The short answer is, “Yes, you can buy the abortion pill online.” The real question is, “Should you?” Any abortion is a serious medical decision. Since you take the drugs for the abortion pill method at your home, knowing what to expect is critical.

The abortion pill method is a two-step process. The first drug, mifepristone, ends the pregnancy. Misoprostol, the second drug, causes contractions and bleeding to expel the pregnancy from your body.

The FDA highly regulates the first drug and does not recommend buying it online. Why? Read on to learn more about abortion drugs and why you need to be very careful.

Why Does the FDA Recommend Not Buying Them Online

Have you ever ordered something online, only to find out it’s nothing like what you saw in the online store? The size is different, the colors are off, or the entire item is cheaply made.

This is the problem with ordering abortion drugs online. Many online distributors are from foreign countries. There is no guarantee you will get what you ordered.

In the United States, medications are approved for safety, effectiveness, and quality. Drug manufacturers from foreign countries don’t have to follow the same standards, so it’s impossible to ensure safety protocols.

Can I Tell If the Drugs Are Wrong?

The FDA has tips for recognizing if an online pharmacy site is safe or unsafe. The following is a list of the warning signs of a dangerous website:

• It does not require a doctor’s prescription
• Is not licensed in the United States and by your state board of pharmacy
• It does not have a licensed pharmacist on staff to answer your questions
• It sends medicine that looks different than what you receive at your local pharmacy or arrives in broken or damaged packaging, in a foreign language, has no expiration date, or is expired
• It offers deep discounts or prices that seem too good to be true
• It charges you for products you never ordered or received
• It does not provide explicit written protections for your personal and financial information, or it sells information to other websites

Is It Safe to Take the Abortion Pill at Home?

Although abortion providers claim the drugs are safe for use at home, you do not have the direct oversight of a doctor. How will you know if you’re in danger of further complications?

Earlier this year, a review of insurance company claims found that the adverse effects of the abortion pill are far greater than what has been shared. The review stated that one in ten women using the abortion pill method experience serious adverse events.

Those events ranged from hemorrhaging (heavy bleeding) to the need for a second abortion procedure. Almost half of these women visited the ER related to their abortion experience. Knowing what to expect is crucial.

How Can Willowbrook Women’s Center Assist Me?

Although we do not provide or refer for abortion, we can give you factual, medically based information about abortion procedures (especially the abortion pill), the side effects to expect, and potential physical and emotional risks.

We won’t judge you, and we certainly don’t want to scare you, but we do want you to be fully prepared for whatever you decide to do. Both of our locations offer a comprehensive pre-abortion screening.

Conveniently book an appointment online at the location nearest you. As always, our tests, screenings, and conversations are free of charge and strictly confidential. How can we help you today?

All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.