How does an Abortion Pill work? The abortion pill is a medicine that ends an early pregnancy.

In general, it is used up to 63 days 9 weeks after the first day of a woman s last period. !omen who need an abortion and are more than 9 weeks pregnant can ha"e an in#clinic abortion. The name for $the abortion pill$ is mifepristone. It was called %&#'(6 when it was being de"eloped. )oth abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, are usually used in order to terminate a pregnancy. *ifepristone causes the embryo to detach from the uterus thereby cutting off essential nutrients and o+ygen carried by the blood. *isoprostol is then taken otherwise and triggers the e"acuation of the embryo remnants through the "agina. This often appears as a hea"y period. It is ad"isable that you consult with your medical practitioner for a further understanding of how the abortion pill works. ,o, Is It ,afe? -es. . recent /rinceton &ni"ersity study found that less than 0 percent of women who take it e+perience any serious medical side effects. In rare cases, bacteria can make its way into your cer"i+ and cause an infection, but there s no e"idence that the pill causes that. !omen who ha"e abortions don t suffer long#term psychological trauma either, although your hormones and emotions will probably be all o"er the place, e"en if you are sure of your decision. $/repare for a feeling of loss before relief sets in,$ says 1arin 2oldstein, a family psychologist in 3... Try to find a confidant who will support##not 4udge##you and help you mo"e on. 5ow 6ffecti"e Is the .bortion /ill? -ou can feel confident in knowing that medication abortion with the abortion pill is "ery effecti"e. It works about 97 out of e"ery 088 times. -ou ll follow up with your health care pro"ider after your abortion so you can be sure that it worked and that you are well. ,ome of the medicines used in medication abortion may cause serious birth defects if the pregnancy continues. ,o, in the unlikely case that it doesn t work, you will need to ha"e an aspiration abortion to end the pregnancy. !hat 5appens 9uring a *edication .bortion? It s common for women to be ner"ous about ha"ing a medication abortion or any other medical

procedure. )ut many of us feel better if we know what to e+pect. -our health care pro"ider will talk with you and answer your :uestions. 5ere s a general idea of how it works and what to e+pect. )efore taking the abortion pill, you will need to discuss your options talk about your medical history ha"e laboratory tests ha"e a physical e+am. This usually includes an ultrasound. read and sign papers -ou will also be gi"en a medication guide, instructions, and other information to take home with you, including a ;'#hours#a#day, se"en#days#a#week telephone number you can call if you ha"e any :uestions or concerns. *edication abortion is a process that begins immediately after taking the abortion pill. There are three steps< ,T6/ =>6 T56 .)=%TI=> /I33 -our health care pro"ider will gi"e you the abortion pill at the clinic. -ou will also be gi"en some antibiotics to start taking after the abortion pill. The abortion pill works by blocking the hormone progesterone. !ithout progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down, and pregnancy cannot continue. ,T6/ T!= *I,=/%=,T=3 -ou will take a second medicine misoprostol. It causes the uterus to empty. -ou and your health care pro"ider will plan the timing and place for the second step. -ou ll take the second medicine up to three days after taking the abortion pill. -our health care pro"ider will gi"e you instructions on how and when to take the second medicine. The second medicine misoprostol will cause you to ha"e cramps and bleed hea"ily. ,ome women may begin bleeding before taking the second medicine. )ut for most, the bleeding and cramping begin after taking it. It usually lasts a few hours. -ou may see large blood clots or tissue at the time of the abortion. *ore than half of women abort within four or fi"e hours after taking the second medicine. ?or others, it takes longer. )ut most women abort within a few days. It s normal to ha"e some bleeding or spotting for up to four weeks after the abortion. -ou may use sanitary pads or tampons. )ut using pads makes it easier to keep track of your bleeding.

5ow 9oes *edication .bortion ?eel? ?or most women, medication abortion is like an early miscarriage. It is normal for you to ha"e bleeding and cramping. -ou might also feel di@@y feel strong cramps feel nauseous or "omit ha"e diarrhea feel temporary abdominal pain ha"e temporary mild fe"er or chills .cetaminophen Alike TylenolB or ibuprofen Alike .d"ilB can reduce most of these symptoms. 9o not take aspirin. -ou may feel more at ease if you ha"e a trusted lo"ed one with you during the abortion. ,T6/ T5%66 ?=33=!#&/ -ou will need to follow up within two weeks. ?ollow#up is important to make sure your abortion is complete and that you are well. -ou will need an ultrasound or blood test. In the unlikely e"ent that you are still pregnant, your health care pro"ider will discuss your options with you. It s likely you will need to ha"e an aspiration abortion if the medication abortion did not end the pregnancy. *ost women can ha"e a medication abortion safely. )ut all medical procedures ha"e some risks, so safety is a concern. %are, but possible risks include an allergic reaction to either of the pills incomplete abortion part of the pregnancy is left inside the uterus failure to end the pregnancy infection blood clots in the uterus undetected ectopic pregnancy "ery hea"y bleeding *ost often, these complications are simple to treat with medicine or other treatments. *edical abortion< The abortion pill after 9 weeks

?irst appointment . healthcare professional will gi"e you the abortion pill to swallow while you are in the clinic. -ou may then lea"e the clinic. *ost women can carry on their usual li"es at home or work but you may ha"e some bleeding and period#like pains. -ou may ha"e nausea or "omiting. If you "omit within one and a half hours of taking the pill, please inform the clinic as soon as possible, as the tablet may not ha"e been absorbed. ,econd appointment -ou will either return to the same bpas clinic or "isit a different bpas clinic 0 or ; days later. -ou will be admitted and tablets of misoprostol will be placed into your "agina. -ou may insert these tablets yourself or ha"e a healthcare professional insert them for you. . nurse will be in attendance and your progress will be monitored. -ou can rest in bed or be up and about as you wish. The misoprostol tablets will cause you to ha"e cramps and bleeding. This usually starts about ; hours after the misoprostol is placed, but may start sooner. -ou may need pain medicine, which we will pro"ide. The misoprostol will be repeated e"ery 3 hours, until the abortion is complete. *any women will only re:uire 0 or ; doses of the misoprostol before the abortion happens, but it can take longer. -ou may need to stay o"ernight. If you ha"e not completed the abortion after C doses of misoprostol then you will rest for 0; hours before starting again. -ou may see large blood clots or the pregnancy at the time of the abortion. The nurse will try to make sure that you see "ery little, but sometimes this is not possible as e"ents can be rapid. ,ometimes the placenta does not come out at the time of deli"ery. In this case, you may need more misoprostol or need to be taken to the operating theatre. =n rare occasions you will need to be transferred to a local >5, hospital for further treatment. ItDs normal to ha"e some bleeding or spotting for up to ' weeks after the abortion. -ou should use sanitary pads as it makes it easier to keep track of your bleeding. ,ide effects ?or most women, medical abortion is like a miscarriage. It is normal for you to ha"e bleeding and cramping. -ou might also<

feel di@@y feel nauseous or ha"e to "omit ha"e a headache ha"e diarrhoea ha"e temporary flushes or sweats . nurse will be with you at all times and will gi"e you medicine to help control any side effects or pain you might ha"e. 1ontact us and you will get the best among the best abortion care. ?or more information on medical abortions "isit http<EEdramoswomensclinic.co.@aEmedical# abortion.html .bortion pills http<EEwww.dramoswomensclinic.co.@aEabortions#pills.html ,afe abortions http<EEwww.dramoswomensclinic.co.@aEsafe#abortion.html ,ymptoms of pregnancy http<EEwww.dramoswomensclinic.co.@aEsymptoms#of#pregnancy.html Termination of pregnancy http<EEwww.dramoswomensclinic.co.@aEtermination#of#pregnancy.html .bortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed in ,outh .frica each year. *ore than '8F of all women will end a pregnancy by abortion at some time in their reproducti"e li"es. !e use tested abortion pills and we do womb cleaning as well..t "ery low costs