Plan C is a public health information campaign that helps people find abortion pills online. It is not a medical provider or pharmacy. Instead, it acts as a guide, connecting people with telehealth services, international providers, online vendors, and community networks that can ship medication abortion pills by mail. The name is a nod to Plan B (the morning-after pill), positioning this as the next option when prevention is no longer possible.
How Plan C Differs From Plan B
The distinction matters because these are completely different medications that work in completely different ways. Plan B is emergency contraception: it delays or prevents ovulation so pregnancy never begins. It only works if you are not already pregnant, and it needs to be taken soon after sex.
Plan C refers to medication abortion, which ends an existing pregnancy. The FDA has approved this regimen for use through ten weeks of gestation (70 days from the first day of your last period). That approval was originally set at seven weeks when the drugs first became available in 2000, then extended to ten weeks in 2016.
What Plan C Actually Provides
Plan C does not prescribe, sell, or ship pills. It aggregates publicly available information about where to get them. Its website lists several categories of access, along with typical price ranges:
- US-licensed telehealth services: $0 to $150
- International telehealth providers: $95 to $120
- Online vendors: $90 and up
- Community networks: free
For comparison, a medication abortion at a clinic like Planned Parenthood averages around $580 and can run up to $800 depending on location and insurance. The cost gap is one reason telehealth and mail-order options have grown in popularity.
Plan C also partnered with the University of Washington to create a toolkit for primary care providers who want to offer medication abortion within their existing practices.
How Medication Abortion Works
The regimen involves two medications taken at home. The first blocks a hormone the pregnancy needs to continue. You take it by mouth as a single dose. Then, 24 to 48 hours later, you take the second medication, four tablets placed between the cheek and gum or vaginally. This second drug causes the uterus to contract and empty.
Through nine weeks of gestation, this combination is highly effective. Treatment failure occurs in roughly 2 to 5 percent of cases. After nine weeks, effectiveness drops somewhat, with complete abortion rates ranging from about 79 to 95 percent in the late first trimester. That’s why the FDA-approved window stops at ten weeks, and why providers sometimes recommend a repeat dose of the second medication at later gestational ages.
What the Experience Feels Like
Most people start feeling the effects one to four hours after taking the second medication. Expect heavy cramping and bleeding with blood clots over the next several hours. Some people also experience a low-grade fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, or fatigue. The fever and chills typically resolve within a day.
The heaviest bleeding lasts one to two days, then gradually tapers over two to three weeks. A heating pad and ibuprofen are the standard approach to managing pain. Taking a pain reliever about 30 minutes before the second medication can help get ahead of the cramping.
Safety Profile
Serious complications from medication abortion are rare. A study of more than 11,000 patients in California found that only 0.31 percent experienced a major complication, defined as hospitalization, blood transfusion, or surgery. That puts the serious complication rate at roughly 3 in 1,000.
Legal Status and Mail Access
Under federal rules, the FDA allows these pills to be dispensed by mail. A certified prescriber must write the prescription, and certified pharmacies must use a shipping service with tracking. This framework has been in place since the FDA updated its requirements to remove the in-person dispensing rule.
State laws, however, vary widely. Some states have banned or heavily restricted abortion, including medication abortion by mail. In response, eight states have enacted shield laws that protect telehealth providers who prescribe and mail pills to patients in restrictive states. Plan C’s website tracks these shifting regulations and flags which services operate in which states, which is a significant part of its value as an information resource.
Abortion Fund Support
If cost is a barrier, abortion funds can help cover the price of pills and related expenses like transportation, lodging, or childcare. The National Network of Abortion Funds connects people with local organizations that offer both financial and logistical support. Some telehealth services listed on Plan C also offer sliding-scale pricing or accept insurance.