For patients who do not live in the lower mainland or on Vancouver Island and therefore have difficulty going to Willow Clinic in Vancouver (604-709-5611) or Vancouver Island Women’s Clinic in Victoria (250-480-7338), and are able to do the tests described below in their own communities, we offer medication abortions at a distance. This service is available to patients who live in BC more than a 2 hours drive from our office but is not available to patients who live on Vancouver Island.

Mifepristone/misoprostol is available at pharmacies in most communities — We can have it couriered to you from Vancouver, if it is not.

This can be a time consuming process for both you and our staff. We do our best to make this as easy and streamlined for you as possible. Please make sure to read this entire page so that you are aware of costs and what to expect.

The video (above) explains our service using methotrexate/misoprostol but the process is similar:

You must be able to:
Talk to us by Skype or FaceTime using video, from your phone, tablet or computer during the appointment. Electronic communication is not always secure so we will ask for your consent by email.

Have a blood test done quickly before, during and after the treatment. Have an urgent ultrasound if indicated by the blood test (and possibly some afterwards). The blood test/ultrasound must show that you are less than 10 weeks from the first day of your last period.

Have several blood tests or an ultrasound to make sure the abortion is complete.

Be able to get a D&C in your own community or come down to our clinics for surgery if the medication abortion is unsuccessful.

The Mifepristone/Misoprostol (Mifegymiso) is free to you if you have a valid BC Medical Card. You will pay the pharmacy directly for the other pain medications approx. $50.00. There may also be a $20.00 charge at the lab for one of the blood tests you need.

If you do not have BC medical insurance, the fee for the our office will be 400.00 plus you will pay the cost for the Mifegymiso and other pain medications directly to the pharmacy approx $400.00.

Procedure:
You will call our clinic at 604-709-5611 to let us know that you are interested in this treatment and give us some information including your BC Medical number. We will need a name, phone # and fax # of a lab for the blood and urine tests. We will give you a chart # that you will use for reference.

You will fill in the QUESTIONNAIRE (at the end of this article). When you save the questionnaire it will say at the top “Data has been saved successfully”. This means it has been sent to us and we will be able to print it for your chart. DO NOT fill out the questionnaire form until you have spoken to the office and have been given a chart #.

You will have an initial video visit with our doctor who will review your history and decide which tests you will need.

We will fax a requisition to the lab and you will need to go in as quickly as possibly for the tests. There may be a charge of $15.00 – $20.00 at the lab.

When we have the results showing that you are eligible for this treatment, we will give you an appointment time.

You will need to print out a copy of the consent form and the diary which are at the end of this article.

We will contact you via video at your scheduled appointment time. You will meet with our doctor to go over the tests and your medical history to make sure it is safe for you to have a medication abortion. Then you will meet with our counselor and she will explain how to use the medications, what to expect and answer any questions you have. This process may take up to 2 hours.

We will fax your prescriptions to your local pharmacy and you will go in to pick up the medications. (or courier the medications from Vancouver, if not available)

You will have another HCG blood test to make sure the pregnancy is gone. If you use all the medications correctly, there is less than 1% chance that the pregnancy is still growing and you will need surgery. There is a 5% chance that the pregnancy has stopped growing but is still inside you. We call this a delayed reaction. This is not dangerous and you will not need surgery unless you prefer it. Your body will go through the process of a natural miscarriage which can take a few weeks. We will continue to follow you until the abortion is complete.

If you need surgery because the medications didn’t work or because you have a delayed reaction and you prefer surgery to waiting, you can come down to Vancouver (Everywomans’ Health Centre) for your surgery (no fees) or arrange for a D&C close to home. It is not called an abortion if the pregnancy has stopped growing so many more hospitals and doctors will provide the service.

PRIVACY
We will protect your privacy to the best of our ability (see our PRIVACY POLICY on our CONTACT page)
You may read the SKYPE PRIVACY POLICY at  https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-US/privacystatement

CONSENT Form:
Download .PDF file

DIARY Form:
Download .PDF file

ABORTION INTAKE Form:
Please fill out the ABORTION INTAKE form. (click on button below) Please only complete this if you have been given a chart number and have been instructed to do so by office staff.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR DR ELLEN WIEBE