Abortion Pill / Abortion Tablet – what you need to know

Had unprotected sex with a male partner and missed your period? First thing is that you should not stress yourself. Get a home pregnancy test kit and check if you are pregnant. The kits that are available today can detect pregnancy as soon as you miss your period. If you didn’t get your period and if the pregnancy test kit shows negative, you need to wait for a week to test again and in the mean time, you may get your period if you are not pregnant.

What if the test kit confirms your pregnancy that you don’t want? Typically what people do is to search online for ‘How to abort pregnancy at home?’, ‘Medicines to abort pregnancy’ etc. However, our advise to you is, consulting a good gynecologist near you is the best possible thing you can do to abort your pregnancy. Aborting pregnancy using medicines that you find online (including this article) or self abortion can lead to certain complications which you can easily avoid with one visit to your gynaecologist’s clinic before commencing the abortion with pills procedure.

How does abortion pills / tablets work?

There are two medicines that are used in aborting early pregnancy:

1. Mifepristone
2. Misoprostol

These medicines should be used before completing the 9^th week of pregnancy. If you are under the supervision of a doctor, then he/she may recommend the medicines (with varying dosage) even during the 10^th week.

Step 1 – You need to first take Mifepristone. Mifepristone terminates the growth of foetus inside the womb/uterus.

Step 2 – Then you need to take Misoprostol. Misoprostol initiates contractions of the uterus that will push out the uterus lining and the foetus. Your doctor may suggest you to either take Misoprostol along with Mifepristone or after 48 hours.

After taking Misoprostol, cramps and bleeding typically starts within 4 hours. This is like an induced miscarriage where the periods will be very heavy due to the dropping of thickened uterus lining and the foetus.  Everything should clear in about 4 or 5 hours and you need to be in a very comfortable place where you have access to washroom to clean up and change your pads as and when needed. If the pain is unbearable, you can take ibuprofen but not aspirin or disprin related medicines. Aspirin will increase the bleeding.

Once the bleeding stops, you need to contact your gynaecologist for a check up. Post check up, you will be all set to return to regular activities including having sex with your partner.

What can you expect after you induce abortion with pills?

1. Severe abdominal cramps and pain
2. Heavy bleeding, surely much more than your regular periods. (This is due to the fact that endometrial layer thickens as the foetus grows).
3. Nausea or vomiting
4. Diarrhoea
5. Tiredness or Fatigue.
6. Slight increase in body temperature.

When you should call your doctor immediately during abortion with pills?

1. You have taken Misoprostol but not having any cramps in 4 hours.
2. If your bleeding doesn’t stop or reduce in 4 to 5 hours after it starts.
3. If you think or see that your body temperature is very high.
4. If you are not able to tolerate the pain even after ibuprofen.

If everything goes well, you can take a shower with warm water and see your gynaecologist after your bleeding stops.

Some frequently asked questions about abortion pill

1. Will regular periods get affected after aborting with pills?

Abortion will start a new period cycle. You should have normal periods from 4^th week after aborting with pills.

2. When can you have sex after aborting?

Once the bleeding clears up and after you are feeling alright, you are ready to have fun again.

3. Want to go on birth control pills, when is the right time after aborting?

Your gynecologist will be the right person to answer this question. Talk to your doctor when you can start putting yourself on birth control pills.

4. Can you breast feeding when you go on abortion pills?

The medicine in the abortion pills can get into the breast milk. Please talk to your gynecologist and take his/her advice.

5. Is abortion with pills safe?

Most of the times, it is safe and the best bet you can put is, taking the pills after talking to your gynecologist.

6. How effective are abortion pills?

The efficiency of abortion pills depends on when you are taking them. If you are taking them less than 8 weeks, the effectiveness is around 95 -98%.  If you are taking the pills at around 9^th week, the effectiveness drops to 94-96%. In case if you are over 9 weeks of pregnancy, the odds drop to less than 90 but your gynecologist may prescribe a different dosage to get that success rate to 98%.