Abortion by Telehealth
Teleabortion Services
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Your Choice, Your Call
Abortion by telehealth (also called teleabortion) is a safe, effective and private way to terminate an early, unplanned pregnancy. This can be done at home, involves two clinical consultations and taking abortion medications.
With abortion by telehealth, you do not need to visit a clinic or pharmacy – we deliver the medicines to you. For most people, an ultrasound from the nearest imaging service is all that you need to proceed.
MSI is the most experienced provider of abortion by telehealth in Australia. Our team of doctors, nurses and support services are experts in abortion care, and are committed to providing non-judgemental healthcare.
For more information about abortion by telehealth, please watch our short video.
MSI has led the way in abortion care in Australia, including abortion by telehealth, and we have the highest possible standards of care and service.
It can be hard to know how best to support someone who has had an abortion. We provide this guide for anyone who wants to learn more about timely and empathic support.
What are my costs for abortion by telehealth?
Abortion by telehealth is the lowest cost way to access abortion care.
People with Medicare Card
Your cost is $278.20* plus $71.60 for medications & delivery
People with Health Care Card
Your cost is $277.10** plus $47.70 for medications & delivery
People without Medicare
Your cost is $460.73*** plus $394.27 for medications & delivery
* $100 is payable before your first clinical consultation. A second payment of $410 is payable before your second clinical consultation. You are eligible for total Medicare rebates of $160.20 which we can process for you.
** $100 is payable before your first clinical consultation. A second payment of $385 is payable before your second clinical consultation. You are eligible for total Medicare rebates of $160.20 which we can process for you.
*** $100 is payable before your first clinical consultation. A second payment of $755 is payable before your second clinical consultation. People with private health insurance may be able to claim a benefit.
This price includes:
- Two clinical consultations
- Abortion medicines delivered to your home
- Pain and nausea medicines
- A special urine pregnancy test to use 14-21 days after you’ve taken the abortion medicines
- Access to specialised support services
Comparison of abortion services at MSI Australia
For a detailed comparison of the different methods of abortion care, read Understanding your options: surgical abortion vs medical abortion.
Abortion by telehealth
- Up to 9 weeks gestation
- No referral required
- Ultrasound through local imaging provider
- Phone/video clinical consultations
- Medications delivered to your home
- Support person recommended for Day 2
- Less than 4% incomplete abortion risk
- Medium to heavy bleeding
- Variable pain
- Self-managed follow up
Medical abortion in clinic
- Up to 9 weeks gestation
- No referral required
- Ultrasound in clinic
- In person clinical consultations and support
- Medications provided in clinic
- Support person recommended for Day 2
- Less than 4% incomplete abortion risk
- Medium to heavy bleeding
- Variable pain
- Self-managed follow up
Surgical abortion
- Up to 20 weeks gestation in some states
- No referral required
- Ultrasound in clinic
- In person clinical consultations and support
- In a licensed day surgery
- Sedation or local anaesthetic
- Support person required for pick-up
- Less than 2% incomplete abortion risk
- Light bleeding
- Follow-up not usually required
What kind of abortion can I have?
There are gestation limits on which kind of abortion you can have in Australia. To check which abortion methods are available to you, use our gestation calculator by entering the first date of your last period. This will provide you with a gestation estimate in weeks and days, which will later need to be confirmed by an ultrasound.
Contact our friendly staff
Make an abortion appointment, suited to your needs
Process for abortion by telehealth
You may be eligible for a medical abortion by telehealth if you:
- Are over 16 years of age
- Live within 2 hours of 24/7 emergency medical care such as a hospital emergency department
- Can understand and speak English (interpreter unavailable for this service)
- Have access to the internet
- Are no more than 9 weeks pregnant (63 days) at the time of your treatment*
*The first medication must be taken before 9 weeks 0 days (= 63 days) gestation, confirmed by ultrasound. Please consider this when booking, as you need to allow time to have an ultrasound, complete the telehealth consultations and have the medications delivered. This process may take up to 1 week to complete, depending on services in your area.
- You have a first phone consultation with one of our experienced doctors for a health assessment and to discuss the medical abortion process and answer your questions.
- You will then be sent an ultrasound form to take to the nearest imaging provider.
- After the ultrasound is reported back to us, you have a second phone consultation to gain your consent and the doctor will then prescribe the medication.
- The MSI pack is delivered to your preferred address within 1-3 business days.
- You take the medicines.
The MSI pack includes:
- Abortion medicines
- Pain and nausea medicines
- A special urine pregnancy test to use 14-21 days after you’ve taken the abortion medicines
2-3 weeks after your appointment, it is essential to make sure the abortion has worked.
- You will be given a special urine pregnancy test to use at home and answer a set of questions. This should be done no earlier than 14 days after your treatment. You will be given an instruction sheet to help with this.
- You can call us on 1300 003 707 if you have any concerns.
- If you need further assessment we may refer you for blood tests or an ultrasound, make an appointment for you at one of our clinics (if convenient) or ask you to see your local health practitioner.
FAQs
How is my pregnancy calculated?
Gestation is estimated by counting the days from the first day of your last period. The confirmed gestation after an ultrasound may provide a different result.
Is the procedure confidential?
Your procedure details will not be known to anyone without your consent. We will only call or email you to confirm your booking and ensure you have the information you need to proceed safely with your medical procedure.
What questions will I be asked?
We will ask medical questions to help determine your eligibility for your choice of termination of pregnancy procedure when you call to make your booking.
It is essential that you are at least six weeks since your last menstrual period or have a confirmed pregnancy on ultrasound. If pregnancy cannot be seen on ultrasound, you may need to reschedule your appointment.
You will be asked questions about your medical history to ensure that any risk factors are appropriately managed at your appointment. You will also be asked to consent to the procedure after explaining the process and risks involved.
How do I prepare for an abortion by telehealth (teleabortion)?
- Read this information booklet and make a note of any questions you might have.
- Write down the first day of your last menstrual period so that the doctor can estimate how pregnant you are during your first appointment.
- You will be emailed the required forms before your appointment. Do not complete the form before your appointment. The doctor will explain the form and help you complete it.
- Do not travel overseas until we have confirmed the abortion is complete.
What kind of support will I receive during the process?
Our aftercare phone service connects you to experienced registered nurses. Call our aftercare nurses on 1300 888 022 if you experience any of the following problems or have any concerns:
- passing clots larger than a tennis ball size
- heavy bleeding that lasts longer than 2 weeks
- soaking a maxi pad every 30 minutes for more than 2 hours
- fever, chills, strong pain or other side effects which continue more than 24 hours after taking Step 2
- having strong abdominal pain that doesn’t stop
- feeling nauseous more than 1 week after your treatment
- feeling tired or generally unwell
- having sore breasts for 2 weeks after your treatment
- not menstruating as usual, 4-8 weeks after your treatment
- persistent pregnancy symptoms.
Call us IMMEDIATELY if you have possible signs of an infection:
- fever
- feeling generally unwell (flu like symptoms)
- ongoing abdominal pain
- unusual vaginal discharge.
How do I know if abortion by telehealth (teleabortion) is the right choice for me?
- You are less than 9 weeks gestation (pregnant)
- You are over 16
- You live in Australia and are not travelling overseas within the next month
- You will be staying in a place that is more than 2 hours’ drive of a 24 hour emergency medical service (such as a hospital), when you take the medications and for the next 3 or 4 days after
- You can speak and read English
- You do NOT require an interpreter to access the service
- You have access to the internet
We recommend you to use our eligibility assessment form prior to proceed with your booking. This will involve a few questions and will take approximately 2 to 3 minutes to complete.
How can I schedule an abortion by telehealth (teleabortion) appointment?
If you have any other questions, please get in touch.