I’ve spent the week getting onboarding and learning more about Hey Jane, telemedicine, and the medication abortion process, and scoping out my project for the summer.
Here’s, at a high level, how Hey Jane works:
People* seeking abortion services take an intake survey on the website to determine their eligibility – e.g., ensuring they are <10 weeks pregnant (later gestational age may require surgical abortion), and that there’s no risk of ectopic pregnancy.
Eligible patients then have their files reviewed by Hey Jane doctors, and have a consultation either via video or via a secure texting app. Interestingly, most patients opt not to have a video consultation – likely because they value the privacy and convenience of texting.
Hey Jane doctors prescribe two medications to patients: mifepristone, which stops the pregnancy from growing, and misoprostol, which causes contractions that empty the uterus. They also prescribe medicine to manage pain and nausea.
Medications are shipped in discreet packaging to patients and usually arrive within a day or two.
Patients take the pills in the comfort of their homes, with text support from Hey Jane and 24/7 access to providers throughout the process.
Hey Jane follows up to make sure everything went smoothly, and to confirm that the pregnancy has ended.
My project will look at how Hey Jane can best provide patients with emotional and social support, in addition to medical support, throughout this process, improving the patient experience and helping to fight the stigma and shame that too often accompany abortion services.
*Not all people who seek abortion services are women – transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer patients get them too. Hey Jane provides private, safe, discreet abortion care to anyone who needs it, and makes an effort to be gender inclusive across its site and in its services.