical abortion will cause bleeding. This bleeding can be heavier than your normal period and may include clots. In an abortion between 10–13 weeks, you may see recognizable pregnancy matter, or it may simply look like tissue or blood clots. This is normal and should not alarm you. It is a sign that the abortion is proceeding as expected. As with a heavy period, you can safely dispose of larger blood clots or tissue in the toilet. If you live in a country where abortion or the abortion pills are illegal, make sure you dispose of anything recognizable carefully and discreetly.
Authors:
All content featured on this website is written by the HowToUseAbortionPill.org team in compliance with standards and protocols from The National Abortion Federation, Ipas, the World Health Organization, DKT International and carafem.
References:
- Ipas. (2023). Clinical updates in reproductive health. https://www.ipas.org/resource/clinical-updates-in-reproductive-health/
- National Abortion Federation. (2024). 2024 Clinical policy guidelines for abortion care. https://prochoice.org/providers/quality-standards/
- World Health Organization. (2022). World Health Organization’s 2022 Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance for Health Systems, Second edition. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240039484