Facing an Unplanned Pregnancy in the Military

Joining a branch in the United States Military is very rewarding. Especially when you are straight out of high school and experiencing being on your own for the first time. Once you have completed the training required you have the privilege to become apart of a family. That family will last a lifetime. During your time on active duty, you will be apart of your family members lives. Which include weddings, promotions, and celebrating births within your family. So, what happens when you or someone close to you think you may be having a military pregnancy?

According to a military blog, women in the military still report higher rates of unplanned pregnancy than their civilian peers. Is this a bad thing? Not at all, it just means we need to educate ourselves on being pregnant in the military. According to Ibis Reproductive Health’s analysis of Department of Defense data, about 11 percent of active-duty military women reported an unintended pregnancy in 2008 and 7 percent reported an unintended pregnancy in 2011—in both years, this was far more than the general population.

One of the biggest fears for military women is exposing this unplanned pregnancy to their chain of command and risk being non-deployable or non-promotable. In these cases, there are community resources outside Camp Pendleton. They can help provide no-cost pregnancy testing and are 100% confidential.  At Pathway Health Clinic, we respect your privacy and do not report your visit to command or Tricare unless you have provided us with written consent and authorization. All our Advocates and Licensed Medical Professionals can help you explore all your options in a safe, confidential, judgment-free way.

To make an appointment, call us at 760-945-4673 or walk-in during clinic hours. If you are in a crisis, you can text our 24/7 crisis text line at 760-208-8811 and an advocate will respond. We are here to help.

Thinking about an abortion appointment in Vista?

Are you experiencing an unintended pregnancy? Are you feeling rushed to terminate your pregnancy? The following information will help you be informed when scheduling any abortion procedure in Vista, or considering the pregnancy options available to you.

Know for sure you are pregnant.

Maybe you have taken an at home pregnancy test that came up positive. Additionally, have you had a lab-quality pregnancy test yet? According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), if your home pregnancy test shows positive results, you should see a health care provider to confirm the result. A health care provider can help you determine how far along you are.

Make sure your pregnancy is viable.

Limited obstetrical ultrasounds done by licensed health care professionals can determine gestational age, intrauterine pregnancy, and fetal heart rate. Gestational age determines how many weeks pregnant you are and what your estimated due date is. A licensed medical professional will check for intrauterine pregnancy. This determines that the pregnancy is occurring in your uterus (ectopic pregnancy). Ectopic pregnancy (extrauterine pregnancy) is a life-threatening condition and you should be seen by a doctor right away. Also, lack of a fetal heart rate means you are experiencing pregnancy loss.  Early pregnancy loss (pregnancy loss during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy or first trimester) is common and happens in about 10% of known pregnancies. Early pregnancy loss is also called miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. If your pregnancy is not viable, you will not need to have an abortion.

Have you been checked for STI/STD’s?

When you are pregnant, STD/STI testing is important because chlamydia, gonorrhea and genital herpes (to name a few) are infections spread by sexual contact. If STD/STI’s are left untreated prior to abortion you can be at risk to further spread bacteria into your reproductive tract anytime the normal barrier created by the cervix is disturbed.  You can be treated for certain STD/STI’s while pregnant. Treating STD/STI’s before your abortion procedure will put you at less risk for complications from abortion than leaving yourself untreated.

Check in with yourself and your partner.

Your age, values, beliefs, health, current situation and future goals all play a role in your pregnancy decision. You have three options, parenting, adoption, and abortion, and you don’t need to rush into choosing. Make sure you are comfortable with your decision. How will you feel about this decision in 6 months? Or in 5 years and beyond?  

At Pathway Health Clinic our Advocates and Licensed Medical Professionals are trained to be compassionate, nonjudgmental listeners who will take the time to hear from you and help you and address any concerns you might have with your pregnancy options or abortion procedure.

What are my pregnancy options?

Unintended pregnancy is scary. It can be life-changing. There are so many factors to consider. Each person’s circumstances are extremely personal to their situation. One thing every woman who is pregnant has in common is pregnancy options.

What are pregnancy options?

A pregnancy option is what you ultimately choose to do after you give birth, or decide that you no longer want to be pregnant. Every pregnant woman has three pregnancy options- in alphabetical order- they are abortion, adoption, and parenting.

But what do each of those options mean?

Abortion- abortion is an option to end the pregnancy. You can have a medical abortion or a surgical abortion.

Adoption- Placing for adoption means that the baby will be born, but it will not be raised by its biological parents. You can have an open adoption, a semi-open adoption, or a closed adoption.

Parenting- Parenting means that the baby will be born, and the biological parents will raise the child.

While these options may seem simple, they are complex and often times emotionally difficult.

If you have additional questions about your options, we encourage you to explore the “Options Education” tab on our website or call us to make an appointment to discuss your options. At Pathway Health Clinic, we have Advocates and Licensed Medical Professionals who can help you explore all of your options in a safe, confidential, judgment-free way.

To make an appointment, call us at 760-945-4673 or walk-in during clinic hours. If you are in a crisis, you can text our 24/7 crisis text line at 760-208-8811 and an advocate will respond. We are here to help.