The Choice Is Yours
If you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy and want help with your next steps, visit Problem Pregnancy. Problem Pregnancy provides free pregnancy tests, limited ultrasound, and abortion consultations. Contact us to talk with someone about your situation and learn about all of your options. All of our services are free and confidential.
Abortion & STDs Worcester, MA
Untreated STD + Abortion = Serious Health Risk
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) pose a serious risk to a woman’s future reproductive and overall health, especially if left untreated. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the United States, 1 out of 4 women between the ages of 14 and 19 is infected with at least one STD. It is important that you get tested for Sexually Transmitted Diseases if you are considering abortion and if you suspect you have been exposed. The earlier you can be treated for an STD the better.
Any abortion procedure (including medical/pill abortion) opens the risk of transmitting bacteria from outside the woman’s body or from the vagina into the woman’s cervix. Women who have an untreated STD (like chlamydia or gonorrhea) are up to 23% more likely to develop Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) following an abortion procedure. 1
Each year 250,000 US women are put in the hospital due to PID. It can spread beyond the reproductive tract causing complications that can be serious. PID increases the risk of an ectopic pregnancy and can permanently scar and damage the fallopian tubes increasing a woman’s infertility rate. 2
If you feel you are experiencing symptoms of an STD or PID, please contact your doctor as soon as possible. It’s important to remember that not all STDs produce noticeable symptoms; therefore, it’s recommended that you get tested for STDs regularly if you are sexually active with new or multiple partners. 3
Is it necessary to get tested?
STD testing and treatment are critical if you are considering an abortion because chlamydia, the most common STD in the US, rarely has symptoms. Studies have demonstrated that 70-95% of women and 90% of men who have chlamydia do not realize that they have it. Woman who have an untreated STD (like chlamydia or gonorrhea) are up to 23% more likely to develop Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) following an abortion procedure.
What can I do to protect myself from getting an STD?
The only way to be 100% confident of avoiding STD/STI infections is abstaining from sex or intimate physical contact including oral sex
If sexually active, to prevent getting a sexually transmitted disease, always avoid sex with anyone who has genital sores, a rash, discharge, or other symptoms.
Proper use of condoms with each act of sexual intercourse can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of STDs. Condoms are not 100% effective at preventing disease or pregnancy. They must be used consistently and correctly each time to reduce the risk of infection. Remember that condom use does not ensure that you will be protected.
Prevention through avoiding exposure is the best strategy for controlling the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Sexual Exposure Chart
If you believe you might have an STD and want free testing in Worcester call:
AIDS Project Worcester
19 Temple Street
508-755-3773
Testing on Tuesdays and Fridays 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
- HIV
- Hepatitis C
- Chlamydia
- Syphillis
- Gonorrhea
1 Westergaard L, Phillipsen T, Scheibel J (1982). “Significance of cervical Chlamydia trachomatis infection in postabortal pelvic inflammatory disease.” Obstetrics and Gynecology, 68(5): 668-90; Ovigstad E, et al. (1983). “Pelvic inflammatory disease associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection after therapeutic abortion.” Br J Vener Dis, 59: 189-92; Heisterberg L, et al. (1987). “The role of vaginal secretory immunoglobulin a, gardnerella vaginalis, anaerobes, and Chlamydia trachomatis in post abortal pelvic inflammatory disease.” Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 66(2): 99-102.
2 Modern Medicine Network (2019). Pelvic inflammatory disease: Don’t let it sneak up on you. Retrieved from https://www.obgyn.net/pelvic-pain/pelvic-inflammatory-disease-dont-let-it-sneak-you
3 Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Which STD tests should I get? Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/prevention/screeningreccs.htm
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Problem Pregnancy
Know The Facts
Are you considering abortion? Are you unsure of your options? Here at Problem Pregnancy we specialize in helping you through the process. Our caring counselors will talk through your options and answer your questions in a confidential setting. You are not alone: we are here for you.
Questions & Answers
According to the Mayo Clinic, an estimated 10-25% of all clinically recognized pregnancies will naturally end in a miscarriage. “Miscarriage”, medically known as “spontaneous abortion”, is the common term used to describe a natural end to a pregnancy. Problem Pregnancy offers a limited ultrasound to qualified women to confirm a viable (developing), intrauterine (in the uterus) pregnancy. In many cases, the ultrasound can be performed during the same visit.
If fetal viability is not established, then you are a candidate with a high probability of miscarrying. Miscarriage is your body’s natural way of ending a pregnancy. In a case like this you would not need the pain, cost, and risk of an abortion!
- Severe cramping of the uterus or pelvic pain
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Emotional or psychological distress
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Back pain
Medical abortion information from the Mayo Clinic
Some of the most common surgical abortion procedures include manual vacuum aspiration, dilation and curettage, and dilation and evacuation. If you choose to have a surgical abortion you may want to consider an ultrasound-guided procedure as they have been determined to result in fewer complications.
The risks for any surgery are: Hemorrhaging (bleeding) and Infection
Additional risks of surgical abortion include:
- Excessive bleeding (hemorrhaging)
- Infection of the uterus
- Infection of the fallopian tubes which can cause scarring and infertility
- Puncture or perforation of the uterus
- Scarring of the uterine lining (suction tubing, curettes, and other abortion instruments may cause permanent scarring of the uterine lining)
- Damage to the cervix creating complications with future pregnancies
- Death, in rare circumstances
Other risks can include:
- Premature births with future pregnancies
- Incomplete removal of the fetus, placenta or contents of the uterus
It may be possible to reverse the effect of the abortion pill. If you change your mind after taking the first abortion pill, mifepristone, time is of the essence. For more information, call the Abortion Pill Reversal Hotline 877-558-0333.
Before taking the Morning After Pill, you should understand what it is, what it could mean to your health and how it works.
The “morning after pill” is a large dose of oral contraceptive known as Plan B One -Step. It is a single pill you take by mouth. It must be taken within 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex or birth control failure to help prevent pregnancy.
Plan B is believed to act as an emergency contraceptive principally by preventing ovulation or fertilization. In addition, it may inhibit implantation. It is not effective once the process of implantation has begun. Plan B is intended to avoid potential pregnancy, so it is important to confirm you are not pregnant before taking this emergency contraception option.
If your period is more than a week late, it is possible that you may be pregnant. You should get a pregnancy test and follow up with your health care provider or come to Problem Pregnancy for a pregnancy test and consultation.
- Emergency contraception is not effective if a woman is already pregnant.
- Plan B should not be used as routine contraception
- Plan B does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections.
- The most common side effects in the Plan B clinical trial were nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, and menstrual changes.
- Because Plan B makes the uterus inhospitable to the developing embryo, it may lead to an ectopic pregnancy
- The manufacturer warns that Plan B is not recommended for routine use as a contraceptive
- Use of Plan B may result in an ectopic pregnancy. If you experience severe lower abdominal pain 3-5 weeks after taking Plan B, seek medical attention.
Problem Pregnancy does not provide emergency contraception but can provide you with education and pregnancy testing.
The price of an abortion can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The final cost is dependent on multiple factors: how far along you are in your pregnancy, what type of abortion you have, your health insurance, the type of clinic you go to, and your choice of anesthesia.