There are three main ways to test if you are pregnant: urine test, blood test, and an ultrasound.

• Urine test: It can be bought at any pharmacy and in some supermarkets. It can accurately detect pregnancy after a missed period; some can even detect it a few days before the missed period. The advantages of this method is that it is more affordable and you can do it in the privacy of your own home.
• Blood test: It can be done in most clinics and hospitals. Blood tests can detect a pregnancy earlier than a urine test, but they are more expensive.
• Ultrasound: Ultrasounds are done by gynecologists in private clinics, primary healthcare centers, and hospitals. They can detect whether or not you are pregnant and how far along you are in the pregnancy. 

For people who are not married, seeing a physician about pregnancy-related issues might be a difficult experience since many report being talked down to and being judged for getting pregnant out of wedlock. However, some of our callers do share positive experiences they’ve had with their physicians, so feel free to contact the hotline and see if there are friendly non-judgmental doctors in your area.

Abortions can be done in multiple ways depending on the pregnant person’s circumstances and preferences. While both methods are very efficient at ending a pregnancy, there are pros and cons to each that can help you make a decision that works for you:

1. Medical abortion: it is done by taking pills that can help you end a pregnancy, and depending on where you live and your circumstances, it can either be done in hospital/clinical environment or at home. The main pill to be taken is misoprostol (also known as cytotec) with an efficiency of 90-95%, but can be supported with mifepristone, raising the efficiency rate up to 99%. Many women prefer this method because it’s cheaper, can be done at home, and is not an invasive procedure.
2. Surgical abortion: it is performed through different surgical procedures depending on what stage of pregnancy you’re in and how much money you have. Surgical abortions include curettage, aspiration abortion, and dilation and evacuation abortion (D&E). It is more expensive, but has an efficiency rate of 100%. However, it can lead to complications if not performed well. Many women prefer this method for the convenience of ending the pregnancy within half an hour, the possible added assurance of having medical staff around, and the discretion of doing it in a hospital/clinic if you live with others at home.

While surgical abortions have a higher efficiency rate, the rate of efficiency for medical abortion is still very high (90%-99%). However, biases against medical abortion still exist for many reasons. Some healthcare providers are not up to date with advances in medical abortion due to the legal contexts in the countries they work in that would legally restrict access to medications anyway. Others simply prefer performing surgeries that would bring in more income. Also, there’s a general inclination in medicine towards medicalizing women’s bodies and health to an extent that dismisses self-medicating as a legitimate way, despite it being integral to our history of healing, and therefore gives control over our reproductive health to hospitals and clinics.

Women are fertile for about 40 years. Some women need more than one abortion with pills. Having a safe abortion, or more than one safe abortion, does not impact a woman’s health or ability to have children in future.

No. Most women feel relief after an abortion. Serious emotional problems after abortion are much less likely than they are after giving birth. People who are anti-abortion may make false claims about this. They want people to believe that most women who choose abortion suffer severe and long lasting emotional trauma that they label “post abortion trauma”. This is not true.

Scientific studies over the last 20 years have found that emotional reactions to having abortion are relatively positive with two exceptions; women who had psychological problems before the pregnancy and women who have to terminate a wanted pregnancy.

Yes. There are many health conditions in which abortion may become critical to protect a woman's life. There is, for example, a form of pregnancy-related high blood pressure that can be life threatening. The medical term for it is preeclampsia. It occurs in seven percent of pregnant women. If it is untreated or doesn't respond to treatment, it can lead to convulsions, failure of various organ systems, coma, or death. Abortion may be the only way to save the woman's life.

Certain other conditions, such as severe diabetes, heart disease, or trauma from car accidents, may also require abortion to save a woman's life. Termination of pregnancy is also essential to save the life of a woman with an ectopic/tubal pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the uterus).

Medical abortions do not affect ability to conceive or bear a child in the future. In fact, if a woman does not want to become pregnant at this time, it is important to start using contraceptives as soon as she starts having sexual relations again.

No. Abortion ends a pregnancy. Emergency contraception (EC) cannot end a pregnancy. EC works before a pregnancy begins. Pregnancy begins with the implantation of the developing fertilized egg in a woman’s uterus.

EC can be started within five days of unprotected intercourse. It prevents ovulation — the release of the egg. Or it prevents fertilization — the joining of the sperm and the egg — which usually occurs within six days of intercourse. In theory, it’s possible for EC to prevent implantation, but implantation doesn’t occur until five to seven days after fertilization. To read more about emergency contraception, click here.