The abortion pill is a very safe and effective option to end your pregnancy. Abortion pill is also known as medical abortion, medication abortion or non-surgical abortion.
We specialize in providing the care you need. Our Denver abortion clinic almost always has same day or next day appointments available.
You can opt to use the abortion pill up to 11 weeks in your pregnancy. Many women report that the abortion pills feel similar to the process of a miscarriage. The first pill, stops the pregnancy from continuing and the second pills help empty out the uterus. Many women prefer the abortion pill because they would like to pass the pregnancy in the comfort of their own home.
Financial Assistance
You may also qualify for assistance from our clinic directly or from one or more of our funding partners. Our clinic has funding to help pay for your abortion if you are from a state where abortion is restricted and if you qualify. Please call us directly to inquire if you qualify. You may also directly contact one of the organizations below to inquire about the funding eligibility/availability.
Cobalt Abortion Fund is a Colorado based fund providing financial assistance for abortion care. Please see their website.
The National Abortion Federation (NAF) operates the largest, national, toll free, multilingual hotline for abortion referrals and financial assistance in the US and Canada. All states included, even if abortion is illegal in your state. Call 1-800-772-9100 to learn about your eligibility.
What to Expect
Abortion pill is a two-step process.
- First our staff will speak with you over the phone to ask appropriate questions and make sure you are eligible to have the abortion pill. Our Denver based clinic usually has same or next day appointments for abortion pills.
- Next, we will see you in our office and perform an ultrasound to verify how far along you are in your pregnancy. The provider then will review your history, discuss the steps with you and give you the first pill in the office. This pill stops the pregnancy from continuing but will not have side effects that you will notice.
- You will go home with the second set of pills, to complete the process at home between 6 and 72 hours later. The pills you take at home will cause the bleeding.
Expect to be in our office between 2 and 4 hours. You will know if the abortion pill worked by a follow up pregnancy test at home or if needed a follow up ultrasound or BHCG pregnancy hormone levels.
Any required follow up ultrasounds or if needed an abortion procedure will be provided at no additional cost as long as you return within six weeks. We are here to care for you throughout the whole process.
You may also be eligible for the abortion pill by mail option and not have to come into the office at all.
It is up to you to decide which option works best for you but we’re here to help. Many patients prefer an abortion pill because it is effective but gives them the option to decide when and where they want to take the second set of pills that causes the bleeding.
The second set of pills, can be taken anytime between 6 and 72 hours after the first pills allowing for more flexibility for your schedule. Many patients prefer an abortion pill because they want to pass the pregnancy in the comfort of their own home with support people with them. The decision is a personal choice for what you feel works best for you.
Call us today and we can walk you through the options in more detail.
The abortion pill is very effective at ending a pregnancy. For patients who are 9 weeks pregnant or less the abortion pill successfully ends a pregnancy about 96-98% of the time.
For patients who are 9 to 11 weeks pregnant the success rate decreases to 87-93% but when we give a second dose of the misoprostol medication for these patients, as per our protocol, the abortion pill works 98% of the time of the time. The rates of successfully ending a pregnancy with an abortion pill are similar to the success rates with a surgical abortion procedure.
The abortion pill is very safe and effective.
The rate of complication with abortion pills are less than 1% and similar to the rates of complications with first trimester abortion.
We have careful screening to make sure you are eligible. If you have a bleeding disorder, take blood thinners, take chronic steroids, have severe anemia or a few other specific medical conditions you might not be able to safely proceed with a medication abortion.
Abortion pill complications can include hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), infection, and failed or incomplete abortion.
In the clinic, you will be given the medication that you swallow. In your packet to go home you will be given 1 or 2 bottles, 4 tablets each to take at home 6 to 72 hours later.
We recommend that the day you take the first pill you take ibuprofen for cramping and ondansetron for nausea. We have available prescription strength ibuprofen and ondansetron you can get through us to avoid having to go wait at a pharmacy or we can send these medications to a pharmacy of your choice.
The first pill that you will swallow in the clinic should not have any side effects that you will notice. The second pill, will cause bleeding and cramping. Some side effects that can occur include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, diarrhea, shakiness. These are normal and do not last long.
This is why we recommend using the nausea pills, ondansetron.
Expect to be in the clinic for 2 to 4 hours. The process of the paperwork, lab testing, ultrasound, counseling and medication administration does take time. Please be patient and bring a book to read. We do have TVs in our waiting rooms as well.
Wear comfortable clothing and bring something to read and do while you wait. Please remember to bring a picture ID and present it to the front desk when you check in. You will also need a valid form of payment (cash, credit card or apple pay). You shouldn’t need a pad the day of your appointment but you should get pads to have at home to use in the days following your appointment.
Yes, you can eat before your appointment. We recommend a light smaller meal the day of your abortion.
Vaginal bleeding after an abortion can be variable. Generally, you will have heavier bleeding the day you take the medication and may pass some blood clots.
Following that you may have bleeding like a period or slightly heavier for 1-2 weeks and then it should continue to improve. You may have light intermittent bleeding for 3-5 weeks after your abortion pill. Your period will come usually 3 to 5 weeks after your abortion but might look different. Your first 3 menstrual cycles may be irregular and appear different in color, flow or number of days than you are used to.
If you are ever filling a large pad every 30 minutes for 4 pads in a row (4 pads in 2 hours) passing clots larger than the size of a lemon you will have the provider’s direct cell phone number to call.
You should start with pads, but you may wear tampons after 1-2 days following a first trimester abortion and we recommend waiting 2 weeks to use tampons for a second trimester abortion.
It can be common in very early pregnancy that we don’t see anything in the uterus on an ultrasound. If you are only 4 to 5 weeks in your pregnancy it would be normal not to see the pregnancy on the ultrasound yet which is why it is recommended you wait until 6 weeks into your pregnancy to come in for an abortion appointment.
You can still take the abortion pill or have an abortion procedure if you are very early in your pregnancy, however if no pregnancy was seen on the ultrasound, you will be required to follow your pregnancy hormone (BHCG) levels to make sure they drop and your abortion is complete. This helps us to rule out a pregnancy outside of the uterus (ectopic pregnancy) which can be very dangerous.
Most patients feel much better within 1-2 days after they take the second pills for the abortion. Cramping can continue off and on for a couple weeks and bleeding can continue off and on for 3-5 weeks.
We recommend you return to your normal activities right away but avoid vigorous exercise or activities for the first week because it can increase cramping and bleeding. Listen to your body and if something bothers you don’t do it.
Resuming sexual activity is a personal choice and you should decide when the time if right for you. We recommend no sexual intercourse for at least the first week after an abortion procedure. It is also suggested that you use pads for the first few days after your abortion and then you may use tampons following that.
The abortion pill is very effective but it is very important that you make sure it worked and that you are not still pregnant. Generally, if your bleeding was heavier than a period and your pregnancy symptoms are gone within 2 weeks you can just do a pregnancy test at home in 4-5 weeks.
It can take up to 6 weeks for the pregnancy test to turn negative. We give you one pregnancy test to go home with. If you still feel pregnant in 2 weeks or have other concerns you can return for a free follow up visit with us for an ultrasound and evaluation.
If the abortion pill didn’t work, we will provide an abortion procedure for you at no additional cost if you return within 6 weeks.
Your safety, satisfaction and privacy are our top priorities.
We are a discreet locally based clinic and it is rare for us to have protestors outside of our building.
Yes you can bring one support person with you to your appointment. Unfortunately, due to the safety and privacy of our patients we do not allow patients to have support people with them for their ultrasound or counseling. If someone is accompanying you to the appointment they will be asked to wait in our large waiting room or they may leave the building and come back when you are finished with your appointment.
You can get pregnant as soon as 2 weeks after your abortion, before your first period, so it is important to consider birth control options. You can start birth control pills, vaginal ring, or patches the day after your abortion and our providers can send in a prescription to your pharmacy.
If you would like a Depo-Provera injection, the same day as your abortion, inquire with our clinic to verify your insurance covers this cost or what the self-pay cost is. If you opt to get Depo outside of Healthy Futures, it is common that they may require a negative pregnancy test before offering this option.
If you are under 18 years of age on the day of your abortion you can still get an abortion. While your parent does not need to give consent for the abortion there are laws in Colorado regarding notification that we need to follow. There are four options for getting an abortion in Colorado under age 18.
- You can bring a parent or legal guardian to your appointment and bring proper documentation to show they are a parent or legal guardian.
- We can follow the “Colorado Parental Notification Act”, passed in 2003, that requires the healthcare provider to notify the parent or legal guardian of a minor’s scheduled abortion. The notification letter must be sent via certified mail to the parent or guardian at least 48 hours in advance of the scheduled abortion.
- Present documentation of legal emancipation.
- Judicial bypass program. This is a process in which a judge reviews the case and determines if a minor can proceed with an abortion without parental notification. We have access to lawyers that provide counsel for this service at little or no cost to you. Please call the office if you are interested in the judicial bypass option.
The fee you pay covers unlimited ultrasounds as required, hematocrit testing if indicated, urine pregnancy testing if indicated, the mifepristone and misoprostol abortion pills, one pregnancy test to take home and any required follow up visits or procedures.
If you are still pregnant because the abortion pill did not work your follow up procedure and aftercare is included in your initial fee as long as you return within six weeks.
If are seen for the initial part of the appointment and then decide not to proceed with an abortion you will be charged $150 for the initial work up, ultrasound and evaluation.
If you change your mind and return that amount will go towards the cost of your abortion.
You can call the clinic at 303-991-7700 for questions or to reach a provider. You will also be given the direct cell phone number of a Healthy Futures’ physician to contact in case of emergency. We are here to support you with any issues that come up. Our entire staff is dedicated to your health.
Seeking Primary Care?
If you’re looking for a Primary Care Physician for your annual reproductive and/or Gyn needs you can learn more about the services we offer by visiting our Healthy Futures Primary Care website.
