MOST  COMMON  QUESTIONS

Q. Is the abortion pill legal?

A.Yes, It is a legal, safe and effective method for terminating an early pregnancy

Q. Medical abortion is safe and effective in “early abortions”. What does it mean?

A. Early abortion is referred to a termination of pregnancy before 9 weeks or 63 days.

Q. My menstrual periods are irregular. How is it determined that I am a good candidate for a medical abortion?

A. All possible candidates for the abortion pill will have an ultrasound exam before any abortion pill is issued.

Q. How does the abortion pill work?

A. In simple words, Mifepristone separates the pregnancy from the wall of the uterus. In addition, Mifepristone makes the uterus very sensitive to the action of prostaglandin (Misoprostol) which produces uterine contractions and  finally evacuate the uterine content. The combination of Mefepristone-Misoprostol  is the most effective and safe regimen of medical abortion.

Q. How many pills I have to take?

A. You will take the abortion pill (mifepristone) in our center after the sonogram study. Additional 2 tablets (misoprostol) have to be taken 8 to 48 hours in the privacy of your house. Sometimes, the doctor will recommend you to insert 4 tablets of Misoprostol in your vagina in 48 hours after you took the abortion pill.

Q. I have RH negative blood. Can I have a medical abortion?

A. You can have a medical abortion if you are up to 63 days pregnant, regardless of your blood type and RH factor. However, you will need an anti-D globulin shot the same day you take the abortion pill. It cost is about 90 to 100 dollars additionally.

Q. Can I take any pain medication to avoid pain during the abortion process?

A. Yes, you can take 200 to 600 mg of ibuprofen successfully to avoid pain during the expulsion time of the abortion process. The use of ibuprofen is not contraindicated and does not decrease the likelihood of abortion.

Q. How much bleeding is expected with the abortion pill?

A. In general, the bleeding should be a little bit more than a regular menstrual period. However, during the actual abortion process which usually last two hours the patient will pass tissue, blood and sometimes 10 cents size blood clots. Then the bleeding tapers down. The majority of the patients do not experience heavy bleeding with the abortion pill and are happy with their choice.

Q. How much bleeding is too much? Give me a reference.

A. First of all, your sense of well being must be present at all times. You should not feel like you are going to faint. You are bleeding heavy if you are passing blood clots larger than 25 cents and you are soaking through 3 pads per hour for 2 hours in a row.  Inform your physician immediately and visit the closest emergency room. Very rarely, medical abortion patients might need  blood transfusion and a Dilatation-Curettage in the office or in the hospital. The statistics shows that less than 10 in 1,000 will require vacuum aspiration in 6 hours following misoprostol.

Q. Why do I need a follow-up visit in 2 weeks?

A. A second ultra-sound exam is necessary to certify that your uterus is completely empty.  In addition take advantage of your visit to discus with your doctor about contraception.

Q. Can I shorten the medical abortion time?

A. Under regular  circumstances the first abortion pill (mifepristione) is taken in the office follow by misoprostol tablets 48 hours later. This is the standard regimen. It is possible to shorten the time of the medical  abortion  by inserting misoprostol tablets in the vagina between 8 to 25 hours after taking the abortion pill (mifepristone) The results are pretty similar to the classical regimen according to recent research studies.

Q. Which is the correct dosage 200 or 600 mg. 200 or 600 mg of mifepristone?

A. Current published  research supports the use of mifepristone by mouth in a  dose of 200 or 600 mg. Clinical trials demonstrate no difference in efficacy between the two dosages; thus, the lower dose should be used because it is less expensive.

Q. I have a family emergency. Can I take misoprostol 60 hours after I took mifepristone?

A. Yes, you could take safely the Misoprostol up to 72 hours after the abortion pill (mifepristyone). However, you have up to 50 % chances of experiencing  small vaginal bleeding after 48 hours. Please take your misoprostol tablets as soon as you can as long as it is within the 72 hours frame above-indicated.

Q. I suffer fro asthma for many years. At this time, I am on corticosteroids. Can I have a medical abortion?

A. Mifepristone (the abortion pill) has not been demonstrated clinically to affect asthma. But severe asthmatic patients may require chronic corticosteroid use and unfortunately it contraindicates mifepristone use.

Q. The abortion pill has been successfully used in Europe and China since 1988. Why did USA delay its approval until 2001?

A. Clinical testing of mifepristone as a medical abortion agent began in 1982, and by 1988, mifepriston was licensed in France for use in combination with misoprostol for early abortion. In the United States, laboratory and clinical researchers studied mifepristone up until 1989, when its import into United States was banned. This set us back because mifepristone was no longer available in the United States, even under research protocols.  Thanks to tremendous pressure from American women the FDA approved it for medical use in September 2001.