I Started the Abortion Pill and Changed My Mind

First: you are not in trouble. No matter what you pick, we are here to help. Changing your mind is more common than most people think. It does not make you a bad patient or a bad person. You can take your time. You can ask for help.

What you can do next depends a lot on which pills you took, and whether you are bleeding yet. The sections below are written so you can read only the one that fits you.

Call us first if you can

As a Southern Woven patient, please reach our care team through the 24/7 patient line — the number on your pill bottle, on your instruction sheet, in your package, and in your patient portal. That line goes directly to the clinicians who are already caring for you, and it is the fastest way to get help.

If you cannot find your patient line number, you can also call the:

• Miscarriage + Abortion (M+A) Hotline: 833-246-2632 — free, private, no judgment. Real doctors and nurses answer. They can help either way.

You do not need to explain yourself. "I changed my mind and I need help" is enough.

Read this first: if you are bleeding after the first pill, please take the second pill

If you took mifepristone (the first pill) and you have already started bleeding, please take the misoprostol (the second pill) the way your provider told you. We know this is hard to hear when you are thinking about staying pregnant. Here is why we still say this:

Once bleeding starts, the pregnancy has likely already begun to end. If you do not take the second pill, the uterus may not empty the way it needs to. That can cause heavy bleeding (hemorrhage), infection, and tissue that stays behind — which can mean an ER visit and a D&C. The second pill helps your body finish the process safely. At this point, taking it is about your health, not about the abortion choice.

If this is happening to you right now, call your Southern Woven patient line (the 24/7 number on your pill bottle, instruction sheet, package, or patient portal) or the M+A Hotline. Do not wait.

You do not have to tell anyone you took the pills

This matters, especially if you live in a state where abortion is against the law. In some states, people have gotten in trouble because of what they shared with a provider, a family member, or online. Sometimes providers report information to law enforcement. Please think very carefully before you disclose anything — this is still true if you took the second pill and the pregnancy keeps going.

• There is no standard test that looks for these pills. Neither pill shows up on a normal drug test or normal ER blood work.
• A medication abortion looks the same as a miscarriage to any doctor or nurse. They cannot tell the difference from an ultrasound or blood test.
• You do not have to tell anyone about any pills you took — not the ER, not an OB, not family, not a friend. Depending on your situation, you can say, "I am having a miscarriage" or "I am pregnant and I want prenatal care." Both can be medically true.
• Do still be honest about your allergies, your other medicines, and any big health problems. That information keeps you safe.

For more, see our guide on detection during a medical visit. For legal questions, call the If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline: 844-868-2812 — free and private. If you are not sure whether to disclose something, call them first.

If You Took Mifepristone But NOT Misoprostol (and you are NOT bleeding yet)

This is the most common place people stop to think. You took the first pill. You have not taken the second pill. You are not bleeding.

Here is what is true:

• You can choose not to take the second pill. About 30 to 50 out of every 100 pregnancies keep going on their own if the second pill is never taken. The rest will end anyway.
• If you want to stay pregnant, the most important next step is prenatal care. Book an appointment with an OB this week. (An OB is a doctor who cares for pregnant people.) Ask for an ultrasound to see if the pregnancy is still going. Start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid.
• You do not have to tell the OB that you took any pills, unless you want to. See the section above — neither pill shows up on tests. Some patients share the full story; some do not. Both are okay, and disclosure carries real legal risk in some states.
• The first pill alone has not been clearly linked to birth defects in pregnancies that keep going. Data is still limited, but what we have so far is reassuring.

What to do right now:

1. Do not take the second pill.
2. Call your Southern Woven patient line or the M+A Hotline.
3. Book a prenatal care visit for this week.

If You Took Mifepristone AND You Are Bleeding

Please take the misoprostol. See the warning above — this is about keeping you safe. Skipping the second pill after bleeding has started can lead to heavy bleeding, infection, and an ER visit for a D&C.

Call your Southern Woven patient line or the M+A Hotline right away. We will help you through it.

If You Took Both Mifepristone AND Misoprostol

Once the second pill starts to work, the process cannot be reversed. You may be bleeding and cramping now, or it may start in the next few hours. Let the process finish. Keep in touch with us.

• Used together, the pills end the pregnancy 95 to 98 times out of 100.
• In the rare case the pregnancy keeps going, the second pill has been shown to be linked with a modestly elevated risk of certain birth defects. An OB can talk you through what is known and can do more detailed ultrasounds later in pregnancy to check.
• Go to the ER right away if you have:
  • Heavy bleeding — soaking two or more big pads an hour, for two hours in a row
  • A fever over 100.4°F that lasts more than 24 hours after the second pill
  • Severe belly pain that ibuprofen and a heating pad do not help

Call your Southern Woven patient line or the M+A Hotline if anything feels wrong. We can help you figure out what is happening.

If You Haven't Taken Any Pills Yet

If you have the pills but have not started, you have not started. Put them somewhere safe. Take a breath. Call your Southern Woven patient line or the M+A Hotline. There is no clock ticking right now.

If you decide you do not want to use them, you do not have to send them back — but do not flush them. Drop them at a pharmacy medication drop box or a DEA take-back location.

About "Abortion Pill Reversal"

You may see websites talking about an "abortion pill reversal." They usually offer a shot of a hormone called progesterone after the first pill.

We do not recommend this. We believe it is dangerous.

Here is why:

• The main group of OB doctors in the U.S., called ACOG, does not support it.
• The biggest real clinical trial of this treatment was stopped early because people got very sick. Some had heavy bleeding serious enough to need hospital care.
• Any pregnancies that kept going on the "reversal" protocol may have just been the ones that were going to keep going anyway — about 30 to 50 out of 100 do that without any treatment.

Southern Woven does not offer this shot, and we do not think anyone should. If you want to stay pregnant after the first pill, the safest path is simple: do not take the second pill, and go see an OB. (The one exception is if you have already started bleeding — see above.)

Many places that offer "abortion pill reversal" are crisis pregnancy centers. They may look like medical clinics, but they are not. Some will pressure you, save your information, or give you wrong medical advice. Be careful where you go. If you are not sure who you are dealing with, call the M+A Hotline and they will help you figure it out.

This Is Not a Failure

Pregnancy choices are deeply personal. Feeling unsure — before, during, or after — is normal. It does not mean you did something wrong. Our job is to support you in whatever direction you choose, without judgment.

No matter what you pick, we are still here. Changing your mind does not end your care with us.

Helplines to Save

• Southern Woven 24/7 patient line: the number on your pill bottle, instruction sheet, package, or patient portal — call us first
• M+A Hotline: 833-246-2632 — real doctors and nurses, free, private, either direction
• If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline: 844-868-2812 — free legal help, private
• All-Options Talkline: 1-888-493-0092 — free support for any pregnancy choice, no judgment

This is for learning, not a replacement for seeing a doctor. If you are bleeding a lot, in bad pain, or scared by what you are feeling, call 911 or go to an ER. Reviewed by the Southern Woven Medical Team. Last updated: April 2026.