Information

Use this tool to calculate the gestational age. If you became pregnant while using a contraceptive or while breastfeeding, this calculation is not as reliable and we recommend having an ultrasound.

The abortion pill is prescribed up to 63 days from the 1st day of your last period (9 weeks of pregnancy).

No, not usually. If you have a regular cycle between 22-35 days (3-5 weeks) and you know well when the first day of your last period was, an ultrasound is not necessary to determine how long you are pregnant. Nor do you need to rule out an ectopic pregnancy by ultrasound. The chance of it is very small (3 in 10,000) and through questions, the doctor can properly assess any increased risk and still decide to have an ultrasound. In addition, it is not medically necessary to know whether two eggs may have been fertilised, which does not matter for the termination.
An ultrasound is necessary if you:

• have become pregnant while using a hormonal contraceptive or IUD
• have ever had an ectopic pregnancy
• have had gynecological treatment for an ovarian condition
• have had an infection in the lower abdomen (of the fallopian tubes and/or uterus), usually as a result of an STD
• are familiar with endometriosis
• currently have (severe single-sided) abdominal pain

You can have an ultrasound scan performed through your GP or midwife. It's important that your GP or midwife mentions that the diagnosis is "unknown term." In that case, you won't be billed for the ultrasound and it won't be deducted from your deductible. The reason for the ultrasound scan won't be listed on your health insurance statement.

You can send the ultrasound results to us. Just to be sure: if you longer than 9 weeks turns out to be pregnant, we cannot help you. In that case, go to your GP or abortion clinic.
You can send the results to us in two ways:

• • You had your never registered with us. In that case, go to the regular registration form, where you can attach the result.

• • You had your already registered with us. In that case, you will use the application form ultrasound results.

You can get an ultrasound through your GP or directly from an obstetrician (without referral). In that case, it is important that the midwife mentions the indication ‘unknown term’. You will then not be charged for the ultrasound and the costs will not be deducted from your deductible. There is no mention of the reason for the ultrasound on your health insurer's statement.

You can send the ultrasound result to us. The ultrasound result (or the ultrasound photo) must clearly state your date of birth, name, and the term. To be sure: if you longer than 9 weeks turns out to be pregnant, we cannot help you. In that case, go to your GP or abortion clinic.
You can send the results to us in two ways:

• • You had your never registered with us. In that case, go to the regular registration form, where you can attach the result.
  • You had your already registered with us. In that case, you will use the application form ultrasound results.

Do you have doubts about your choice? This is perfectly normal. Don't be left alone with it and talk about it with your partner or someone you trust. Staff from the Unintended Pregnancy Information Point of Fiom are available to you 24/7. You can chat or call them. If you need a personal consultation, they can refer you to someone in your area.

The abortion pill and aspiration work equally well to terminate a pregnancy. Both treatments are safe. There are minor differences:

Abortion pill

• You can take the abortion pill if you are a few days over time. Over time is the number of days after you should have had your period.
• You can take the medication yourself and put it in your vagina.
• The chance that the pregnancy will not stop is slightly greater than with aspiration.
• You usually have longer bleeding than with suctioning.

Suction away

• Aspiration is only possible if your period is 10 days late. Late is the number of days after your period was due.
• You'll receive vaginal treatment at an abortion clinic. You'll lie down on an examination table with your legs apart. This is usually done with an intoxication or sometimes with local anaesthesia.
• The treatment may cause a hole in your uterus or an infection in your body. The chance of this happening is very small.
• There is a very small chance that you will have more difficulty becoming pregnant again.

Every woman finds different things important. Also consider carefully:

• Do you want an internal treatment by a doctor?
• Would you like to have an IUD inserted immediately (under sedation)? This can be done at a clinic.
• What is your home/living situation like (limited housing, presence of small children, living alone)?
• Do you have a safety net, or are you doing this in secret? Do you have enough support from others during the first one or two days, whether on-call or not?
• Can you plan freely from work or education?
• Are there additional travel time and costs to a clinic?
• Is there a waiting time at a clinic?

The abortion pill is not one pill, but consists of two types of medicines. The first medicine is mifepristone.This causes the hormone progesterone to work less effectively, which causes the pregnancy to stop. The second medication is misoprostol.This causes the uterus to contract, forcing the pregnancy out through the vagina. This is often accompanied by bleeding and cramping.
The abortion pill actually causes a miscarriage and the symptoms are comparable to those.

The two medications together ensure that pregnancy ends in 99% of women. Therefore, always, even if you have bled heavily, a pregnancy test after 4 weeks.

You may experience temporary side effects such as nausea, chills or fever, headache, or dizziness. This is unpleasant but not serious. It will pass on its own after a few hours or a day. It does not affect the termination of the pregnancy.

To be on the safe side, check in advance whether your pharmacy has the abortion pill in stock and how long any delivery will take. The pharmacy is obliged to look for a solution via other pharmacies. If this causes problems, you can also enter the name of an online pharmacy in our registration form and we will send the prescription there.

The tablet mifepristone you get on prescription through your GP or through us, you can simply take it at home at your convenience. In abortion clinics, you do have to take it on the spot, but supervision by a doctor while taking it is not medically necessary. Even after taking it in the abortion clinic, you have the actual abortion at home.

The medication is prescribed for up to 63 days after your last menstrual period (9 weeks of pregnancy). You take the medication on two different days:

Moment 1: On the first day at home, swallow 1 tablet of mifepristone with some water. Do not dissolve in water. Usually you won't notice anything after taking it, which is normal. Sometimes there may be some loss of blood, which is also normal. Should you start to bleed, just take the second medicine anyway.

Step 2: The second medication, misoprostol, consists of 4 vaginal tablets. You use these tablets minimal 12 hours until maximum 72 hours after taking the mifepristone. At home, insert all four vaginal tablets at the same time, one after the other, with your fingers as deep as possible into your vagina. Just like inserting a tampon. Wash your hands thoroughly beforehand.
Stay down for the first half hour, then you are less likely to lose the tablets. Do you lose the tablets after this half hour? No problem, the important substances will have been absorbed into your body by then.

Do you find vaginal insertion difficult? You can also hold the four tablets under your tongue for half an hour and then swallow them. Don't swallow them immediately, as this can cause more stomach and intestinal discomfort.

In 90% of women, bleeding begins 4-6 hours after taking misoprostol (the "second" medication). Therefore, it's best to use this medication early in the morning. This way, you won't experience any discomfort at night, and you can pick up additional medication from the pharmacy during the day if needed. If there's still no bleeding after 6 hours, you can go straight to the pharmacy. They will have a repeat prescription for 4 additional misoprostol tablets. Then, insert another 4 tablets, vaginally or sublingually.

Please note: the misoprostol package insert does not provide information about its use in abortion. Therefore, use the medication as described here.

It is best to take painkillers at the same time as taking misoprostol (the 'second' medication). This does not affect the treatment or outcome.
Take 1200 mg ibuprofen at one time the first time. After that, take 400 mg ibuprofen every 4 hours, a maximum of 3 more times. On the second day, you may take 400 mg every 4 hours a maximum of 6 times a day. So you may take the maximum dose of 2400 mg ibuprofen for 1-2 days. The worst pain will have passed by then.

Ibuprofen is available without a prescription. Instead of ibuprofen, you may take naproxen for 2 days maximum dosage. Do not use ibuprofen or naproxen if you have ever had gastrointestinal bleeding or kidney problems.

Paracetamol is likely less effective. However, you can take paracetamol with ibuprofen or naproxen, for example, 1000 mg four times a day.

Using mifepristone and misoprostol stops the growth of the foetus and it comes out through the vagina. This is accompanied by blood loss and (pain) cramps, as if it were a miscarriage. It is important to note that the discharge looks like a sizeable blood clot, you do not see a full-blown 'human' as claimed in anti-abortion propaganda.

To make the abortion as comfortable as possible, we recommend taking painkillers but most importantly, make yourself as comfortable as possible. Take time off on the day of taking the medication and make no appointments then. Make sure you can fall back on someone you trust or make sure that person is present one day.

Most women can tolerate the pain well, but sometimes the pain is severe. Use painkillers such as ibuprofen, possibly with paracetamol, for pain relief. Most women find the amount of bleeding acceptable, but sometimes it lasts longer than expected. Bleeding usually begins 4-6 hours after taking misoprostol. It's heaviest on the first day and sometimes also on the second day. After that, it gradually diminishes. Sometimes the bleeding lasts only a few days, but usually it lasts about two weeks. Very occasionally, it lasts longer, for example, three or four weeks. If the bleeding lasts longer than three or four weeks, consult your doctor during the day on weekdays.

If bleeding starts after taking the first medication, mifepristone, and this does not happen often, use the second medication, misoprostol, because bleeding after taking mifepristone alone does not mean that the treatment has been successful.

Side effects of the medication include a mild fever, chills, and gastrointestinal complaints such as cramps and nausea. These side effects are most common in the first few days.

During menstrual bleeding, it is best not to swim, bathe, use tampons or have intercourse during sex.

If you are worried, seek support and consult with friends or family and see your GP if necessary. If you do not want people to know that you have taken the abortion pill, you do not have to tell them. It makes no difference to the treatment. Say you are having a miscarriage. After all, that is what it is, only induced by medication.

Contact your GP, also in the evenings and at weekends:

1. with 4 full sanitary towels per hour for 2-3 hours, or
2. fever above 38 degrees for more than 4 hours, or
3. increasing abdominal pain and smelly vaginal discharge

Also make an appointment with your GP during the week during the day if you are still bleeding after 3 weeks or if the pregnancy test is positive after 4 weeks.

Bij 90% van de vrouwen begint het bloedverlies 4-6 uur na het gebruik van misoprostol (het 'tweede' medicijn). Komt bij jou het bloedverlies na 6 uur nog niet op gang dan kun je overdag extra medicatie ophalen bij de apotheek. Deze heeft standaard van ons een herhaalrecept voor 4 extra tabletten misoprostol gekregen. Breng dan nog een keer 4 tabletten in, vaginaal of onder de tong. Mocht dit in het weekend voorkomen dan kan de Dienstapotheek in het apothekerssysteem zien dat je recht hebt op een herhaalrecept, je hoeft niet langs de huisarts.

If there is no bleeding after 6 hours, please contact us via the form.

If if there is no blood loss, there is also increasing abdominal pain, then there may be an ectopic pregnancy. If so, contact your GP, even in the evening and at weekends.

About 1% of women experience bleeding but the pregnancy hasn't stopped. Monitoring is therefore very important. Always take a pregnancy test after four weeks. This will almost always be negative, meaning there is no longer a pregnancy. If you test positive, contact your doctor during the day on weekdays. An ultrasound scan will then be necessary to determine if the pregnancy is ongoing.
You can also take a pregnancy test after 3 weeks. If it's negative, it's reliable and you don't need to repeat the test. If the test is positive, you should repeat it after a week. It's possible the test will still be negative by then.

Would you like to discuss your abortion experience or which contraception is right for you? Make an appointment with your doctor.

No, a lot of research has shown that an abortion does not affect your psychological well-being. Most women are relieved after treatment.

Research shows that regret is rare. Immediately after treatment, 97.5% experience abortion as the right choice; after five years, it is 99%.

If you feel sad, ashamed or guilty in the coming weeks or months, these are normal feelings you may struggle with. As long as abortion is still a taboo subject, this stigma will affect your emotions. These feelings will pass. Talk about them or read other people's stories.

If you need conversation or help, please turn to the Fiom.

Six weeks after treatment, a hormone or copper IUD can be inserted. The pregnancy test after four weeks must then be negative.

You can start any other form of contraception immediately after taking the abortion pill, so even if you are still bleeding a little.

Based on sound scientific evidence research and the experience of more than 100,000 women in many countries around the world, we know that it is effective and safe.

An ultrasound It's not always necessary, and the reasons why it is are well-defined. We can therefore accurately assess whether an ultrasound is necessary via an online questionnaire.
Furthermore, the reliability of a treatment doesn't depend solely on the doctor. Women who want an abortion are motivated, well-informed, and feel responsible for their choice. This means that women will adhere closely to the instructions and seek timely medical attention if they have concerns. An open attitude from healthcare providers is therefore essential for good abortion care.

Finally, the participating general practitioners at Thuisabortus.nl have extensive experience as physicians and, for several years now, have also been prescribing the abortion pill. Several contributed to the guidelines for general practitioners and provide continuing education.

We can claim our costs and don't need your insurance information. The cost of abortion treatment is covered by the government. This only applies to women who have Dutch health insurance or live or work in the Netherlands.

The costs for the ultrasound (under the indication 'unknown term') and for the abortion pill are also paid by the government.

We too can make mistakes, but that should not lead to harm for you or for others after you.
If you have a complaint, we would like to hear from you first. Please use the form in Contact. Please also indicate how you would like to hear from us: by email, phone, or in person.

If you remain dissatisfied, you can file a complaint with the Stichting Klachten & Geschillen Eerstelijnszorg (Foundation for Complaints & Disputes in Primary Care). Their complaints officer is independent and impartial and can work with you to find a solution. The complaints officer does not take sides and therefore cannot judge. Need help from a complaints officer? Visit their website for more information about the complaints procedure.