Abortion with pills
Abortion with pills
There are 3 abortion methods recognized as safe methods by the World Health Organization:
- Dilation and evacuation
- Manual Vacuum Aspiration
- Medical abortion (with pills)
How to abort with the abortion pills?
There are two options for medical abortion. Both ways are very effective:
You can use either Mifepristone combined with Misoprostol, or you can use Misoprostol only.
How to use Mifepristone and Misoprostol
If you have in your possession both Mifepristone and Misoprostol:
- Take 1 dose of Mifepristone (200mg) with water
- Wait 24 hours (minimum) to 48 hours (maximum). While waiting, you can act normally as you would in your everyday life.
- Place 4 pills of Misoprostol (200mcg each) under your tongue. Hold them for 30 minutes, without drinking or eating; after 30minutes, you can rinse your mouth with water and drink something. If you vomit during the 30 minutes that the misoprostol pills are under your tongue, it is likely they will not work. In this case, it is necessary to immediately repeat this step.
- You should begin bleeding within 3 hours after using the 4 misoprostol pills. The bleeding should be similar to or heavier than your normal menstrual period. It means that abortion is working.
- If you are 9-11 weeks pregnant or had little or no bleeding after 3 hours, repeat the previous step. If you still experience no bleeding after that, contact our friends on www.safe2choose.org or ask a doctor for help.
For more information, you can visit: https://www.howtouseabortionpill.org
How to use Misoprostol only
If you only have Misoprostol in your possession, you can proceed as followed:
- Place 4 pills of Misoprostol (200mcg each) under your tongue. Hold them for 30 minutes, without drinking or eating; after 30minutes, you can rinse your mouth with water and drink something. If you vomit during the 30 minutes that the misoprostol pills are under your tongue, it is likely they will not work. In this case, it is necessary to immediately repeat this step.
- Bleeding (similar or heavier than your normal period) should occur after 3-4 hours.
- Repeat step 1 with another 4 pills, wait 3 hours.
- All women between 9-11 weeks pregnant should proceed with the next step. If you are under 9 weeks pregnant and have had little or no bleeding after completing the previous step, proceed to the next one. If you are under 9 weeks pregnant and have had period-like bleeding (or more) after steps 1-2, you do not need to continue to the next step as the process is likely completed.
- Repeat step 1 with another 4 pills, wait 3 hours.
- At this point, you should have used 12 pills. If you observe no bleeding after 3 hours, contact our friends at www.safe2choose.org or ask a doctor for help.
If you need any more information, please visit: https://www.howtouseabortionpill.org/
When can I take the abortion pill?
Researches indicate that the abortion pill is recommended to be taken prior to 10 weeks of pregnancy (since your last menstruations). You can calculate how far along you are thanks to a pregnancy calculator.
If you are pregnant for more than 10 weeks, you might consider another safe abortion method called Manual Vacuum Aspiration.
Where can I get the abortion pill and how much does it cost?
You can get the abortion pill from a doctor, nurse or any health center. You may be able to get the abortion pill for free or at a low cost.
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Questions & Answers
For patient
A miscarriage is a natural or spontaneous termination of a pregnancy, meaning the body expels the pregnancy on its own without the aid of medicine or a surgical procedure. An abortion occurs when a procedure is done with the purpose of ending a pregnancy. With that said, the symptoms of a miscarriage and the symptoms of an abortion with pills are the same.
When a medical or a surgical abortion is done properly, they are very safe procedures. The risk of complication is less than 1% for medical abortion. If you choose to have a medical abortion you need to use high-quality abortion pills in the recommended way to have a safe and effective abortion.
The most common risks are hemorrhage (excessive bleeding) or infection. If you get medical care on time, a hemorrhage or an infection can be treated easily in most health centers.
If you want to buy abortion pills in a local pharmacy you may or may not need a doctor’s prescription. This will depend on the regulations where you live.
If you are not pregnant and you use abortion pills you may experience cramping and temporary side effects, but you will not experience bleeding. This will not harm your health in any way. Consider that if you use abortion pills without first confirming you are pregnant with a test and you do not bleed, it will not be possible to know if you were not pregnant or if the pills simply did not work.
The only effective way to use Mifepristone is by swallowing it. Misoprostol can be used effectively in 3 different ways:
Sublingual - Misoprostol pills should be placed under your tongue for 30 minutes. During that time the pills will be absorbed. Afterwards, you can swallow with water any remains of the pills.
Buccal - Misoprostol pills should be placed between your gums and cheeks for 30 minutes. During that time the pills will be absorbed. Afterwards, you can swallow with water any remains of the pills.
Vaginal - Misoprostol pills should be placed inside your vagina and remain there for 30 minutes. The pills are usually absorbed, but sometimes the pills come out of the vagina during the process. Also, sometimes Misoprostol can leave traces that can be visible for health staff if you need medical care.
You can eat and drink normally during the medical abortion. The only time it is not recommended to eat or drink is the 30 minutes while you have Misoprostol pills in your mouth. This is to avoid swallowing the pills by mistake.
It is not mandatory, nor necessary to use antibiotics during a medical abortion. Some people recommend using antibiotics to prevent infections after using abortion pills.
It is perfectly safe for you and your baby to continue breastfeeding while using abortion pills. Mifepristone and/or Misoprostol will not cause any side effects or harm in your baby and breastfeeding will not decrease the efficacy of the abortion.
Resting during a medical abortion is not mandatory, although it is recommended for you to be more comfortable.
If abortion pills did not terminate your pregnancy, you can try again or have a surgical abortion if this procedure is available where you live. To use abortion pills again it is recommended to wait 48 hours since the last time you used the pills.
If abortion pills successfully terminated the pregnancy most women will not need to use any extra medication, nor have any surgical procedure afterwards.
A safe abortion will not decrease your fertility. Many women successfully get pregnant after having an abortion.
You can have sex whenever you want after having an abortion. If you are still bleeding from the abortion it is best if you can use a condom to reduce the chance of getting an infection.