We believe that women have the right to make decisions about their own bodies - including whether or not to end a pregnancy. The abortion pill, otherwise referred to as the ‘Pill by Post’ makes abortion treatments accessible to women all over the country.

In this article, we will be discussing why pill by post could be the best option for pregnancy termination, providing women with the privacy they need at a very sensitive time.

What is Pill by Post?

Pill by post is a pregnancy termination pill (two, actually) delivered to you through the post. It’s a convenient way to terminate a pregnancy and offers women the privacy, comfort, and control they need. And if they want more support, it’s only ever a phone call away. 

How Many Weeks Pregnant Can I be for Pill by Post?

In the UK, a woman can legally terminate a pregnancy up to 24 weeks. However, there are medical reasons (such as risk to life, severe fetal development issues, and significant health concerns) that can permit a later abortion.

It is safe for women to have an abortion using the pill by post method up to 10 weeks pregnant. If you are 10 weeks pregnant or under, pill by post is typically a safe way for you to terminate your pregnancy. 

If you are further along in your pregnancy you will need to attend an in-person clinic to discuss the different methods of pregnancy termination available to you.

How The Abortion Pill Works

It’s a simple process really and you are supported throughout by a member of our team who will answer your questions, provide guidance, and help you through every stage in the process. Here’s how it works…

Virtual Consultation

The abortion pill is available to women up to 10 weeks pregnant. You will be deemed appropriate (or not) for the abortion pill after a consultation with one of our specialists. This consultation is carried out virtually.

Posting Your Pills

After the consultation, you will be sent your prescription abortion pills in the post. These will arrive at your address in discreet, unmarked packaging. The package will include detailed instructions on when and how to take the medications, as well as aftercare advice and how to seek support at any time. We advise you to read through these documents thoroughly before starting the process.

Taking the Abortion Pills

Inside your package there will be two abortion pills. Each has a very specific job. The first works to block the hormone progesterone - this is the hormone needed to sustain and grow a pregnancy. Without enough progesterone, the uterus begins breaking down in preparation for your period.

24 hours after taking the first tablet you must take the second tablet. This tablet causes contractions and bleeding, helping your body to pass the pregnancy. 

Symptoms You Might Experience

After taking the first tablet, you might experience some cramping and bleeding. This typically occurs in the first 24 hours and is a good sign that the womb is breaking down. Other symptoms you might experience during the termination process include:

• Heavy bleeding (2-3 days)
• Passing clots
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Dizziness
• Exhaustion
• Period-like symptoms for 2-3 weeks

If any of the symptoms you are experiencing feel unmanageable, it is important that you seek advice from your doctor.

Follow-up Appointment

Once the procedure is complete and your body has passed the pregnancy, you will receive a follow-up appointment with us. This is typically 2-5 weeks after your abortion.

The follow-up appointment is a chance for us to carry out blood work and perform an ultrasound to confirm that you are no longer pregnant. While a pregnancy test can confirm this, an ultrasound provides more detail and helps us ensure there is no leftover tissue that, if left untreated, could cause infection.

What If I am Still Pregnant?

If, during the follow-up appointment, we discover that you are still pregnant, you may need to repeat the termination procedure or undergo a surgical abortion in our clinic if this is deemed more appropriate. However, failed abortions are rare, with an estimated 1 in 100 abortions failing. So, rest assured that this is unlikely to happen to you.

Pregnancy Termination in the Clinic

If pill by post is not a safe or suitable option for you because of how far along you are, there are other methods of pregnancy termination to explore, including:

Medical Abortion: for some women, it might be considered medically unsafe to undergo an abortion at home without any medical supervision. As such, you might be asked to come into the clinic to take your tablets under supervision.

Surgical Abortion: this is for women who are over 12 weeks pregnant and involves removing the pregnancy from the womb. This can be done using either suction aspiration (for women up to 12 weeks pregnant) or dilation and excavation (for women up to 24 weeks pregnant). 

You will be given the appropriate pain relief and supported throughout either abortion process by our excellent and understanding team of professionals. We understand that going through an abortion can feel scary and that it’s a time filled with emotion. So, we’re here to support you.

What is the Difference Between Pill by Post and the Emergency Contraception Pill?

The most important distinction between the pill by post and the emergency contraceptive pill is that one terminates a pregnancy and the other prevents a pregnancy from happening.
The emergency contraceptive should ideally be used within 5 days of sexual intercourse to be effective. According to NHS Inform, “emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy after you’ve had sex. It can be used when you’ve had unprotected sex, missed a pill, or a condom has burst. It should never be used as an alternative to normal contraception.” Essentially, emergency contraception prevents the sperm from reaching and fertilising the egg, therefore preventing pregnancy from happening.

The abortion pill is taken once a woman discovers she is pregnant (as long as she is 10 weeks pregnant or less) and removes the pregnancy from the womb.

4 Major Benefits of Pill by Post for Women

There are three major benefits to the pill by post pregnancy termination solutions, these are:

1. The Comfort of Being at Home

Generally speaking, pill by post offers women the chance to terminate their pregnancy in the comfort of their homes. This means they can choose to have as many or few people with them as they want  and feel more relaxed, comfortable, and in control than they might have felt in a hospital environment.

Most women want to terminate their pregnancy in the most natural way possible and for many this means passing the pregnancy at home. Pill by post makes this possible for many.

2. It Feels More Natural

Many women report that taking the pill by post feels like the most natural way to pass their pregnancy as it is similar to a miscarriage and therefore feels less invasive than a surgical pregnancy termination might. This can also be helpful for emotional processing post-abortion.

3. Increased Abortion Accessibility

Pill by post makes abortion possible for women who would otherwise struggle to access these services. It’s easy to forget that not everyone can get to an abortion clinic and therefore, many women aren’t getting the support they really need. Pill by post makes abortion more widely accessible.

4. Greater Control and Personal Privacy

Women who utilise the pill by post service have greater control of their abortion experience. They have the flexibility and control over timing when to terminate their pregnancy and they are allowed the privacy to do so. 

This is also convenient as it means they can time their treatment to accommodate other events such as childcare, work, and personal commitments, around their treatment.

This results in women feeling less rushed and stressed by the abortion process in general.

Final Words

Pill by post is the future of abortion care for women. It allows women to make decisions about their own bodies and futures from the privacy of their homes. It ensures women can have their support network with them, if they choose, and gives them the flexibility and control to terminate their pregnancy at a time that’s best for them.

Here at GynaeDoctors, we are actively working to make pregnancy termination treatment more widely accessible to women. If you would like to explore the pill by post further or learn more about our pregnancy termination services, please get in touch. We’d be happy to talk you through everything and answer your questions.