Frequently Asked Questions
- How did I get pregnant?
- Will you tell anyone about my visit to your center?
- Can I become pregnant without having intercourse?
- What are the symptoms of pregnancy?
- How accurate is your pregnancy test?
- How does a pregnancy test work?
- What is the Morning After Pill (sometimes called “emergency contraception”) and are there any risks in taking it?
- Can anyone make me have an abortion?
- Does abortion have any physical risks?
- Will abortion affect my mind and heart?
- What does the baby look like right now?
- Can abortion cause permanent damage?
- Do abortion clinics offer education on abortion processes?
How did I get pregnant? (Top)
A woman becomes pregnant through sexual intercourse or other sexual activities when sperm from the man travels up through the woman’s vagina and into her uterus. Pregnancy occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg in the woman and the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterus wall.
Will you tell anyone about my visit to your center? (Top)
All our services are confidential which means we won’t tell your parents, friends, etc. that you visited us and won’t contact you without your permission. We are here to help you!
Can I become pregnant without having intercourse? (Top)
Pregnancy can happen any time that sperm is ejaculated or pre-ejaculated out of a man and spilled near the woman’s sexual organs. There is no way to know the exact risk of pregnancy when this happens—no matter how it happens.
What are the symptoms of pregnancy? (Top)
Many women don’t experience any symptoms until after they have missed their period or are at least a week or two along. Nausea, swollen breasts, being tired or dizzy as well as having to go to the bathroom often are common things a pregnant woman experiences. Every woman’s body is different and you may have different symptoms. It is possible that any combination of these symptoms could mean you are premenstrual or that you have the flu or some other illness. The only way to be sure is to have a pregnancy test. Many women, especially young women, have normally irregular periods. This means that the period can be delayed. These irregularities can happen from month to month. Although pregnancy could be a reason for missing a period, it could also be caused by illness, travel, worry or stress.
How accurate is your pregnancy test? (Top)
Our test is a urine-based test, and is about 99% accurate. Other tests may vary in their accuracy.
How does a pregnancy test work? (Top)
Urine-based pregnancy tests work by picking up a hormone that your body produces when you are pregnant. If the test is done too early in the pregnancy, it may not be able to find the hormone yet and result in a “false negative” test.
What is the Morning After Pill (sometimes called “emergency contraception”) and are there any risks in taking it? (Top)
The morning after pill is an abortifacient—a drug that causes the uterus to shed its lining and abort any baby forming there. Some of the possible side effects of this drug are fatigue, irregular bleeding, abdominal pain, headaches, nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness and possible blood clot formation. You must have a prescription in order to obtain the morning after pill.
Can anyone make me have an abortion? (Top)
No, it is against the law for anyone in any circumstance to force you to have an abortion. Not even a husband or parent can require you to undergo an abortion against your will, even if you are a minor (under 18 years old). Our center exists to help you in any circumstance. We can also help you in discussing your possible pregnancy with those closest to you that are influencing your decision.
Does abortion have any physical risks? (Top)
Yes, abortion has many risks to your body. Women have even died after their abortions.
Will abortion affect my mind and heart? (Top)
If you are pregnant, you are already a mother. By the time you discover you are pregnant, your child is almost formed with arms, legs, fingers, eyes, toes, and more! You can reject them—that’s your legal right—but you will never forget them. He or she can feel pain now and will feel tremendous pain when she is aborted. Abortion isn’t an “easy” solution by any means. If you are considering an abortion, please take the time to research all your options. Post-Abortion syndrome (PAS) is what some women experience following an abortion. While some can experience relief right after their abortion, emotions can “catch up” with them months or even years later. Many express that they wish they could go back and “undo” the abortion. Some typical symptoms include: guilt, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, re-experiencing the abortion, fear of not being able to get pregnant again, survival guilt, eating disorders, alcohol or drug abuse. Abortion has an extreme amount of emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual consequences. The fact that 43% of all women have experienced abortion¹ is a good reference. If nearly half of all women have had abortions, why is it that you never hear any of them sharing about their experiences? I know from talking to thousands of post-abortive women that the shame and grief keeps them from sharing. We expect judgment from most. Many of us never allowed ourselves to actually grieve our lost children until years afterward when we couldn’t erase the memory of the child from our hearts. While we may have initially felt relief, the forever pain of being the mothers of dead children has long outlasted any initial relief.
What does the baby look like right now? (Top)
Within two hours of the time the egg and sperm cell unite, they intertwine to form the chromosomes of a new individual.
Already, 20 days after fertilization, the foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are established.
Day 21: the heart begins to beat.
By day 35 five fingers can be discerned in each hand.
Brain waves can be detected and recorded by the 40th day.
The 7th week brings spontaneous movement and the formation of the jaw and teeth buds in the gums.
Though only about an inch long at eight weeks everything is now present in the baby that will be fully developed in the adult.
Fingerprints are in evidence by the 9th week.
Just 12 weeks into his/her development, the baby begins to exercise energetically and cycles between periods of sleep and wakefulness.
Five months marks the half way point in the pregnancy. The baby is 12 inches long and the mother can feel movement. Loud noises can startle the baby.
At seven months, the baby uses 4 senses; sight, hearing, touch and taste and can recognize his/her mother’s voice
Near the end of the 9th month, the baby weighs, on the average, between 6 and 9 pounds, has been developing from 266 to 294 days and is ready to be born!
Can abortion cause permanent damage? (Top)
Yes, abortion can cause many types of permanent damage to the mother. One woman said: I never realized that the abortion could make me unable to have a baby. Not only can women die during abortion procedures, but they can also be hurt incredibly. The abortion had weakened my uterine lining and the placenta had torn away—a condition called “placenta previa.” This is common in post-abortive women.
Do abortion clinics offer education on abortion processes? (Top)
By law, in Minnesota, abortion clinics are required to offer you true education about abortions. However, as lawsuits have shown, this does not always happen. Abortion clinics are selling a service and history has shown that it is possible that the abortion clinic may provide you with incorrect information in order to obtain your abortion fee. This is not only true in Minnesota. Carol Everett is a woman who used to provide abortion services in Texas. She testified in front of Congress that she sold abortions to women who were not pregnant but were afraid that they were. For the best medical input on abortions, we recommend that you speak with a medical professional that has nothing to gain by you having an abortion. We have listings of such medical professionals available at our center. Please contact us today.
¹ Facts in Brief: Induced Abortion, 2000 www.agi-usa.org
