Abortion Pills by Post

Call Centre Team

Abortion pill treatment at home

In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Government has approved telemedicine for abortions. NUPAS now provide clients with abortion pills at home. This is available for those pregnancies in the first 10 weeks of gestation. Only clients who are deemed suitable will be able to have this service.

If you are considered suitable for the abortion pill following a telephone consultation, you will be posted the treatment to your home address or you can pick the pills up at the closest clinic.

What can you expect when taking a medical abortion pill at home?

Below we have highlighted how the process works, helping you to understand the process and navigate through this uncertain time.

  1. Contact NUPAS by calling 0330 004 6666 or via our contact form.
  2. A member of staff will arrange an appointment via phone call within the next couple of days at a time suitable to you. During this conversation, a full assessment of your situation will take place. This will involve taking a full medical history, dates of your last period etc. We will also conduct a full safeguarding assessment to ensure that you are safe. At the end of the consultation, we should determine if you are suitable to take the pills at home.
  3. You are then able to choose whether you want the medication posted to your home address or if you want to pick this up from one of our clinics, this option is available too.

How does the process work?

There are two types of pills necessary to complete an early medical abortion which must be taken within 48 hours of each other; these pills are Mifepristone and Misoprostol.

The first pill is a Mifepristone tablet, this blocks progesterone, a hormone that is needed for your pregnancy to continue. The Mifepristone tablet is taken orally with a glass of water. We then advise that you wait for one to two days before taking the Misoprostol pills.

After your 24-48-hour break, you will take 4 Misoprostol pills which will cause your body to expel the pregnancy from the womb. Our pack comes with an instruction leaflet, which provides you with full details on how and when to take the pills. The second pills start the contractions to expel the fetus from the womb; we suggest taking a pain killer 10 minutes before.

What can you expect after the treatment is taken?

When taking the early medical abortion at home, you are likely to see some bleeding. This can vary from woman to woman, with some having heavy bleeding and quite a lot of pain, while others have very little bleeding and mild pain. Most women are in between the two, however, it is important to remember that this is not a completely pain-free procedure.

The abortion usually takes place between 4 and 6 hours following the insertion of the tablets however in some cases the abortion can take place earlier or later (up to 7 days later).

Please see Aftercare page.

Potential side effects

All women react differently to this treatment. Some have heavy bleeding and quite a lot of pain, while others have very little bleeding and mild pain. Most women are in between the two, however, it is important to remember that this is not a completely pain-free procedure.

You may experience the following:

  • Nausea or sickness
  • A feeling of light-headedness
  • Feeling feverish
  • High temperature
  • Diarrhoea

You should take it easy for a couple of hours. After this time you may find that moving around will ease any discomfort.

The abortion usually takes place between 4 and 6 hours following the insertion of the tablets however in some cases the abortion can take place earlier or later (up to 7 days later).

How is this different from taking the pills in the clinic?

We have tried to keep the abortion pill online process very similar to you being at the clinic. The only thing that will change is where you receive any treatments. We have made this decision to ensure our clients remain comfortable and safe throughout the pandemic and this process.  It is important to remember that we are contactable throughout the process and available to support you. When you receive your pills, there will be a help number that you are free to call.

What happens if you are not eligible for the early medical abortion at home?

Although we have taken necessary steps to reduce trips to the clinics, we have made sure our clinics are safe and free from workers and patients with COVID-19 symptoms for those that will still come in. If it is not medically safe for you to take the abortion pill at home, please rest assured that an appointment in our clinic is safe and sanitary and all time that can be reduced in the clinic has been.

Legal reminders about abortion medication

These medicines have been prescribed for you,  It is illegal to give your medication to anyone else because it was prescribed for you personally. If you do not use this medicine, contact us about how to dispose of the drug.

This should never deter you from seeking medical help if you need it.

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