The best and safest way a woman can do an abortion herself until the 9th week of pregnancy is with the use of two medicines called Mifepristone (also known as the abortion pill, RU 486, Mifegyn, Mifeprex), and Misoprostol (also known as Cytotec, Arthrotec, Oxaprost , Cyprostol, Mibetec, Prostokos or Misotrol).
A medical abortion done this way has a success rate of more than 97%. If you live in a country where there is no access to safe abortion services and you would like to obtain a medical abortion with Mifepristone and Misoprostol, please go to Women on Web. This is a online medical abortion help service that refers to a doctor who can provide you with a medical abortion.
A woman can also do an abortion herself until the 9th week of pregnancy with only the use of Misoprostol.

On this webpage we provide information on Misoprostol: what precautions to take, how the medicine works, what is the most effective doses, what women can expect, and about possible complications. We also provide the scientific background. Using Misoprostol (or Cytotec) alone to cause an abortion will be successful in 80%. The information is based on research done by the World Health Organisation. Click here to read an abstract of the article in the Lancet. 2007 Jun 9;369(9577):1938-46.)

Women who live in a country where they have the possibility to have a safe and legal abortion, should go to a doctor. For abortion clinics see www.womenonwaves.org/article-456-nl.html

Some women try to attempt to do an abortion by placing sharp or dirty objects into the womb or by punching the belly. This is very dangerous and should never been done because there is a very high risk of wounding the insides of the woman, infection, heavy bleeding and even death.

For many women ending a pregnancy is a difficult decision. When the woman cannot discuss the abortion or alternatives with a healthcare provider, we advice her to talk about it with a good friend or a relative. A young girl we seriously advise to talk with her parents or another adult she trusts about her situation, decision and the abortion procedure.

Women who are sure that they want to end their pregnancy and really have no other means should print and study the instructions carefully first. It is best to discuss them with a friend. A woman should never do this alone.

If you have any questions about this method or experiences you want to share, after reading the information below, send email to

How does an abortion with Misoprostol work?

A woman...

For almost each country we have listed some family planning, women's and abortion rights organisations. Where abortion is legal you can find information about abortion clinics and for European countries where abortion is illegal information about clinics in neighboring countries and travel advice.
If you live in a country where there is no access to safe abortion services and you would like to obtain a medical abortion with Mifepristone and Misoprostol, please go to Women on Web. This is a online medical abortion help service that refers to a doctor who can provide you with a medical abortion.

About 85% of sexually active women who do not use contraceptives become pregnant within a year. A woman can also become pregnant while breastfeeding and from about 10 days after childbirth and even during her menstruation. Withdrawal of the penis prior to ejaculation during intercourse (coitus interruptus) and periodic abstinence do not effectively prevent pregnancy nor provide protection against STDs. Here you can read more about several forms of contraceptives.

You can prevent an unwanted pregnancy with:
1- Total Abstinence
2- Use of contraceptives

To prevent unwanted pregnancy always use a form of contraception when you are sexually active.

Contraception methods
No method of contraception gives a 100% protection.
The male latex condom is the only contraceptive method considered highly effective in reducing the risk of STDs. Birth control pills, Implant and IUDs do not protect against STD infection.

For the Woman

DIAPHRAGM is a rubber disk with a flexible rim that covers the cervix and must be used together with spermicide. It is available by prescription only and must be sized by a health professional. The diaphragm protects for six hours and should be left in place for at least six hours after the last intercourse but not for longer than a total of 24 hours.

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES protect against pregnancy by the combined actions of the hormones estrogens and progestin. The hormones prevent ovulation. The pills have to be taken every day as directed and do not work after vomiting or diarrhoea. Side effects of the pill can be nausea, headache, breast tenderness, weight gain, irregular bleeding, and depression.

DEPO-PROVERA is a hormonal contraceptive injected into a muscle on the arm or buttock every three months. The injection must be repeated every 3 months. The menstruation can become irregular and sometimes even absent.

IMPLANTS (such as Norplant or implanon) are made up of small rubber rods, which are surgically implanted under the skin of the upper arm, where they release the contraceptive steroid levonorgestrel. Their protection lasts from 3 to 5 years. Side effects include menstrual cycle changes, weight gain, breast tenderness and loss of bone mass.

IUD is a T-shaped device inserted into the uterus by a health-care professional. The IUD can remain in place for 5- 10 years. IUD’s have one of the lowest failure rates of cont...

Associação Para o Planeamento da Família (APF) 38 Rua da Artilharia um 2° Dto
Lisbon 1250-040
Tel: +351(21) 385 39 93
Fax: +351(21) 388 73 79
www.apf.pt

If you did not have your period on time and you have had sex (vaginal intercourse) after your last period, it is possible that you became pregnant.

Good home pregnancy tests can be bought at a pharmacy or drugstore. You only need to put a bit of urine on the tester and after a few minutes you will see if you are pregnant or not. You can also go to your general practioner or family doctor for a pregnancy test.

You can do a pregnancy test from the first day you missed your expected period and onwards. Before this time, the level of hormones produced by the pregnancy is too low to show up on the test and you may get a 'false negative' result.

If you think you may be pregnant, it is important that you get tested, especially if the possible pregnancy is unwanted. Sometimes the fear of being pregnant alone causes enough stress to delay the period.

You can prevent an unwanted pregnancy after unprotected sex by taking Emergency Contraceptive pills (EC) also called "the morning after pill".

For extensive information, please go to: ec.princeton.edu/index.html

To find out how you can use different normal contraceptive pills from around the world as the morning after pill (emergency contraception) go to here

You can get an STI by sexual intercourse but also through oral sex, anal sex or contact with bodily fluids such as sperm, saliva, blood, and vaginal discharge. Very few STI’s can be transmitted through skin contact. Here is more information about how to prevent getting one and what to do if you have one.

STI’s are infections that are transmitted through sexual contact. The most important ones are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Genital and anal warts, Trichomoniasis, Hepatitis B, Genital Herpes, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS and Pubic lice. An yeast infection (Candida) is not transmitted by sexual contact.

How do you prevent getting an STI?

The best way to protect yourself from getting an STI is using condoms. After intercourse, make sure the sperm remains in the condom. Sometime it fails; a condom breaks, a boy or man does not want to use a condom. A STI can also be the result of rape.

What are the symptoms of an STI?

STI’s do not always give symptoms. Therefore some people do not know they have an STI and that they can infect others.
Symptoms that can be caused by a STI are:
- more vaginal discharge then usual
- pain with urinating or only urinating small amounts
- irritability and itching of the vagina
- pain while having sex
- abnormal blood loss between menstruations or after sex
- pain in belly and fever
- ulcers, warts, blisters on the vulva or vagina, anus, mouth
- pain in the throat (after oral sex)

What should you do if you think you have an STI?

Do not hesitate to have an exam. If you have a STI, you need treatment. A STI does not go away by itself . Other STIs such as HIV/AIDS should also be excluded. Ask your doctor to test your blood or make a culture.

CHLAMYDIA is caused by a bacterium and infects the mucous membranes in the anus, mouth, and genital areas. Symptoms include abnormal genital discharge or pain during urination, which appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure; however, half of infected women and 25 percent of infected men may have no symptoms whatsoever. Pelvic inflammatory disease is a serious complication of Chlamydia infection and a major cause of infertility of women. Chlamydia is treated and cured with antibiotics....

You can make an appointment with us by telephone, email or by visiting the ship. We will inform you about when and where to board the ship. You will be treated according to Dutch professional medical standards, which include full confidentiality about counselling and/or treatment. Here you can read more about counselling, the treatment and what to expect afterwards.

Services offered by Women on Waves are

• Information about and provision of contraceptives
• Information about and provision of emergency contraceptives
• Pregnancy testing
• Non-directive pregnancy counselling, aimed at making an optimal informed personal decision
• Ultrasounds to determine your kind of pregnancy
• Medical abortions if your period is no more than 16 days too late
• Counselling on sexually transmitted diseases

Although abortion is illegal in your country, Women on Waves can help you in a legal and safe way. Dutch law applies on board a Dutch ship once it is outside territorial waters. We have permission to give you the abortion pill if you have missed your period for 16 days.

Unwanted pregnancy

If you are pregnant you have three choices:
- Continue the pregnancy and keep the baby
- Continue the pregnancy and place the baby up for adoption
- End the pregnancy by having an abortion
Whatever you decide, Women on Waves will support you and help you make your personal choice in this situation.

Counselling

Your decision has to be made free of coercion, and you have to be well-informed about all the alternatives. Every woman with an unplanned pregnancy faces different and sometimes conflicting emotions: feelings such as insecurity, desperation, anxiety, depression, shame or guilt may compete with happiness. Our counselling service will help you cope with these feelings now and in the future, providing information about all your options and supporting you in making your personal choice.

Procedure

You can make an appointment with us by telephone, email or by visiting the ship. In a personal consultation we will provide counselling. You can be accompanied by your partner, friend or family. No pregnancy termination will be carried out at this first visit. We will ask you to talk with us about your situati...