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Abortion/early pregnancy abortion, ultrasound

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Expert: - 10/15/2009


Question
How does the abortion clinic determine how far along someone is?  Is the ultrasound accurate?  Or do they just base it on your last period?

Answer
Dear Beth,
This is an excellent question.  Ultrasound is the most accurate way to know the duration of the pregnancy.  In early pregnancy, ultrasound can determine the date of conception plus or minus 3 or 4 days.  In the United States, abortion clinics use ultrasound as the standard of care.  

It can be confusing, because doctors talk about how far along you are based on the first day of your last menstrual period, even though this is less accurate.  However, medical decisions are based on the ultrasound, not on dates.  For example, the abortion pill is only used until 9 weeks of pregnancy.  The doctor will use ultrasound to determine if you are eligible for the abortion pill.  

I hope this is helpful,
Doctor Joan
http://www.earlyabortionoptions.com
New York City

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Doctor Early Options

Expertise

We are a group of family doctors who provide abortion care for over a decade. We can answer any health or medical related questions about early abortion, including the aspiration procedure, the abortion pill (RU486), or surgical abortion. We run a practice called Early Options, located in New York City: http://www.EarlyAbortionOptions.com. The practice is dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. There are other family doctors around the United States who practice a similar approach to early abortion care: see http://www.EarlyAbortion.com. Please do not ask "private" questions so that other women can learn from your experience. Please tell me what country you are from so that we can better help you.

Experience

Experience in the area: We are all board certified family doctors who have special training in early abortion and reproductive health. Dr. Joan Fleischman is the founder of Early Options (earlyabortionoptions.com) dedicated to making early abortion part of mainstream medical care. Organizations: National Abortion Federation American Association of Family Physicians

Education/Credentials
Dr. Joan Fleischman, Founder M.D., Harvard Medical School M.P.A., John F. Kennedy School of Government

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