Emergency Contraception and Abortion

Question 1

Emergency Contraception (EC)

Answer 1

safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse; Plan B One Step, ella, ParaGard IUD

Question 2

Plan B One Step

Answer 2

aka “morning after pill”; a progestin only pill; one dose pill; if taken within 72 hrs (3 days) of unprotected sexual intercourse, it’s about 89% effective; if taken within 24 hrs of unprotected sexual intercourse, it’s about 95% effective; may work by preventing fertilization or by preventing implantation; should not be used as an ongoing means of birth control; not the “abortion pill”; won’t terminate an already established pregnancy; won’t harm a developing embryo; most common side effects= nausea and vomiting; On June 10, 2013, buying Plan B no longer required an ID or a prescription

Question 3

ella

Answer 3

FDA approved in 2010; contains an anti-progestin; when taken within 5 days of unprotected sexual intercourse, it has a higher rate of effectiveness than Plan B One-step; sold by prescription only; no age restrictions to purchase it; one dose pill; may work by preventing fertilization or by affecting implantation; most common side effects = headache, nausea, abdominal pain; shouldn’t be taken if there’s a known or suspected pregnancy; shouldn’t be used as an ongoing means of birth control

Question 4

ParaGard IUD

Answer 4

when taken within 5 days of unprotected sexual intercourse, it’s more than 99% effective; can leave it in place to provide ongoing birth control; the mechanism interferes with implantation and may act as a contraceptive if inserted prior to ovulation

Question 5

Abortion

Answer 5

spontaneous abortions are referred to as miscarriage; term “abortion” usually refers to an induced or intentionally terminated pregnancy; over 90% of abortions occur in the first 3 months of pregnancy; in 2008, an estimated 1.2 million abortions were performed in the US; single greatest factor influencing the safety of abortion is gestational, with those performed in early pregnancy being the safest

Question 6

Abortion (statistics)

Answer 6

a broad cross section of US women have abortions: 1. 58% of women having abortions are in their 20s, 2. 56% are unmarried and aren’t cohabiting; 3. 69% are economically disadvantaged, 4. 52% are Hispanic and White women, 40.2% are Black Women and 7.3% are women in other races, 5. 78% report a religious affiliation, 6. 61% have one or more children

Question 7

Abortion Cont.*

Answer 7

*a law signed on Oct. 9, 2013 (AB 154), by Gov. Jerry Brown, expanded access to abortion in California; AB 154 authorizes nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives to perform aspirations, a type of first-trimester abortion that involves inserting a small tube through cervix to remove the fetus; Before AB 154 was passed, only physicians could perform such procedures;

Question 8

Abortion (in California)

Answer 8

In 2013, CA was the only state to have expanded access to the procedure; In CA, abortion is prohibited at about 24 to 26 weeks of pregnancy; Ca bans abortion when a fetus is deemed viable outside the womb, which is generally in the range of 24 to 26 weeks; Ca doesn’t have any of the major types of abortion restrictions such as: waiting periods, mandated parental involvement, and limitations on publicly funded abortions

Question 9

Abortion (Roe v. Wade)

Answer 9

In August 2013, North Dakota proposed a law that would prohibit an abortion more than 6 weeks after a female’s last menstrual period, when a fetal heartbeat can first be detected using a transvaginal probe (a federal judge blocked its passage); ever since Roe v. Wade, the judgment of which was handed down on January 22, 1973, abortion has been a federal issue; should roe v. wade be overturned in the future, abortion wouldn’t thereby be outlawed. It would simply be returned to the jurisdiction of the states

Question 10

Abortion (Ca and Co)

Answer 10

California and Colorado (1967) were the first states to legalize abortion in selective circumstances: rape, incest, severe handicap, and pregnancies that threatened the life of the mother

Question 11

Methods of Abortion

Answer 11

Medication Abortion, Vacuum Aspiration, Dilation and Evacuation

Question 12

Medication Abortion (RU-486)

Answer 12

became available in the US in 2000; a two drug regimen that can terminate early pregnancy: (a)Mifepristone- prevents the cells of the uterine lining from getting the progesterone needed to maintain a pregnancy, (b)Misoprostol- when given 2 days later will cause myometrial contractions and expulsion; this method is most effective when used during the first 63 days (9 weeks) of pregnancy; accounts for 25% of early abortions performed in the US

Question 13

Vacuum Aspiration

Answer 13

used for nearly all first-trimester abortions; performed under local anesthesia; rinsing of the vagina with an antiseptic solution; Cervix is dilated with a series of graduated rods; a curette that is attached to a vacuum is inserted through the cervix- the uterus is then gently vacuumed removing the conceptus, placenta, and endometrial tissue

Question 14

curette

Answer 14

surgical instrument used to remove material by a scraping action

Question 15

Dilation and Evacuation (D and E)

Answer 15

Second-Trimester method (usually performed weeks 13-24 of pregnancy); local or general anesthesia is used; Cervix is slowly dilated and the fetus is removed by alternating curettage, the removal of tissue from the body cavity, and other procedures