Hi, and welcome to Telefem! It’s so lovely to meet you! If this is your first time here, we want to tell you that you’re in a safe space, full of trust. We are here to answer your questions and give you all the information you need about safe abortion. Let me introduce you to one of our articles, and if you still have any comments or doubts, feel free to contact us on our social network!
This time, I will explain how an abortion can be managed remotely when you are not in a Clinic. But did you know that you can also do it if you are at home? Stay tuned; we’ll tell you what it takes and how to do it.
How do you carry out a safe abortion remotely?
Yes. A safe abortion with remote specialists is indeed possible.
Usually, there are two ways an abortion can be performed:
1.- By intrauterine manual aspiration.
2.- With medication (remotely)
The aspiration procedure requires specialized medical instruments, and even though it is a mostly safe outpatient procedure, it can not be performed remotely. Medication-based abortion can be managed remotely, through telemedicine, with remote medical guidance.
Telemedicine has existed since the early 20th century, but became popular with the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides medical guidance remotely using video calls, phone calls, instant messaging, and chatbots. Telemedicine has shown positive results while implementing remote procedures of abortion, and the WHO1 recommends this procedure as a way to reduce the percentage of women and childbearing people who are at risk of not receiving abortion services due to different barriers.
If you are looking for telemedicine services, we can tell you that at Telefem, you can receive remote specialized guidance. We connect you with professionals who’ll support you during the procedure and send you a kit with everything you need to have a successful and safe procedure.
Okay, but now, what do I need to manage a safe abortion remotely?
Telemedicine services follow protocols like any in-person health service. We pay special attention to and care for patient and doctor privacy since, in the digital world, this data can be easily accessible. We prevent this by having platforms with double encryption and/or security software to protect databases.
To start a safe remote abortion protocol, you should verify the platform that’ll provide it, review their privacy policies, confirm the information about the specialists, and read comments or reviews from people who have previously received the service. Once you feel completely safe and sure of the place that you selected, the process will be as follows:2
Diagnosis: In this stage, some personal information and a medical record are analyzed and interpreted to assess whether any health conditions should be considered during the procedure. It is also important to determine the pregnancy weeks.
Attention: The professional will provide health information to solve your doubts about all the available protocols, how they are performed, and the advantages and risks of each one, so you can make a really informed decision. After you confirm your choice, informed consent is obtained.
–Treatment: In this stage, healthcare professionals must provide information regarding safe abortion, documenting all information provided by the patient, providing a detailed explanation of the procedure, the outpatient nature of the treatment, risks, and advantages, as the scientific evidence supporting medication use for the abortion, and the possibility of failure.
Like all medical procedures, critical alarm signs may appear during the process, which you must know. Additionally, medication prescriptions must comply with current legislation and can be sent digitally or handed directly by the institution. It is important to emphasize that these steps must be in the medical record.
Follow-up: Since it is a process that can be done at home, once treatment begins, the patient’s professional follow-up also starts through calls, chats, or messages.
-Discharge: According to the procedure, professionals will determine the patient’s discharge, which must be captured in the medical record to conclude the follow-up. If the patient stops communicating with the healthcare professional after a certain number of days, it is considered a voluntary discharge.
Get to a place that does not judge you for making your decisions like abortion, because it’s part of viewing reproductive decisions with well-being and health. At Telefem, we connect you with specialists who do not question your choices and autonomy to provide you with follow-up, resolving any doubts you may have.
How can I be sure a remote abortion is safe and effective?
You can tell if a remote abortion is safe if the professionals there follow these guidelines:
-Solve all your doubts.
-Explain the procedure in detail and in a simple way.
-Indicate the risks and advantages of each procedure.
-Explain what you can or cannot expect during the procedure.
-Tell you what to do in case of an emergency.
There’s also a way to recognize if the abortion was effective; here are some things that will happen during a remote safe abortion:3
–Expulsion of the pregnancy sac, a gelatinous bag that can be brown, pink, or gray. It can be as large as an orange seed, a small grape, or an apple seed. The size depends on the number of weeks of pregnancy.
-After a few hours or a couple of days, it may vary from patient to patient, regular pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, breast pain, sleepiness, urination urge, etc., must stop.
–Bleeding may continue for up to 2 weeks, but must gradually decrease.
If this doesn’t happen, an incomplete abortion may be present, and depending on the healthcare professional’s evaluation, a new dose of medication may be indicated, or just wait for the body to eliminate the remains naturally.
Telefem is a nonprofit organization supporting your choice not to carry a pregnancy to full term. We want you to receive safe and specialized companionship and support so you can exercise your rights and autonomy. Send us a WhatsApp!
You’re not alone
Keeping in touch with trained professionals makes all the difference. That’s why Telefem is here — to guide and support you. With Telefem, you’ll be safe.
Send us a WhatsApp today — we’re ready to help you.
References:
- OMS. Marco de Implementación de un servicio de telemedicina. [Internet]. 2016. [Visit in March 2025]. Available at: https://iris.paho.org/bitstream/handle/10665.2/28413/9789275319031_spa.pdf?sequence=6
- Deza S. Teleatención de abortos. Caleidoscópica. [Internet]. 2022. [Visit in March 2025]. Available at: https://clacaidigital.info/bitstream/handle/123456789/1642/Teleatenci%c3%b3n%20de%20abortos.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
- Ipas Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Material de apoyo para el acompañamiento del aborto. 2. Durante un aborto inducido con medicamentos. 1era ed. [Internet]. 2022. [Visit in March 2025]. Available at: https://ipasmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/02-Durante-un-aborto-inducido-con-medicamentos.pdf