How Safe is the Abortion Pill?

How Safe is the Abortion Pill?


Unwanted or unplanned pregnancies are a fact of life; they do happen, and for many reasons, it is not possible for many women to have a child or be able to care for the baby once it is born. Abortion pills administered under medical supervision are a safer way to end a pregnancy; but it is also a better option compared to a surgical abortion, for pregnancies less than nine weeks.

The use of abortion pills are not void of potential complications, and abortion procedures should never be considered as an acceptable alternative to contraception.

This procedure is conducted in two sessions. The first pill is administered to the patient in the medical office; after two days, the second medication is taken which causes the uterine wall to contract, resulting in the pregnancy tissue being expelled. Doses of the second medication are given in the second session, and a week later, another dose of medication is administered for more uterine contractions to take place, to expel the pregnancy tissue.

People make the common error of confusing the abortion pill with the morning after pill, though these are not at all the same. The morning after pills prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex; the abortion pills terminate an established pregnancy.

Safe abortion pills are not totally without their share of doubts and controversies as with any medical intervention, but the World Health Organization has approved of this procedure as an effective and safe method of terminating pregnancy, as the rate of maternal death is very low.  It is also a less expensive and less invasive option.


Women are advised against the abortion pills in certain cases for the sake of their health and safety. If they suffer from severe anemia, adrenal failure, inherited porphyria or diarrhea, and in certain other cases, the abortion pills are not a viable option.

Before a patient embarks on this procedure, she needs to be counseled and provided with guidelines and information. Certain safety criteria have to be followed for this procedure to be successful.

First, it has to be established that a pregnancy exists. An ultra sound has to be conducted to determine the length of the pregnancy because if the pregnancy is nine weeks or more, taking abortion pills has to be avoided due to complications that may result.

The patient must be able to give her informed consent and she must be willing to undergo the procedure. It is necessary for her to have access to a telephone and proper transportation. She should be living within two hours from a hospital, and she must be prepared for follow up visits to the abortion clinic. In the rare case of the abortion pill failing, she must be agreeable to a surgical abortion.

There is the risk of heavy vaginal bleeding with this procedure, and surgical intervention may be required for a very small percentage of women, to complete the abortion process.

As with the case of all medical interventions, the safety of abortion pills can be only comparative and not definitive, and neither should it be ever conducted without proper medical supervision.

Abortion Pill or Surgery: Making the Best Choice

If you are in the early stages and wish to end a pregnancy, the next question is to choose the kind of abortion that is right for you and your personal circumstances. This is of course, largely a matter of individual choice. More and more women are beginning to believe that using the abortion pill has distinct advantages.  It does have many advantages; however, there are certain limitations to be considered. Below is a comparison between having a medical abortion with the use of medications and an abortion procedure performed with surgery in a clinic setting.

The most important fact to consider for having a medical abortion is the length of the pregnancy.  If a patient is beyond eight weeks pregnant, the pills are no longer a reliable option. Medical abortion attempted beyond eight weeks will almost always fail and a surgical procedure will then become necessary. Because of this, physicians will not dispense the medications used for a medical abortion. On the other hand, patients have the option of a surgical aspiration abortion which can be performed any time up to twelve weeks, with a success rate of 99%.

If both the options of using the pill or having the surgical procedure are possible, a patient may want to consider how many visits to the clinic will be necessary. For a surgical abortion, only one visit is required, which will last from three to four hours. The abortion by itself will take less than five minutes. For an abortion induced by pills, two visits within a three to four day period will be necessary. Patients are given the first medication to ingest on the first day; and will need to return to the clinic for the follow-up pill. Both options require a check-up visit which must be within a few weeks of the procedure.

Patients will want to consider the degree of discomfort they will experience with either of the options they choose. It will be very similar in both cases: They will feel mild to moderate cramping sensations when the tissue is expelled. With the pills, the cramping may last for up to three hours; with the surgical procedure, it will last less then fifteen minutes. In either case, patients will be given pain medication if required.

As far as costs are considered, the abortion pill procedure will usually cost about half as much as the cost of an aspiration abortion. Costs may vary among the different states and the facility chosen.  For each procedure, the actual rate will depend on the length of the pregnancy.

Additionally, the recovery time differs with both procedures. Patients who have the surgical procedure usually only experience cramping during and for a short time following the procedure. Cramping and bleeding may last for several days with the medical abortion.


The type of abortion used will depend on each individual patient’s personal preference and her eligibility for the different types.  Remember that the abortion pill procedure is no longer a viable option after the eighth week of pregnancy. When you visit a clinic, you will be offered more information about your options, the procedures, follow-up care, and skilled professionals will care for you at every step, to help you make the best possible choice.


Abortion Pills – Some of the Lesser Known Facts

Medical Abortion is the easiest and safest method of terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Due to its ease of use and high percentage of safety it is rapidly becoming the preferred choice. Medical Abortion is achieved by inducing the abortion process with the use of one or a combination of medications. At Legal Abortion by Pill Clinic we provide low cost, safe medical abortions by physicians who are experts in this field.

Medical Abortion is a very effective method of terminating a pregnancy that is 8 weeks or less. Although it can be used to terminate pregnancy beyond 8 weeks, the success rate decreases as the number of weeks advance. Medical Abortion is not recommended for women who suffer from serious heart, kidney and liver ailments, or for those with HIV or blood clotting disorders.

RU-486 is the most commonly and legally used abortion pill prescribed throughout the world today. The term RU is derived from Roussel Uclaf, which is the name of the pharmaceutical company that developed RU486, and the number 486 stands for the lab serial number where it was manufactured. Another interesting fact is that this highly recommended and most often used abortion pill is a combination of 2 medicines, mifepristone and misoprostol and it is most widely recognized under the brand name Mifeprex.

The abortion pill has been legalized in many European countries and has been widely   and effectively used in Great Britain, Sweden and France since the 1980’s. Unfortunately, it is still not being made available to women in Italy. In the United States, following a full decade of controversy, this pill was finally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2000. Since then, it has become quite popular and more and more women are preferring this method for terminating pregnancy. In many third world countries such as India, the abortion pill was only recently legalized in February 2002.

Another fact that requires clarification is the difference between the abortion pill and the morning-after pill. Often, the two are confused. It should be recognized that the morning-after pill is a contraceptive and not an abortifacient. The former needs to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse while the latter can be taken within the first 49 days of pregnancy for most effective results. The morning after pill contraceptives are easily available and do not require medical supervision, but the medical abortion requires the care and consultation of a physician to monitor its effectiveness and any possible complications that may arise.

Another lesser known fact is that originally, only one abortion pill medication was administered vaginally. This, however, resulted in certain bacterial infections at the site of insertion. Following further analysis, it was determined that using the combination of two medications taken orally would be as effective, but produce fewer side effects. One of the medications is taken during the initial office visit with the physician and the other is taken in 48 hours, and can be taken by the patient at home or other location of her choosing.



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