APR is a procedure that involves attempting to counter the effects of the first pill in a medication abortion, also known as a chemical abortion. This first pill, mifepristone, blocks the hormone progesterone, which is necessary for maintaining a pregnancy. The second pill, misoprostol, is taken 24 to 48 hours later and causes the uterus to contract and expel the pregnancy.
In some cases, women who have taken the first pill regret their decision and want to continue their pregnancy. This is where the countering process comes in.
The process begins by calling the hotline to be connected to an on-call healthcare professional who will ask some basic questions to see if the procedure is possible. If so, they will be directed to a doctor or medical provider in the area to start treatment.
An ultrasound will be done as soon as possible to confirm heart rate, placement, and dating of the pregnancy. The doctor or medical provider will prescribe progesterone to counteract the effects of mifepristone and help support the pregnancy, given as a pill to be taken orally or vaginally or possibly by intramuscular injection. The treatment will usually continue through the first trimester of pregnancy.
Progesterone is the natural hormone in a woman’s body that is necessary to nurture and sustain a pregnancy. The first pill in the abortion pill regimen blocks progesterone’s actions. By giving extra progesterone, we hope to outnumber and outcompete the first abortion pill in order to counter the effects and provide an opportunity to save the pregnancy.
For some women progesterone may cause sleepiness, lack of energy, lightheadedness, dizziness, gastrointestinal discomfort, and headaches. Increased fluid intake might help relieve these symptoms.
“We must do everything possible in a human sense to defend life and restore legal protection to the unborn.”
Knights of Columbus
“I have always valued human life. I believe that God has a plan for all of us and that babies are a blessing and should be cherished.”
Amy Berz, RN
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Heartbeat International
“After adjusting for other factors, a team of Canadian psychologists found post-abortive women had a 142% higher risk of becoming addicted to alcohol, and 280% greater likelihood of drug dependence attributable to the abortion experience.”
LifeNews
“In our current situation, we choose to pray for the restoration of respect for the sanctity of all human life which is the most urgent need of our day.”
Knights of Columbus
“There is no better social justice cause to get involved in than saving the lives of Innocent children,”
Bishop David O’Connell
“We want people to have the fullness of Jesus’ promise, ‘I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.’ John 10:10”
Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer
“We have to be willing to have hard conversations about an injustice, to demand better, even to take peaceful but forceful action to make society better, even at the cost of our own standing in the community, and possibly even at the risk of our own freedom and safety.”
Lila Rose
“As we are taught by Jesus, human life is sacred. God calls us to defend and nurture life from the moment a new human being is conceived.”
Arch. Timothy Broglio, President, USCCB
"Abortion is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation."
—Dan Steiner, PreBorn
