Self-Managed Abortion General Information
Here you can find answers to general questions about self-managed abortion.
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About Self-Managed Abortion
Self-managed abortion means ending your own pregnancy, without a doctor or other health care provider.
Most people go to clinics to get abortion care. But some states make it hard for people to get to clinics. So, some people choose to manage their own abortion because they cannot go to a clinic.
Other people would just rather manage their abortion on their own, with pills, herbs, or in other ways.
If you are investigated or arrested for self-managing an abortion call or message us.
Telemedicine or telehealth means getting health services (like a check-up) from a doctor/nurse practitioner that you don’t meet with in person. Instead, the meeting can be done through a video call.
Telemedicine is useful when the doctor/nurse practitioner is not close to the patient or the patient cannot get to the doctor/nurse practitioner.
In some states, doctors/nurse practitioners can provide abortion services including medication through telemedicine.
No, a telemedicine abortion is not self-managed abortion because it is still an abortion provided by a doctor/nurse practitioner.
You may be able to get abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) by mail from an abortion clinic if you live in or are able to receive mail in Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, or Washington, and you meet the qualifications for the TelAbortion Study.
If you qualify, you would talk with a health care provider over video chat, and they will ship the pills to you, and do follow-up visits over video chat. You can find out if you qualify here(opens in new tab).
At If/When/How, we fight for your legal right to decide whether to keep or end a pregnancy. If you have questions that are not answered on the website, please call us or send us a secure message.
More About Abortion Pills
No. Emergency contraception, also called the morning-after pill is a pill or pills you take after sex or a sexual assault to stop a pregnancy from happening.
It works best when it is taken as soon as possible after sex or a sexual assault.
If you are already pregnant, emergency contraception will not cause an abortion. Learn more about emergency contraception.
Emergency contraception is also legal, and you can get it over the counter no matter how old you are. If you have health insurance, it may cover the cost. Some states cover the cost if you are low-income, even if you don't have insurance.
Abortion pills are different from emergency contraception. Abortion pills end a pregnancy. In the U.S., you cannot get abortion pills over the counter. Doctors usually prescribe two pills — one is called mifepristone and the other is called misoprostol — to end a pregnancy. People also take misoprostol alone to end a pregnancy.
The websites below have more information about abortion pills:
International Women's Health Coalition & Gynuity Health Projects Fact Sheets:
Research shows that having an abortion with abortion pills is the same as having a miscarriage, and they have about the same rates of complications. In most cases, they are safe and effective.
They are the same pills that doctors would prescribe if you were getting a medical abortion from a clinic.
The websites below have more information about abortion pills:
International Women's Health Coalition & Gynuity Health Projects Fact Sheets:
Additional Information
Some people who can get pregnant are not women; this includes non-binary people and transgender men. More info on these terms is available here.
To talk to someone who can provide judgment-free support no matter what decision you make about a pregnancy, you can call All Options at 1-888-493-0092.
All Options is a non-profit organization that provides judgment-free support for all people in all their decisions and experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption.
Find out more on their website here.
For accurate, unbiased information about a range of sexual and reproductive health issues—from consent to birth control to miscarriage—you can download the Euki app.
Euki was created by Women Help Women, which is an international nonprofit organization comprised of feminist activists, trained counselors, medical professionals, and researchers. The organization is committed to increasing abortion access, with a particular focus on supporting self-managed abortion.
Find out more on their website here.
Abortion on Our Own Terms in a website dedicated to providing accurate information about self-managed abortion, including barriers to medication abortion, resources, and how to take action.
Find out more on their website here.
You probably went to a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) rather than a real reproductive health clinic.
CPCs sometimes present themselves as real clinics but are actually set up to scare or misinform people so they do not get the abortion they want.
Abortion is a very safe and common medical procedure in the United States.
Find an unbiased clinic here.
In 17 states, state Medicaid programs pay for abortion. In every state, you have the right to have your abortion paid for by Medicaid if you are 1) low income, and 2) you are pregnant as a result of rape, or your life would be in danger if you stayed pregnant.
In the states that do not allow Medicaid to pay for abortions, non-profit organizations called “abortion funds” help people who need it to pay for their abortion, travel, and other needs related to an abortion.
Go to abortionfunds.org to find the abortion fund nearest you. You can also call the National Abortion Federation for support nationwide.
If someone is hurting or threatening you, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or toll-free 1-800-787-3224.
They also have a 24/7 online chat option available on their website.
If this is a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1 for help.
Our helpline cannot provide medical advice or information, but you can contact the M+A hotline, which is operated by doctors that can give you expert medical advice. You can contact the M+A hotline at 1-833-246-2632 or visit their website for more information.
We encourage everyone to learn about ways to better protect their personal information when using the Internet.
The helpline and its staff are based in the United States and can only answer questions related to U.S. laws.
Disclaimer: On this page, we provide links to organizations and websites that are not a part of If/When/How or our helpline. We are not part of those organizations and If/When/How is not responsible for any information they offer and/or services they provide. We are not responsible for any actions you take based on the information and/or services they provide.