Pregnant and Deciding What to Do?

You just took a pregnancy test and it is positive. A lot of thoughts will be running through your mind. There may be shock. There may be panic. You might secretly hope that the test result was not right, that the test was not working properly. These thoughts and feelings come in waves and are making it hard to know what to do now and who to talk to.

At Willow Womens Center we understand what that is like. We are here to help you sort through your thoughts and feelings. We will provide you with unbiased information to help you through the process of making some hard, but very important, decisions about your current situation and your future. But first of all, give yourself a break and just breathe.

Your first step should be to make an appointment with us so we can confirm the results of your home test with one of our medical-grade urine-based pregnancy tests. This will be the starting point for you to determine what to do next and which option to choose – abortion, parenting or adoption. Just as no two women are the same, no two people approach the process in the exact same way. This is because each of us holds different beliefs, values, and has different goals for their future.

Pregnancy Screening

At your appointment we will use our lab-grade pregnancy test to confirm whether you are pregnant or not. This test is done at no cost to you. Sometimes a home pregnancy test isn’t as accurate, especially if it was taken too early. If our urine pregnancy test is positive and if there are no obvious medical issues, we suggest you allow us to conduct an ultrasound, also at no cost to you.

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to generate images – this is the earliest way to detect if your pregnancy is viable. About 20 percent of all pregnancies end in natural miscarriage, most of these miscarriages occur in the first trimester. We do not perform a diagnostic ultrasound. We simply confirm that there is a heartbeat, we determine the gestational age (how far along you are) by measurements and we confirm the proper placement in the uterus. If there seems to be any medical concern, we will recommend you consult a physician or ER/Urgent Care facility as soon as possible.

If you are considering abortion as one of your options, it is important to know the gestational age since this is used to determine what type of abortion procedure is available to you. STI testing is a requirement if you consider an abortion. An untreated STI can lead to many medical complications, incl. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) which is painful and could result in future fertility problems. We provide limited STI testing, also free of charge to you.

Your Choices

After the positive pregnancy test and the ultrasound it is time to talk about your choices. At Willow Womens Center, we care about you holistically: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and we want to support you in all of those three areas. One of our staff members will talk with you about your options – abortion, adoption and parenting. We will try to answer your questions and will strive to provide you with the information you may need to make the best decision for you and your personal circumstances.

Our team cares about you and is committed to providing information in a non-judgmental environment.

Let’s talk about your 3 options:

Abortion ends the pregnancy. There are several abortion methods, depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy. We will give you clear, accurate information on the different procedures.

Parenting means letting your pregnancy go full-term. We strive to answer your questions on what this means for you and will offer information about resources available to you. We also offer a program called SAFE START that provides support and education for all aspects of your pregnancy, delivery and the post-natal time.

Adoption is a way of choosing life by placing the responsibility in the hands of others. You may decide that abortion isn’t right for you, but you are also not ready to be a parent, either. Adoption may be the right option for you.

At Willow Womens Center, your health and well-being comes first. Make an appointment for a consultation and the free pregnancy test/ultrasound and let us help you consider all your options. YOU ARE OUR TOP PRIORITY.