Photo: Getty
A telemedicine clinic will offer abortion pills to patients prior to becoming pregnant in order to give them “peace of mind” following the Supreme Court’s decision last month tooverturnRoe v. Wade.
On Wednesday, startup companyChoix— pronounced “Choice” — announced that they will now provide abortion pills to their patients ahead of unwanted pregnancy. Choix will work in states where abortion is legal and where they are licensed to operate, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine and New Mexico.
“Advance provision is the same medication, it’s just providing the pills in case a patient needs them in the future and decides to use them,” Cindy Adam, Choix co-founder and CEO, toldCBS MoneyWatch.
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If the person decides to use the abortion pills, Choix requests that they schedule a telehealth consultation with the company’s medical providers who will guide them through the process.
Adam told the outlet that Choix’sadvance provision serviceis “practical but also very symbolic right now when so much of that decision-making power is being taken away. We want to give some of it back.”
Choix abortion pills cost between $175 and $289 per prescription. Each patient is limited to one prescription and must confirm that they are receiving the medication for themselves only. The company also partners with abortion funds for patients who may need financial assistance.
A medical abortion consists of taking the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol a day or two apart to end early pregnancy.
“Mifepristone plus misoprostol is 95 to 98% effective at ending a pregnancy before 11 weeks,” Susan Yanow, consultant to international activist non-profitWomen Help Womenand the U.S. spokesperson forSAAS, Self-Managed Abortions; Safe & Supported, previously told PEOPLE. “People in the U.S. have been using pills to self-manage abortions since at least 2000, and even longer in the rest of the world.”
Mifepristone (L) and misoprostol tablets.ELISA WELLS/PLAN C/AFP via Getty
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The pills can be taken at home, eliminating the need to drive to a clinic, take extended time off of work or worry about child care.
While the process can vary, Yanow said the most common method involves a person swallowing one mifepristone, waiting 24 to 36 hours, and then taking 4 misoprostol. Mifespristone blocks progesterone, which causes changes in the uterine lining and detachment of the pregnancy, while misoprostol leads to contractions.
Cramping and contractions may begin about 1 to 4 hours after taking misoprostol, emptying the uterus, much like a miscarriage. Pain can be managed at home, usually with ibuprofen and heating pads, although experts recommend that a hospital be reachable within an hour in case of emergency. Most people miscarry within 4 to 5 hours of the onset of cramping, but some lingering cramping may continue for a day or two.
“What these pills do is cause a miscarriage, which happens anyway in 15 to 20% of all pregnancies,” said Yanow. “So if somebody uses these pills and needs to go to a doctor, they would get the exact same treatment as if they were having a spontaneous miscarriage.”
source: people.com
