At the Greensboro Pregnancy Care Center, we care about you and what happens to your body. We offer free medical services including an ultrasound provided by a staff nurse trained in limited obstetrical ultrasound. Our clinic is supervised and directed by a volunteer OB/GYN. Please contact us for a free appointment to have your questions answered in person. Your health is our concern.

Following are some questions we are frequently asked:

Q. I think I am pregnant, how can I know for sure?

A. We provide free pregnancy tests that are 99% accurate and can be taken as early as one day after you have missed your period. The test requires a urine sample and it detects the presence of the hormone human chorionicgonadotropin (HCG) within four minutes.

Q. What are some of the symptoms of pregnancy?

A. Some of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy include missing your period, sore/tender breasts, nausea and vomiting, aversion to certain foods, frequent urination, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches.  Some women may have
a few or all of these symptoms, while others may have no symptoms.

Q . How many weeks pregnant am I?

A. Your pregnancy is based upon your last menstrual period (LMP). You will need to know the first day of your last period.  When counting your monthly cycle, you begin with the first day of your last period, which is day 1. By the time you have missed your period, you are approximately 4 weeks pregnant.

Q . How can I know when my baby is due?

A. To calculate your due date, you begin with the first day of your LMP, subtract three months, and then add 7 days.  For example, if your LMP began on April 1st, then subtract three months which would be January 1st, and then add 7 days, which would give an estimated due date of January 8th.

Q. I am not sure when my last period was.  How can I find out how many
weeks pregnant I am?

A. The best way to determine how many weeks pregnant you are is through an ultrasound.  An ultrasound is a safe diagnostic exam using sound waves to produce an image of the baby.  During the ultrasound, the baby's size can be measured and this helps determine how many weeks pregnant you may be.

Q . Is ultrasound safe?

A. The ultrasound exam is a non-invasive procedure that uses sound waves to look at the uterus on a monitor screen. The sound waves bounce through the body, and their reflections are sent into images on the screen. There is no radiation, needles, or drugs used during the procedure. Scientific research reports that there are no harmful effects on the mother or baby.

Q. When can I get pregnant?

A. A woman can get pregnant when she produces an egg, called ovulation, and
a sperm then fertilizes that egg.  Most women ovulate, or produce an egg 14 days after their period begins. If you count the day you begin your period as day 1, and then count each day accordingly, you will most likely produce an egg around day 14.

All women are different and may ovulate earlier or later than day 14. Having unprotected intercourse around day 14 increases your chances of becoming pregnant . The male sperm is viable in the woman's vagina for 72 hours, but may be viable for as long as 5 days. This means conception can occur 2-3 days after unprotected intercourse. No birth control method is 100 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. Conception can occur even while using contraception. The only method of birth control that is 100 percent effective is abstinence.

Q. I've heard about something called the "morning after pill." Can you tell
me about it?

A. The “morning after pill” is actually an emergency contraception (EC). It is used within days of unprotected intercourse or in the case of a contraception failure such as a condom breaking. There are two different pills available: one is Preven, and the other is called Plan B. Preven is a combination of high doses of estrogen and progesterone and has a failure rate of 25%. Plan B is a high dose of progesterone only and has a failure rate of 11%. The pill is to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse and followed with a second dose 12 hours later. The two major side effects are nausea and vomiting. Other side effects may include menstrual irregularities, breast tenderness, headaches/dizziness, and abdominal cramping, bleeding, incomplete abortion, and most recently reported are deaths related to the use of EC. Studies are inconclusive about the long-term effects of using high doses of these hormones on a woman's body . The EC pills will not affect an already established pregnancy.

Q. What are the different kinds of abortion?

A. There are several types of abortions and the type of procedure depends upon how far along you are in your pregnancy, and your health. It is important to know how far along you are in your pregnancy before making a decision about abortion. It is also wise to confirm a viable pregnancy before the decision to abort. You may call the Greensboro Pregnancy Center to schedule a free ultrasound to determine viability and dating of your pregnancy.

A medical abortion can be done up to 7 weeks from the first day of your LMP. It involves the use of two pills, Mifepristone (RU-486) and Misoprostol. These medications affect the action of progesterone and also cause the uterus to contract and expel the fetus.

A menstrual abortion can be done within one to two weeks after a missed period and involves removing the embryo from the uterus lining by suction with a syringe.

A suction curettage abortion can be done up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and involves slicing the fetus and then removing the portions of the fetus by use of a suction device.

A Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) abortion can be done after 12 weeks, but is more involved and complicated. This procedure involves dilation of the cervix and then slicing the fetus into parts and using a suction device to remove the portions of the fetus, the placenta and the uterine lining.

Abortions can be done even later in pregnancy, which are done in the hospital and require labor to be induced. The fetus is usually removed in parts and the contents of the skull are evacuated in order to deliver the fetus.

Q. Are there any risks with abortion?

A. Yes, there are many physical side effects, risks and threats to women's health from abortion. These include bleeding, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, infection, incomplete abortion, hemorrhage, tearing of the cervix, perforation or tearing of the uterus, and future infertility. In extreme cases death can occur, and a number of scientific studies do correlate a link between abortion and breast cancer.

Q. What kind of psychological or emotional effects are caused by abortion?

A. Many women experience strong negative emotions after abortion. This psychological response is known as Post-Abortion Stress (PAS) . Some of these symptoms include guilt, anger, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, anniversary grief, flashbacks of abortion, nightmares, sexual dysfunction, relationship struggles, eating disorders, and chemical abuse. The Greensboro Pregnancy Care Center provides recovery for those who are suffering from PAS. If you or someone else you know struggles with PAS, please call us for help.

Q. Before I knew I was pregnant, I used drugs and alcohol. Will there be
something wrong with my baby?

A. Studies show that alcohol and drug use does result in harm to unborn babies. Babies exposed to drugs or alcohol can be born prematurely or with birth defects. The March of Dimes and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no alcohol or illegal drug use during pregnancy. Studies show that women who stop using alcohol or drugs early in pregnancy reduce the risk of harm done to their babies.