If you’ve been reading about abortion pills sent through the mail, you may have seen the term “Plan C.” The name makes it sound like the next product on the shelf after Plan B. It isn’t.
“Plan C” is an informal label for abortion drugs, not a separate drug or medical procedure. Although the names may follow an A-B-C sequence, an unexpected pregnancy does not come with a predetermined next step. Parenting and adoption are options, too, and each one deserves honest consideration.
Before moving forward, it’s worth understanding what these drugs do, what ordering them remotely can leave unknown, and what other support may be available to you.
Plan B and “Plan C” Are Different
Plan B is considered “emergency contraception.” It usually works before ovulation to reduce the chance of pregnancy and will not end an established pregnancy that has already begun.
“Plan C” refers to something different: drugs intended to end an existing pregnancy. Lining the names up as A, B, and C is a marketing tactic meant to make abortion seem like the expected next step.
But by the time a pregnancy has begun, the question is no longer about prevention. At that point, a pregnancy is already developing. Before deciding what comes next, you deserve clear information about your pregnancy and the support available to you.
What Do the Abortion Drugs Do?
The abortion pill regimen uses two drugs. The first, mifepristone, blocks progesterone, a hormone that the pregnancy needs to continue developing. The second, misoprostol, is generally taken 24 to 48 hours later. It causes the uterus to contract, leading to cramping and vaginal bleeding as the embryo or fetus is expelled.
The two-drug regimen is FDA-approved to end an intrauterine pregnancy through 10 weeks of gestation, counted as 70 days or fewer from the first day of the last menstrual period. Significant early development occurs during those weeks, and cardiac activity may be detectable on ultrasound around six weeks. An ultrasound can provide information specific to your pregnancy rather than relying on menstrual dates alone.
Some websites also use “Plan C” to describe taking misoprostol alone, which the FDA has not approved for abortion in the U.S.
What Can an Online Order Leave Unknown?
An online questionnaire may collect basic information, but a package in the mail cannot physically evaluate symptoms or account for every health condition and drug interaction.
In about 2% of pregnancies, an ectopic pregnancy develops outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube. If the fallopian tube ruptures, life-threatening internal bleeding can occur. Abortion drugs do not end an ectopic pregnancy.
The FDA also advises against buying mifepristone outside its regulated program. When drugs come from outside the U.S. supply chain, the FDA can’t verify their quality, safety, effectiveness, ingredients, or storage conditions.
Understand Your Pregnancy and Support Options
Worries regarding money, housing, school, work, how your partner will react, or just not feeling ready can seem like a great many to bear. There’s no need for you to go through all of these on your own. A variety of practical aids, resources, and options may be offered to help you as you consider your next steps.
You could also investigate adoption, which lets you make decisions about the family, the amount of contact, and the type of arrangement that suits you.
A pregnancy test and ultrasound can provide information that a website or mailed package cannot, including how far along you are, where the pregnancy is located, and whether the pregnancy appears to be progressing.
Learning about your pregnancy and the support available can give you a clearer picture of what continuing your pregnancy could look like.
Find no-cost pregnancy services and care near you.
