When a woman faces a pregnancy, planned or unplanned, the first natural question is typically, “How far along am I?” With a pregnancy that is planned and welcomed, knowing how far along allows the woman (and man) to anticipate various milestones in the baby’s development and schedule appropriate appointments.
When the pregnancy is unplanned, knowing how far along the pregnancy is can be just as important. For women who are contemplating abortion, the baby’s level of development may play a critical role, not only in the type of abortion procedure chosen, but in her comfort with having an abortion at all. Most physicians date a pregnancy by the woman’s last menstrual period (LMP), this being the first day of her most recent period. However, since some women have irregular periods, an ultrasound can provide a more accurate verification of pregnancy and dates.
For women considering abortion, our Clinic provides free ultrasounds to determine pregnancy viability (whether the pregnancy is alive). In cases where the pregnancy is not viable, such as no fetal heartbeat or no gestational sac, the pregnancy will most likely miscarry, making the difficult decision to abort unnecessary. Should the ultrasound show a viable pregnancy, it can provide the answer to “how far along?”, and our counselors can answer questions regarding abortion procedures as well as alternatives to abortion.