Plan B Question

 Dear MYA Network,

I took Plan B a few weeks ago after we made a mistake.  We had sex around the time I was fertile and didn’t use anything.  But I took Plan B 4 hours later, so it should have worked.  Now my period is a week late, and I took a pregnancy test and it’s faint positive.  Am I pregnant?  I don’t know what to do.  If I am, I need to end the pregnancy.  I can’t have a baby right now.  Can you help me?
A.B.

Dear A.B.,

If the pregnancy test is positive, most likely you are pregnant, and that means that the Plan B didn’t work.  The only exception would be if the test is wrong. I would suggest that you take a 2nd test to confirm the result.  I have found that the tests with 2 lines are more reliable than the digital ones. 

If the second test is also positive, you are pregnant. That must be really upsetting.  You did the responsible thing to take Plan B, and then it failed.  Unfortunately, it’s not 100% effective. 

You are very early in the pregnancy.  You’ve missed your period by one week.  A “faint positive” pregnancy test is normal at this time. Medically speaking, you are “5 weeks pregnant” because we count the length of the pregnancy from the first day of your last period. The pregnancy was conceived about 3 weeks ago, when you were ovulating.  

You have the following options available to you, depending on where you are located.  

1. You can take the abortion pill via a Telehealth visit.  If you go to “find a clinician” on our site, MYAnetwork.org, you can see if this option is available in your state. It also lists other resources where you can find the abortion pill online.  The abortion pill is an excellent choice for such an early pregnancy.  
2. You can go to an abortion clinic or medical practice. There you can meet with a clinician and decide the method that’s best for you:  abortion pills or a procedure.  There are generally 2 types of procedures:

• MUA (Manual Uterine Aspiration) procedures are quick and gentle, and are usually done with a local anesthetic. This procedure is ideal for an early pregnancy such as yours.  It can be completed within minutes.  
• Surgical abortion.  Some clinics also offer surgical procedures (completed with electric suction) at this early stage. Those clinics typically offer the choice to be put to sleep.

I hope this is helpful to you, and good luck finding the medical care that’s right for you.  You can feel good about getting help early in your pregnancy when more options are available to you.  

Warmly,

Dr. Joan