The State of Pennsylvania requires that all women seeking an abortion in this state receive specific information from a physician at least 24 hours prior to their abortion procedure. At Allegheny Reproductive Health Center you can receive that information by phone or by coming to the clinic a day or two before your actual appointment . You will get more details about this when you call us.
Abortion appointments can be scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and occasionally Friday. IV sedation is available for Tuesdays and Saturdays. Your support person can accompany you into the procedure if you have the abortion awake and we encourage you to bring along whoever is important to you.
The cost of the abortion is based on how far along you are in your pregnancy and which options you choose. Depending on how far into the pregnancy you are, you can choose the abortion pill, or if you are having the aspiration type of procedure, you can choose to have IV sedation. For booking purposes, pregnancy is measured from the first day of your last normal period.
Our fees range from $395 to $1500, depending on how far you are in the pregnancy and which options you choose. Call and tell us when your last normal period began and which type of procedure you are considering and we will tell you the cost.
A discount is available to patients who have state medical assistance from Pennsylvania, Ohio, or West Virginia and choose to have the procedure with local anesthetic. To receive this discount, you must bring your state medical card with you and a valid photo ID
We participate with several major health insurance companies. We will be glad to look into the details of your plan's coverage. We accept any insurance that will pay for the abortion in full. Please ask for details about using your insurance coverage when you call. We cannot accept any insurance that hasn't been approved by our insurance staff.
Payment needs to be made in full on the day of your surgery. We accept money order, MasterCard, Visa and Discover and debit cards and Care Credit. We do not accept personal checks. We also do not accept cash for the abortion itself, but we will accept cash for an unanticipated extra expense arises. If you are bringing a credit card of someone who will not be accompanying you to the clinic, you must bring written consent from the card holder that you have permission to use their card along with a copy of their photo ID.
Allegheny Reproductive Health Center offers a payment plan through Care Credit. Care Credit was created for patients needing help to cover the cost of medical and dental procedures. You can find out in just a few minutes if Care Credit can help you to pay for any medical procedure you might need. Care Credit works just like a credit card except that there is no interest. That means that it costs less than using a regular credit card. After approval, Care Credit covers the cost of your services. Then you make your monthly payments to them.
You can apply online and receive their answer in just minutes. If your credit does not receive a passing grade, you can re-apply with a co-signer. Using Care Credit allows you to make an appointment without unnecessary delay.
When you call, a counselor will answer all your questions about abortion. You will need to tell her:
It would be best to call when you have some private time to talk. We want you to feel comfortable asking any questions you may have. And there is information that you will need to write down.
On the day of abortion you need to bring:
Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes. Do not wear leggings, pantyhose, or tight jeans. Wear a top with short sleeves or sleeves you can push up beyond your elbow so that we can take your blood pressure.
You may bring one guest with you. We must have your guest's name in advance or that person will not be admitted. All guests must bring photo ID.
Plan on being at the clinic from 4-6 hours on the day of your abortion. Because there will be times when you are waiting, bring something to read or do while you wait. Most of the waiting happens prior to the procedure.
If you are going to be awake for the abortion, you should eat a light breakfast such as yogurt or toast before you come in. However, if you are getting the IV sedation you may not have anything by to eat, not even a breath mint or gum from 2 am the night before yourprocedure. No food, gum, cigarettes - nothing. When you first wake up, you may have one glass of water or ginger ale or one cup of black coffee and then nothing whatsoever to drink. You may have cigarettes.
If you are getting IV sedation or our special alternative pain management, you must bring someone with you who will be your driver. Before the abortion, that person must sign promising that they will see to it that you get home afterwards or sedation cannot be given.
There may be protesters near the clinic when you get here. Try to ignore them. They are not dangerous, just obnoxious. Volunteer escorts are usually available on Saturdays to walk with you if you want. The escorts wear bright yellow sweatshirts that say PRO CHOICE ESCORT on them.
Pittsburgh now has a Public Safety Ordinance designed to protect people seeking medical care in this city. Protesters or picketers must stay 8 feet away from you if you tell them that you do not want to talk to them. But you must actually say the words I DO NOT WANT TO TALK for them to be required to stay 8 feet away from you. For a complete copy of the Public Safety Ordinance, click here.