What is a pre-abortion screening?
If you’re unexpectedly pregnant, your mind may (understandably) be spinning. If you’re considering abortion as one of your options, getting a free pre-abortion screening at Alpha Center is a good way to see if abortion (whether medication or surgical) is right for you.
Check out our pregnancy symptoms quiz.
Why Consider a Pre-Abortion Screening from Alpha Center?
During a pre-abortion screening, you will meet with an intake specialist to go over a situational assessment and get information on all of your options.
Then, you will meet with a registered staff nurse to take a pregnancy test, go over your medical history, and if you qualify, your nurse will perform a gestational dating and viability ultrasound.
With your consent, we will also perform an STI test, and your results will be available within a week.
Because all of our services are free, Alpha Center has no financial interest in your decision and is a safe and confidential place to consider all of your options. Other clinics require payment for their ultrasound and STI testing.
Why get a gestational dating and viability ultrasound?
During a pre-abortion screening, if you get a positive pregnancy test (barring a few situations), our registered nurse will perform an ultrasound to determine the viability, location, and gestational dating (how far along you are) of the pregnancy.
Viability of the Pregnancy
Viability means that a pregnancy will likely carry to term, and is confirmed by determining through ultrasound that the fetus is inside the uterus with a healthy heartbeat. Up to 1/3 of pregnancies (known and unknown) end in miscarriage naturally, and checking for fetal cardiac activity and growth can determine if that is the case for you.
Due to the cost and potential risks of medication abortion, our nurses don’t want you to take medication or undergo a procedure that you don’t need.
Location of the Pregnancy
Current statistics show that roughly 1 in 50 pregnancies are ectopic, meaning they grow outside of the uterus. (Most of the time, these are pregnancies implanted in the fallopian tubes.)
If your pregnancy is ectopic, further medical care is required, and this is considered a medical emergency. During your pre-abortion screening at Alpha Center, your nurse will check to make sure your pregnancy appears to be intrauterine, or progressing normally. If something does not look as expected, they may refer you to a physician for further evaluation.
It is important to note that a medication abortion does not treat an ectopic pregnancy. The treatment of ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion and is legal in all 50 states.
Gestational Dating (or Age of Pregnancy)
How far along you are determines what kind of abortion you would be able to have. According to the World Health Organization, medication abortion can be used for up to 14 weeks of gestation.
Certain kinds of birth control may stop or cause your period to come every few months. Because of this, gestational dating based on your last period can be inaccurate.
During an ultrasound, our nurses will measure the pregnancy to determine the age of the pregnancy, most likely through a crown-to-rump measurement.
Abortion Information
As with all medical procedures or medications, informed consent is important. Our nurses will provide information about how the different kinds of abortion work, the range of costs you can expect, and side effects and/or risks to look for.
We will also review with you the contraindications associated with the abortion pill to help you determine whether or not it is safe for you.
Space to Consider Your Options
Only you can decide what is right for your situation, and at Alpha Center, we want to make sure that you are equipped with the information you need to make a decision. You are not required to decide at any point during your appointment, nor is any payment or charge to insurance processed. We’re here for you.
