Abortion pills are used for early abortions and are an alternative to surgical abortions. Abortions caused by abortion pills are commonly referred to as medical abortions. In the United States, two pills that can be combined to provoke a medical abortion with a very high success rate have recently been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These two abortion pills contain mifepristone and misoprostol respectively, and when the two pills are combined they are 95-97 percent effective. Abortion pills containing the active ingredients mifepristone and misoprostol have been used in Europe for many years.
Abortion pills are not the same thing as Emergency Contraception Pills (commonly known as morning-after pills). Emergency Contraception Pills are used to prevent pregnancy and should be taken as soon as possible after sexual intercourse. They have the highest success rate if taken within 24 hours, but you can use them up to 72 hours after unprotected intercourse. Abortion pills on the other hand are used only when a pregnancy has already been confirmed, and will terminate a pregnancy instead of preventing one. Abortion pills can be used until the end of the 8th pregnancy week.
If you want to have a medical abortion, you must visit a health professional. If you use mifepristone abortion pills and misoprostol abortion pills, you will typically receive your dose of mifepristone at the health clinic. You will then return home and take your dose of misoprostol 24 to 72 hours after you had the mifepristone dose. The passage of foetal tissue will take place in your own home. A lot of women prefer this type of abortion to surgical abortions carried out in clinics, since they can have the abortion in the comfort of their own home. After two weeks, you should return to the clinic for a check up. It is important to determine that the abortion has been fully completed.
It is highly recommended to have someone you trust with you during a medical abortion, such as a spouse, a family member or a close friend. Severe bleeding is an uncommon, but potentially life threatening side effect if left untreated. It is therefore extremely important that you seek immediate medical attention if you experience severe bleedings. A bleeding larger than you normal menstruation is common, but if you loose a lot of blood and become weak you need medical attention.
When you use mifepristone abortion pills and misoprostol abortion pills, the abortions consists of two stages. The active ingredient named mifepristone will block progesterone in your body; a hormone that is required to maintain a pregnancy. This will cause the uterine lining to shed and your cervix will soften. It is not uncommon to start bleeding during this stage; some women experience slight spotting while others experience a bleeding that is similar to a heavy period. When you take misoprostol, you will enter the second stage of the abortion. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and will eventually provoke a miss carriage. During this stage of the medical abortion, the bleeding is usually much heavier than during the initial stage and you will also typically experience cramps and significant clotting.
Always follow the exact instructions given by your particular health care provider and the manufacturer of your specific brand of abortion pills, since those instructions can vary from the general guidelines and facts brought forward in this article.
