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Mifepristone..."The Abortion Pill": The Facts
Biology 103
2000 First Web
Report
On Serendip
Mifepristone..."The Abortion Pill": The Facts
Sujatha Sebastian
On September 28, 2000 the Food and Drug Administration after several years of research approved Mifepristone, better known as the "abortion pill", for distribution in the United States. The FDA's decision will have a definite impact on women's health care in the United States. There will be social and medical repercussions. The drug has caused controversy not only in antiabortion groups, but in Pro-Choice groups as well. Critics are worried that an abortion available in pill form will be "too easy". They are worried that use of the pill will be abused. What many people do not realize is that while Mifepristone will be beneficial to women's health care, it is not without side effects. In light of all the recent coverage that the "abortion pill" has been given in the media, and all the misinformation surrounding it, I decided researching that Mifepristone would be interesting and helpful. The purpose of my paper is to discover how Mifepristone works, how it is administered, and to look at its side effects. I want to demonstrate the benefit Mifepristone will be to women's health care, while showing that it is not an "easy" solution to abortion."Mifepristone, formerly known as RU-486, is a medical alternative to aspiration abortion."(1) It works by blocking progesterone from being absorbed into the uterus. When this happens the uterus sheds the endometrium (lining in the uterus, therefore inducing menstruation. (2 When Mifepristone is used as a method for abortion is it administered as part of a three step process. The first step is that 200 mg of Mifepristone is given orally in a doctor's office. Then within 24 to 48 hours the patient is given 400 mg a drug called Misoprostol either orally or in a suppository form. Misoprostol, which is a synthetic hormone, is used to get the cervix to soften and dilate as well as getting the uterus to relax. The embryo is then expelled.(2) This is supposed to happen approximately fours hours after the administration of the drug. The final step is an examination by a medical professional to make sure the abortion is complete. (2)
There are restrictions as to who can use this medical method of abortion. It is only intended for women to use up to nine weeks after their last menstruation period. Women who are under 18 or over 35, epileptic, diabetics, or suffering from heart, lung, kidney, liver, stomach or intestinal disorders are ineligible. As are women who have taken steroids within the past 12 months, or deemed overweight or a heavy smoker. Women who have used an IUD or hormonal contraceptive within three months prior to conception are not allowed to take Mifepristone as well.(2)
Like any drug or medical method there are side effects to using Mifepristone and Misoprostol. It is the number of side effects and degree of each that critics argue about. The FDA has determined that taking Mifepristone does cause various degrees of pain. Short term physical effects can be pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue.(2) There are psychological side effects as well. In some cases products of the conception are visualized. (3)
The use of Mifepristone will have a definite impact on reproductive freedom in this country and the world. (3) It is seen as less invasive procedure which gives the woman more freedom and privacy. In the United States it has been reported by the Alan Guttmacher Institute that eighty-nine percent of the abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Mifepristone will allow women another option to terminate a pregnancy in its early stages. (2) Twenty-four percent of the world's population lives in places where abortion is not legal. (3) As a result a significant population of women perform their own abortions or receive illegal abortions which kills them. The medical method of abortion would allow women in these areas of the world to receive a safe method of abortion.
A major issue that critics of Mifepristone have is that they feel that the drug will allow abortions to become "too easy". But the drug is only administered in a medical office and requires at least three visits. The last visit is an examination to see that the abortion is complete and that the mother is in good health. Before the patient is given Mifeprex tablets (Mifepristone) she must sign an agreement in which she acknowledges that there are side effects, that there is a three step process, and that 5 to 8 women out of every hundred do not have successful medical abortions and need surgical abortions . (5) Critics worry that the drug will cause an increase in the number of women who have abortions. Supporters of the drug cite the fact that in France, where the drug is manufactured and was first administered, there has not been an increase in the abortion rate. (2)
Mifepristone will change the way that abortions are administered. This method gives a woman more autonomy and does not require her to go through surgical procedure. It can also prevent pregnancy by taken as soon as a day after she has had intercourse. This new method will allow more women to have access to safe abortions. Mifepristone opens the door to a new area of medicine in which previously surgical procedures are now approached in a medical manner. Whether in support of or against Mifepristone one has to recognize the new technology the drug represents.
One of the problems I had when researching information was finding unbiased information. Both pro and anti Mifepristone groups used "research" and statistics to their benefit. Distinguishing the difference between opinion and fact was difficult. This is especially true because there is not a lot of accurate information about Mifepristone published by reliable sources. This is due to the fact that Mifepristone has just recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Mifepristone that will be beneficial to women's health care and medicine. But one must realize that it is not without side effects and cannot be seen as an "easy" solution to abortion.
WWW Sources
1)www.plannedparenthood.org/mifepristone.html, Mifepristone2)www.rascalnut.com/naral.ohio/RU486.html, The Facts about Mifepristone (RU 486)
3)www.mja.com.au/public/issues/sep15/henshaw/henshaw.html, Mifepristone
4)http://jinx.sis.unsw.edu.au/~greenlft/1994/137/137p28htm, "Abortion Pill": A Woman's Right to Choose by, Kath Gelber
5)www.popcouncil.orgrhpdev/mifeprex/patient%5Fagreement.html,The Patient Agreement Mifeprex (Mifepristone) Tablets
6) www.pages.map.com/lroberge/ru486.htm, RU486: The Hidden Effects by Lawrence F. Roberge
6) www.nrlc.org/ru486/propsedFDAregs.html, RU486 *Please note that some of the sources read during my research were from biased sources (the National Right to Life Committee web site for example). Facts were not used from these sources in my paper. These sources were instead used to discover the arguments anti-Mifepristone groups had and to see the false information they were publishing about the drug.
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08/06/2005, from a Reader on the Web I took that pill and almost blead to death now i have have to say it's not as easy as it sounds it is very painful like child birth but more blooder atleast for me i now have endromitrious and may have to have my women parts removed i had nothing before i took those pills i'm 37 so i'm just saying better think it out before you take it because it's dangerious i have a son who is 18 it was easier for me to have him then go through childbirth than taking those pills becuse i'm still not well and it has been 7 months
For what it's worth, I though I'd share my personal experience using Mifepristone almost a month ago.. After having made the difficult choice to abort, I learned of this pill as an alternative option to having the traditional surgical procedure. Of course, as anyone would, I opted to try the pill because it seemed -less- painful and was something I could do in the privacy of my own home. After having been given the first pill, Mifepristone, at the doctors office on a Friday afternoon, I finished out my day at work with minimal side-effects at that point. The Mifepristone made me slightly sick to my stomach, but compared to the ongoing morning sickness I'd been going through, it wasn't so bad. (ha ha) Misoprostol was the next step, given to me in the form of 4 tablets, to be inserted vaginally myself at home. I was also given a full bottle of Vicodin, as well as a bottle of 800mg Ibuprophen for the pain the doctor anticipated I would encounter (this worried me a little). Late Satuday afternoon, I'd say around 4:30pm, scared to death not knowing what to expect once everything started, and knowing I couldn't turn back now, I inserted the tablets and took 1 Vicodin as directed. About 30 minutes from the time I did this I began to have cramping comparable to what you would feel during a typical menstrual period.. but not for long. Within an hour I had severe cramping.. I'd been warned the pain could equal that of actual child-birth contractions, and this must have been it. (I've never had a child, so I can only imagine) I was to the point of feeling like I would pass out if the pain didn't let up when I passed the first, and largest, portion of what -was- the pregnancy.. Many people will tell you that all you'll see is blood and clots, and it's unlikely anything will look like actual tissue.. but mine sure did.. Large masses of gray tissue were expelled for the following numerous hours. Somewhere close to midnight that night I felt relief enough to know it was over.. or so I thought. 4 days after this, while I -should- have been feeling more or less back to normal, I began to experience increasing pain in my abdomen. I called and spoke with my doctor about this, but felt as though she didn't seem concerned at all. No more than 2 hours after hanging up the phone I developed a fever that shot through the roof out of nowhere, and my heart began beating unbelieveably TOO fast. The "increasing pain" in my abdomen now had me laying in bed, hardly able to move. I called my mother who left work and rushed to my home to get me. I couldn't even get out of bed to let her in when she arrived I hurt so bad. I ended up in the emergency room that afternoon with a heartbeat of 143 beats/min.. (Check your own and then you'll see just how high 143 is) and a 103 temperature I ended up fighting to keep away for the next 4 days. To make a long story short, that first afternoon I spent over 8 hours in a treatment room in the emergency area before they got my vitals under control and discovered the cause of everything.. The abortion pill I used began attacking my own body in a sense, and began a horrendous infection in my uterus. In the end I spent a week in the hospital on 3 of the most potent anti-biotics available, as well as some heavy-duty narcotic pain killers, while specialists from the surrounding hospitals kept watch over me constantly. It's now been almost a month since then, and I still have to have blood work done, as well as ultrasounds every now and then to keep monitoring my recovery. I have constant sharp pains in my abdomen and have been told the scar tissue left over from the infection may now keep me from becoming pregnant in the future.. It's all so much to deal with, and honestly, I don't think I've come to terms with everything yet. It still feels like a bad dream. Regardless of my experience with the pill and side effects it caused me, I can still step back and look at the broad picture of things.. The majority of women who use this method have no problems, and for them, this is a good way to go. I really do think it's a better choice for most, than to have the surgical abortion.. BUT - be warned.. It's not "easy" using the pill, and there's no way to know how you're body will react to it. I never knew I'd go through the things I did because of it. This is definitely not something to be looked at as the "new contraceptive" either, as some are saying. It's so risky, putting your body through something like this. It could take a toll on you that will effect the rest of your life. Like me.. Will I ever be able to have kids after everything that happened? Every woman out there should begin by being aware of how to avoid an unwanted pregnancy from the start. Such as life happens, and most protection only offers 99.9% effectiveness, we forget that's NOT 100%.. If you still become pregnant and choose to abort, do your homework.. read about all possibilities, and all side effects for each.. then decide what's best for you. I think the pill is a great option.. but be careful, it's certainly not without it's flaws.
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| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
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Comments
The abortion pill
I found out i was pregnant about two weeks ago. Me and my partner knew straight away that we couldnt keep it as ive only just had my daughter a few months ago and he had just lost his job, so it really wouldnt be fair to bring another child into this world. I had the coil fitted a few months back and it didnt work, so we were really shocked when i got pregnant. I booked myself into the doctors for the next morning and we explained our situation to him, he then transferred me to the bpas clinic. I had to wait a three days for the appointment, which was on a thursday. Me and my partner went the clinic together not really knowing what to expect. I got called in to speak someone, they just asked my situation and all my details and what type of abortion i wanted. I said i wanted the medical abortion and she then told me what it involved. I then had a scan done by a nurse who told me i was around 5-6 weeks pregnant, she then took my blood pressure and a small blood sample from my thumb. The final thing i had to do was see a doctor who explained everything in more detail for me, such as what to expect and pain relief and then she booked me in to take the first tablet on monday morning. The clinic was really nice and the staff were friendly, the only thing i didnt like was the fact my partner wasnt allowed in he had to wait in waiting room. We left the clinic feeling happy we had made the right choice. We then went back to the clinic on monday, where they gave me the first on the pills to take we then went home. I had no side affects from taking this i felt completely normal. I had no sickness, bleeding or cramps. I came home and found this website after reading some of the stories on here i was so scared for the following day i didnt sleep at all that night. I arrived at the clinic the next day to have the second lot of tablets inserted vaginally by the nurse. She told me about my pain relief and how best to take it and i also got perscribed some anti biotics. I then went straight home and got into bed after taking some nurofen. I then feel asleep and woke up at about half four, two hours after inserting the pills. I woke up with really mild period pains so i took two codeine as i axpected them to get alot worse after reading peoples stories on here and i also applied a heat pad. I had started bleeding at this point just like a normal period. I then went to the toilet where i passed a big clot. It is the next morning now as i am writing this, i slept all night ive had no bad pains or sickness infact i feel completely normal just like im on my period. Everytime im going the toilet im passing small clots,which they said might happen. For anybody that is going to take this pill dont be scared everybody is different. I got myself all worked up and it hasnt been a bad experience at all.
coil -- are you talking about
coil -- are you talking about essure, or that method of tubal ligation that involves a wire coil in the fallopian tube?
I asked about that because I want a permanent method of birth control, but everything looks like it has a failure rate. The only 100% sure method would be hysterectomy, and they won't do that for bc purposes. :(
USE CONDOMS!!!
I took the pill and I must be a lucky one compared to the stories I just read. I took the first dosage in the office and the prescribed antibiotic that evening with my dinner. I felt fine that whole day as my doc appoint was at 9am and I took the first dosage at 11:20am. The next day took another antibiotic with my breakfast, then about 11:00am I took a Vicodin for pain and the prescribed medicine I was given was vomiting then about 11:30am as instructed by the doctor I inserted the four pills vaginally.I followed the directions to the T. about an hour later I experienced cramping comparable to a menstrual cramp then a wave of heat came over my body and the heavy cramping started. I am not gonna lie the cramps do hurt but the Vicodin helps so by all means take all the medicines you are given. For about the next 3 hours I was hot and cold and in and out of the bed running to the toilet because it feels like you have to have a bowel movement. I was passing blood and tissue and clots I didn't look closely in the toilet so I can't share that experience I just wanted it to be over. It was very uncomfortable. I didn't really bleed through in maxi pads although I was wearing one just in case. I was feverish and hot and cold and faint throughout the whole ordeal. Finally about the end of the 3rd hour beginning of 4th hour I began to vomit about at least 4 times so I was basicallly hugging the toilet at this point. Once the vomiting stopped I felt a heck of a lot better. The cramping began to subside and I could sleep some will very mild cramps every now and then. I will NEVER do this AGAIN!!! It is not an easy experience as some people might think. For the next week I have to finish taking my antibiotics twice a day for a week. This step is most important because this helps to heal your body and prevent infection. Nothing can be inserted into the vagina for 3 weeks absolutely nothing!!! At the end of three weeks I go back to the clinic for a vaginal ultrasound to make sure the abortion is complete cause you can still be pregnant.
I had the first pill on
I had the first pill on Monday and am taking the second lot on Wednesday(tomorrow), and i wished i had done some research before taking the first pill. After reading about other women experiences on here it has scared me to death and i am regretting going with a medical abortion. I wish i had gone with the surgical. I am 20 years old and about 6+ weeks in. after taking the first pill i have had some very mild cramping, and tomorrow am expecting hell and dreading it :(
Hope
Hope you are feeling better !!
Bleeding to death
Hey everyone, I have been here reading everyones stories about the abortion pill, and it all sounds very scary. I just found out that i am pregnant, i did take the plan b pill after the condom broke and it obviously didnt work. I already have 2 boys who are under 3 and im very young and cannot afford to have another child. But my concern is after i had my 2 kids when my first period came around i bleed SOOO bad that i almost had to get a blood transfusion. After having bleeding problems like this do you guys think the same thing will happen with the abortion pill? im very scared and dont want to bleed to death and die, 3 strikes and your out right? someone please give me some hope! Also im catholic and dont want to go to fell for getting a abortion :(
If you have bleeding problems
If you have bleeding problems I would not risk it. Go the surgical route.
Very Afraid...
I was administered the first pill today and am to follow up with the remaining 4 tomorrow. I'm over 9 weeks and was warned that due to how far along I was that this would be painful. They even prescribed me extra strength vicodin and told me that I could take the ibuprofen with it. This scares the crap out of me. My tolerance for pain isn't very high. And my "condition" is a secret in my household. I'm afraid for the results especially after reading this. I'm going to tough it out and hope for the best...
Do Not Read Comments written before 2010
I became pregnant while using an IUD. It was inserted correctly, did not become imbedded, and should have been effective. My OBGYN has never seen anyone else come in pregnant this way. That being said, I'm 38 with two beautiful children and had decided NOT to have any more. The abortion pill seemed like the least invasive way to terminate this pregancy. I am 5 1/2 weeks along and have taken the first pill. I will be taking the last four pills this evening before going to bed because I don't want the kids to see me going through any pain.
I asked the woman at Planned Parenthood if she sees many horror stories like I've seen posted here. She said that they USED to happen more often several years ago when they still inserted the pills vaginally because of infection. Even then, the rate of infection was very low. Now she said that the rate of infection is lower than 0.1% because women take the pills orally.
24 hours into the first pill, I have some light bleeding and very little cramping. I went about my usual day yesterday and am going to do the same today.
I will update after tonight, but I am expecting things to go as planned (unlike my IUD).
Everything went fine. I took
Everything went fine. I took the pills at 10:30 that night and actually fell asleep for awhile. I woke up at midnight and started having some cramping. The cramping was fairly intense from 1:30 until 3:30... similar to early labor pains. During this time, I rested with a heating pad, took my pain pills and spent some time in the bathroom. I did not have any vomiting nor did I have any diarrhea. I had Mexican food that evening along with 2 margaritas, so it's not like I was eating a bland diet. I was able to go to sleep around 4:30 and have felt fine since. In fact, I drove 900 miles to visit my parents 3 days later. I had mild cramping for a couple of days, fairly heavy bleeding (like a period), and have had spotting for 5-6 days now. Everything went as described. I do think that being so early in the pregnancy helped. Just like anything, there will be horror stories, but they are definitely in the minority.
Promised myself
I promised myself I would post after my experience because some of these posts scared me before I did the medical abortion.
I took the first pill at the clinic and the antibiotic that night. I felt the same as I had before (tired and like fairies were tap dancing on my chest) then tried to get rest. The next day I had to wait until the late afternoon to take the 2nd round of pills (pain meds and anti-naseua (sp?) pills a half hour before...for the record, I don't know that the latter worked). I also had a heating pad, advil 800 and water ready. The cramps were hideous for about 2 hours (although the diarrhea might have contributed to the cramping) and I took the advil and sat on the toilet with the heating pad and pillow breathing through the cramps. A hot bath helped temporarily but overall I just suffered through it. It felt like forever but then all of a sudden., it was gone. I passed a lot of blood and then went to sleep. I feel fine now and am headed out of town for vacation. I wish I wouldn't eaten more blandly the day I took the second round of pills and that I took better pain pills earlier. Other than that, I am happy I did it this way and don't be afraid!
I took the misoprostol pill
I took the misoprostol pill at 2pm today. It is now after 8pm and I figured I'd come back and tell my story because I read these comments before I had the procedure done. I am not a big cramper, and I don't throw up easy so I thought this would pretty much be just a "bad" period and nothing too horrible. Well, during the four misoprostol pills dissolving in my mouth, I began feeling light/mild cramping. I tried getting a movie going and laying down with a heating pad, but instead I ended up puking all I had for breakfast. I puked at least 20 times and took two baths during the worst of the cramps. Three hours later I had my last bath (after puking) and the cramps were horrible. I swore I'd never do this again and I half had wished I could have done the surgical procedure. I ended up severly cramping to the point where I wanted to pass out for only about 10 minutes, but it felt longer. I passed out in the tub and when I woke up I felt WAY better. I got out and felt a gush of blood, I had passed the pregnancy. It's been 2 hours and I have napped on and off because of the drowsiness that the pain killers gave me. I know this is probably a scary story, but I wanted to tell everyone the truth. I am not pro-life and I am not pro-choice. To be honest, I NEVER thought I could do it until I got pregnant. It's a tough 3 hours to get through when you're puking and cramping the way I did, but as soon as it passed I felt a surge of relief. If I had to do it all over again, I would have still done the medical abortion because when I am in pain, I like to be alone at home. I liked having that option of taking a warm bath, it helped the pain and it helped me feel like I was in control of what was happening. This is not an easy process, emotionally or physically, but if it's something you have decided to do, you can do it! The 3 hours of pain will be worth it in the end. Keep hydrated and keep thinking positive. Good luck, everyone.
18 and took the 4 pills orally about 5 hours ago :/
I'm 18 and I believe I'm around 7 weeks into my pregnancy. I decided on the medical abortion because my only other experience was with the surgical procedure and it was too traumatizing for me. I have been experiencing morning sickness for about 3 weeks and it was horrible I didn't want to eat because everything sounded nauseating and then it would get even worse from being so hungry from not eating anything. Yesterday I finally had my appointment at the clinic and at first they thoght the ultra sound showed two sacks (twins) but it ended up being one sack and some blood? So I took the first pill and then drove home with my boyfriend and I felt fine just the usual nausea I'd been experiencing. Today at around 4pm I ate some peanut butter toast and then took an ibprofen. Not even 5 minutes after taking it my mouth started watering alot and I knew I had to puke and I did. I wasn't sur if I threw up the pill cause it felt like mostly water. So I put the four pills in between the left side of my cheek. I let them disolve for an hour then swollowed the remainings of the pills. I layed down and waited to start experiencing something, I wasn't sure what to expect. The cramps out of nowhere were extremely painful I was freaking out. I tried to take another ibprofen but I threw that one up too. The pain became absolutely unbearabl, I was pacing and crying and getting hot flashes. My poor boyfriend had no idea how to help me but he got me a wet cloth for my face and it felt nice. After a few more minutes I couldn't take the pain I Asked my boyfriend to take me to emergency and so we drove to the hospital and the whole way there I was praying to God to help me with the pain I never stopped praying the whole way there. By the time we got there I was like in my own world with my eyes closed trying to relax and just thanking God because my pain was pretty much gone. We sat in the parking lot of the hospital for a while and then he drove me home. I just went straight to our couch and sat there with my blanket and my eyes closed. I began feeling heavy bleeding so I went to the restroom to find my entire pad soaked. When I was sitting on the toilet so much blood came out of me it was small clots but so much blood it kinda freaked me out cause I was afraid of hemorraging. So now I'm just laying in bed bleeding ALOT hoping that's not what it is? I'm praying. If I would of known this was what was going to happen I would of done the surgical procedure. It's no fun handling this on your own regardless if someone with you unless it's a doctor. Good luck to everyone!
Abortion Pill. It's painful but you'll get through it!
This is for anyone who is afraid to take it. I am so sorry if you have had this happen to you. I am a christian and I am against abortion and I think it's wrong, but it happened to me. I am ashamed that I went through with it but sometimes you have to make hard decisions in your life. I def. learned my lesson. Anyway. I am 22 and was 7 weeks and a few days along. I went to my appointment yesterday and took the 1rst pill. Nothing happened, I just felt a little weird. Then slept well that night. I was very scared the take the next set of pills. But...just remind yourself that the sooner you do it, the SOONER it will all be over. Thats what I did. I took a nausea pill and 2 aleve 30 mins before. It was only about 20 mins after letting the 4 mistoprostol pills dissovle in my cheek and I started cramping. They were moderate. I'm not going to sugar coat anything...things slowly got worse. I soon was on the bathroom floor in pain. Worst cramps I have ever felt. If they get worse for you and you're in a lot of pain...just hang in there and make sure you have someone to comfort you who is there with you. I began bleeding and I threw up several times, which did feel good. If things get bad for you I recommend sitting on the toilet and rocking back and fourth with a heating pad or something hot on your tummy. It helped me. After you hit that point where you don't think you can take anymore...it backs off and you slowly begin to start feeling better. It got way better once I expelled a bunch of blood and stuff in the toilet. So here I am...very tired and resting now....feeling WAY better. So, there is my experience. I figured I'd share since I looked on here to find comfort before I took the pill. I recommend taking a strong pain med 30 min before you take the 4 pills and a nausea pill. Have a heat pad or something hot available and a trash can or bag. You may be on the toilet when you vomit. Least I was. Have someone with you and just get it over with. Don't be scared. It sucks. YES. BUT...it will pass. I am a nurse, however, you should talk with your doctor about the best way to go about medicating yourself.
Good luck.
abortion pill
I took the pills over a year ago and I have to say it may have been the worst experience of my life. I knew in my gut weeks before I was able to take a pregnancy test 5 days before my missed period. So I wasn't really surprised when it came up positive, and had already made the heart wrenching decision to terminate. When I went in to get examined they said I had to wait an additional two weeks to get the pill. They never told me I had an option to wait for a DNC which at the time everyday I had to wait felt like a lifetime.
When I finally inserted the second round of pills at home the following hours were horrible. The nasea I could handle but the pain was unbelievable. The next day when I knew I had passed the embrio I had horrible sharp pains in my abdomin when I tried to stand up. When I went in for my final appt. They said I still had particles inside me and gave me more pills to insert. In the following week nothing happened until one day at work I started bleeding so heavy I had to go to the hospital and get a blood transfusion.
Now a year later I am still recovering psychologicaly and I'm trying to get back in touch with my body. If I could do it all over again I'm not sure I would have made the same decision. I'm just grateful I havnt had any long term physical consequences.
Have you experienced any pain
Have you experienced any pain since? How long did the pain last? Mine is excrutiating and comes in waves but hasnt gotten better. Its my 4th day after taking misoprostol
It's been 5 days after I took
It's been 5 days after I took my second set of pills. I felt great on the day 2, almost had no bleeding and then it came back. Not to much all tho my periods normally very light so this is much more bleeding for me, but the cramps are strong, night time is bad. My breasts are very tender and still swolen. Waiting to hear from the doctor if it's normal. I will update...
Everyones exp. is different
I am the 41 y/o who previously posted that I was having major complications. First of all, EVERYONE will have a different experience. For the posters who say it's as easy as pie and don't listen to the horror stories. AGAIN, it may be that easy or you may have the other experience of the horrors. Nobody can make that prediction.
I went for my follow-up visit and found out that nothing worked. Not only did I not have a miscarriage, but the baby continued to grow. I had no other choice than to have a surgical procedure. Being that my body has a bizarre immunity to pain killers, nothing worked to aleviate the pain. The Doctor was astonished that I felt everything and couldn't give me anything more. I won't go into details because this is unique to my situation. My point is, after 9 weeks, the pills DO NOT WORK. Do not put yourself through the emotional and physical pain.
Good luck and GOD bless!
Hi, I just wanted to let
Hi, I just wanted to let people know that i just went through with a medical abortion here in the UK, and the Marie Stopes clinic. The nurses and the doctors couldn't of been nicer. I was so frightened and had no idea what to expect. I took the first pill on a Thursday and then went back on Friday and took the last 4 orally. They told me to put them in the side of my mouth and let them dissolve. It took about thirty minutes for them to dissolve but it allowed me to get home. The cramping and the pain started not long after that. The pain for the initial couple of hours was excruciating, but thankfully after that it did calm down. I was sick, but again only for the first couple hours. By that evening i still had cramping but it felt more like really bad period pains, that could be dealt with by taking some ibuprofen. The bleeding initially was quite severe and i did pass a lot of blood clots, that did slow down though. it has now been just over a week since i took the pills, and i feel mostly back to normal although i am still bleeding, some days a lot less than others, so i think it just depends on how active you are being with yourself. They also put me on the pill as they said that this can help with the bleeding and the effectiveness of the medical abortion. My advice it just to take it really slowly and don't push yourself too hard. Also i think that i felt a sense of relief once i had taken the pills although there have been days where i just feel so utterly lost and upset, its important to just go with how you are feeling. Don't bottle anything up because its a process, and you have to remember that your hormones are all over the place. I have never had to go through anything like this before, and i hope that i will never have to go through anything like this ever again. Have a friend with you if you are on your own and don't be too hard on yourself. I hope this helps people. And good luck with whatever decision you decide to make.
Soooooo...how long 'tll anything of significance happens?
I took the first 3 abortions pill Friday at 1:30 A.M.
Today (Saturday) I had a little moderate cramping and some brownish
discharge.
Took the second dose of two pills at 10:30 this evening along with 1 800 MG
Ibuprofin that was perscribed to me by my gyn at the same time as I was given
the first pills and perscription for the two others.
Put a heating pad on my stomach based on reports here although I had no cramps.
It's now 2:24 A.M. and I have just the slightest of cramps and a little bleeding.
I'm reading through everyone's posts here and don't see anyone else having such
a "slow-poke" experience.
Anyone have the same thing happen to them?
Thanks!!! :-)
UPDATE
Bleeding continued and I began to pass clots @ 5 A.M. No barfing, no diarhea.
Cramps moderate to mild. The Ibuprofin definetly helps. It's now Monday night
and I'm still passing some clots although smaller and get boughts of "pouring"
blood every half hour or so, but very mild if any cramps.
NOT A HUGE HORRIBLE DEAL....a hastle and a bit sad, yes, but no "near death" type of
experience that others have posted. I personaly don't believe them based on what
my doctor said to expect and her nurse who also went through a medical abortion, so
those of you researching, relax. Nerves can make things worse too. Put on a movie-
maybe a comedy or something else that makes you feel happy and relax. Heating pad
is nice too. Feel free to email me if you want some support.
worse than childbirth
I had the pills at 9 weeks and was sent home after them, literally 10 mins after having them I had cramps and was vommiting with cold sweats. I got home and went and laid on my bed where I spent the next 3 hours in the worse pain of my life - strong painkillers didn't even help - I would have gone to A&E or called an ambulance if I could but I couldn't even move. I gave birth at age 20 (8 years ago) full term to a 9lb baby after 4 days of labour and I can definatley confirm that the abortion was more painful than childbirth and not nerves or in my imagination!
nervous
Okay. I took all 5 pills around the same time. I had some clots and a little bleeding, but its day 2 and no blood... anyone help me?
No bleeding after 48 hours? You need to see the doc
Hi sweetie. Much respect to you. If you are not bleeding after 2 days I think you need to go back for another dose. Thats what they told me to do. I had bleeding almost right away after taking the pills. But I took 1 pill on a Wednesday in the office at 3pm and they gave me 4 pills to take home to take on the Thursday at 3pm. I did that and the first pill caused a bit of bleeding by lunch time on Thursday.After I took the second lot of pills I had some bleeding on the Thursday afternoon. I will say that I did not bleed very much, not as much as I expected. I was 4 weeks 5 days pregnant at the time. But they worked, I am no longer pregnant. Please go along to the doc. You might need a second dose. Let us know how you go. Lots of love and Best Wishes from Mrs E. xx
not bleeding yet. normal?
Hi there I am only about 4 weeks pregnant and took the first pill this morning in my doctor's office, its been about 10 hours and I am not experiencing any bleeding, but cramping. I took a herbal tablet called Tang Kuei designed to ease cramps and a half of a vicodin, is it normal not to be bleeding after taking the first pill. can somone give me tips to make sure this is an easy procedure. I'm not going to lie you guys are really scaring me and unfortuantly I'm doing this all alone. thank you so much!
Alyssa g
Mifepristone versus Misoprostol
After the FIRST pill (mifepristone), some women experience no bleeding, while others experience spotting or bleeding similar to a period. This pill ends the pregnancy. The second round of pills, misoprostol, are what causes your uterus to contract. You shouldn't experience heavy bleeding until you take the misoprostol pills (I took four, inserted into my vagina).
So, for the entire "abortion pill" experience, there are actually FIVE pills involved.
The FIRST pill, a large pill that looks like an aspirin, is mifepristone, and it's a synthetic steroid that blocks progesterone and ends the pregnancy. Your uterine lining will begin to shed- but maybe not right away.
The SECOND dose of pills (for me) consist of FOUR small pills that look like birth control pills and you either insert them into your vagina or dissolve them in your cheeks. These are called misoprostol and they cause your uterus to contract. After you take these pills, you ARE supposed to bleed, sometimes shockingly heavily.
So if you've only taken the first pill, it's normal to not bleed yet. If you've taken the second round of pills and you haven't started bleeding after a day or two, I'd call your doctor.
I'm not a doctor. I've done my research though and personally gone through the experience. Hope this helps! Good luck to you!
Still Bleeding~ 26 days later.
I took the abortion pill recently- one pill at the office, to stop the pregnancy, and four pills two days later to expel the pregnancy. My first experience after inserting the four pills was very uncomfortable- not painful, but uncomfortable. I started shaking and my teeth were chattering. Then I bled a lot for the following week. At my follow up appointment, exactly one week later, the doctor told me I'd have to take the second round of pills again because my uterine lining was still too thick. She told me to take the pills orally the second time. The contractions weren't nearly as bad and I ended up bleeding more heavily. At my next follow up appointment, one week later, the doctor told me my lining looked "real good." She said it was 9 cm thick as opposed to 30 cm a week earlier. She said she was looking for a lining that was 15 cm thick or less. I was originally told that I'd bleed anywhere from 9 to 30 days. It's been 26 days and I'm still bleeding. Not heavily, but bleeding nonetheless, which is annoying. I started birth control 9 days ago and it doesn't seem to have affected the bleeding. Overall, my experience with the abortion pill was less than desirable and if I ever had to get another abortion (God forbid) I would probably choose a different method such as aspiration, which I read was quicker all around.
I'm wondering how long I'll bleed... I've read some posts on here from women who've bled for three months!
I am 15 years old and I have
I am 15 years old and I have just left school, i am over a week late for my period and feeling sick quite often. I may be pregnant. Please dont judge me that i am 15 by the way because my boyfriend and i have been together for a year and a half and i have been using contraception, i have just been reading about all this because i am going to take a test tomorrow and if i am i know i need to get it out of the way as quickly as possible so i thought i would get prepared. As i knew its just some pills i wasnt that scared, but after reading these comments i am PETRAFIED. now all i can do is beg to god that tomorrows test will be negative!!
I would like to talk to any girls of any age about this in private
PLEASE add me i am soo scared.
also
can anyone send me some tips on how to help with the pain after an abortion xxxx
Hey how did it go? R u okay
Hey how did it go? R u okay now?... I can understand your worry as I'm 19 and i took the pill just a month ago...
hi. what happened to you
hi. what happened to you after? are you really pregnant? Your story is the same as mine. I'm 19 and i have taken a morning after pill after we had an intercourse with my boyfriend. I don't know if I'm pregnant now.And if the result is positive does this mifepristone really works? It got me scared reading some others experiences about cramps and heavy bleeding but I'm willing to do everything because I dont want to get pregnant. I know this would ruin my whole life. Pls understand me because I'm still studying. My boyfriend and I were praying that it is negative. Please send me more advices about medical abortion.
hey
i am 30, and had an abortion 4 weeks ago. it was my first pregnancy, and i have never been on the pill or anything else. it was an unplanned pregnancy, and a VERY EASY choice for me to make. i will not lie..it was a very painful, un-medicated 5 minutes to suction the fetus away. i had moderate cramping and bleeding for 10 days. comparable to a bad period. i am still lightly spotting. and awaiting waiting for my period to resume.... the only thing i can say, is that you have to want this decision, the hormonal imbalance that will overwhelm your body can consume you. just be strong, and know it will pass in time
Help me
hi! Im 20 and Im 5 weeks pregnant. Im not ready to become a parent yet so i took cytotec 1 oral and 1 vaginal yesterday (June 22,10) around 5 in the afternoon. Im expecting to bleed at 9pm but nothing happens. As I woke up the next morning I found a white stain on my undies. out of curiosity, I smelled it and I found out it is the cytotec. I've also read from internet that it should be inserted every 12 hours. I don't know what to do now. pls anyone help me. Should I wait for 24 hours before I insert another dose? I don't want a D&C, it really sounds scary.
Tuesday, the 22nd.
After reading some of these reviews, I will tell you I am terrified. My 22yo daughter is pregnant and has chosen not to have a baby at this time and I am fully supporting her decision. I do find myself coming back to this page and reading; just trying to get a feel for what I should be expecting with her on Tuesday and the following days. I will give an update of her progress and what she/we experienced during the upcoming days by opting for the Abortion pill.
Everyones experience is
Everyones experience is different. First of all, I am 41 and was almost 10 weeks along when I took it. Which means I was 11 weeks by the time I inserted the pills. I went to the Doctor on a Saturday morning. They gave me the shot because I am unable to take medicine orally. I felt fine after the shot, a little nauseated but I had morning sickness, so I was used to it. I ended up taking my Son to a birthday party and about 5 hours after the shot, I started gushing blood and passed a huge clot. I left the party and went home. By then, the bleeding had stopped.
A week later, Friday evening, I was told to insert the 4 pills. I did and expected the worst. I woke-up about 2 hours later with such bad cramps, I felt like I was in labor. I was given Tylenol 3 but never took it because it doesn't work for me. By 5:30 pm the next day, I felt better and was able to get out of bed. That evening I took the second series of the 4 pills and same thing again. My body has not been the same. I have been bed-ridden since that Friday and vomitting profusley. From my lower abdomen down, I am in excrutiating pain. I can't be on my feet for long and cannot lay down for long because of the severe shooting pains, cramping and sever body aches. My back is killing me and I am scared something went wrong. I am a single Mom and have to wait to get paid to see the Doctor. I could not be sorrier that I chose this method. I thought I was doing the humane thing and I trusted the Doctor to help me make the right decision between the pills and the surgical abortion. I did not realize I was as far along as I was until the ultra sound. The Doctor kept looking at the ultra sound and checking me and asking who performed the ultra sound, etc. I could tell something was wrong. I kept asking him what's wrong and he wouldn't answer me. None of my syptoms have gone away and I continue to vomit uncontrollably. Having never gone through something like this before, I trusted the Doctor. He did not do his job and now I am suffering. I will never go through this again, EVER!!!
I thought this method could
I thought this method could only be given to women who have a pregnancy gestation of 9 weeks or under. I hope you will be ok. Sorry that your doctor wouldn't answer your questions. Let us know how you are going. I hope that you will be well. Lots of love and much respect to you. xx
22 years old from new jersey, my experience.
heeeeeeello. this is my experience. found out i was pregnant and went to planned parenthood, where a nice woman scheduled me an appointment at a woman's center near by. there, i was given an ultra sound where i found out i was 5 weeks and 3 days pregnant. i chose the abortion pill. there, they administered some routine health tests such as checking my blood. there, i was given one pill where i was to take it orally in the office. and i was also give antibiotics (doxycycline & tylonol with cod) to take home. after reading many stories, i hear a lot of the horrors come with inserting the pill vaginally. i recommend going to a place where you can take it orally due to the fact that inserting it vaginally can lead to infections in the bloodstream. i was fine after taking the first pill in the office but several hours later i was feeling a lot of nausea. i couldn't eat that all day and night that wednesday, was blackout nauseous. on thursday, but by day 3 it went away. during the 2 days after taking the first pill in the office i couldnt take the antibiotics because i was so nauseaous. i recommend also requesting medicine for the nausea because that was a huge problem for me. by day 3 the nausea went away by morning and was able to take the antibiotics. before i took the 4 pills that are suppose to induce misscarriage i took 2 midol, then the tylonol with cod, and an over the counter upset stomach reliever. around 11 i took the 4 pills orally, which a half hour later i became to feel hot flashes and cramping which turned into pretty severe cramping which i took another tylonol with codine. i sat in the bathroom for a while int he dark with a fan blowing on me and a heating pad which actually helped a lot and the severe cramps stopped after 45 mins. the cramping went on but dulled down due to the pain medication. i didn't start bleeding until about 3 and 1/2 hours later which it wasnt too bad. a little worse than a heavy period. i have had some blood clotting, nothing bigger than the size of a walnut. i've experienced far worse cramping with other periods. if you load up on pain meds it and use a heating pad it definately helps. now i'm on day 2 in the afternoon i still feel crampy and off and on heavy bleeding. i'm just curious to know when the bleeding actually comes to an end. so i will post more after everything is over. it was not that bad!
help i can not afford to be pregnant now.
Can someone help please, I think I am 5 weeks pregnant , I am working in a Muslim country and support my family back home. I am from Ethiopia, the work opportunities are closed if they find out I am pregnant. They will send me home and I will not be able to support my family anymore. I took Cytotec at 2 different occasions , the first time I took 2 orally and inserted 2 into me - absolutely nothing happened - I did not feel anything. The second time about a week later I did the same, just had a little bit of bleeding on my tampon. Has anybody been in the same situation , please advise and help before it is too late to do the medical abortion. you can e mail me at
I'm a believer!! NOOO pain!!
I'm 31 yrs old and choose the abortion pill because I'm not a fan of surgery. I've had the surgical abortion before and I don't remember much of it other than the long wait with all the other scared girls and the not so friendly staff. And afterwards the dulling crapping. Ok so I took the first pill on Wed at 12:30pm. I immediately felt fait because I knew there was not turning back. No real symptoms with the first pill other than mild cramping, light headedness and nausea but those were all my pregnancy symptons. I went back to work, pick up a fathers day card for my dad and got my prescription filled for the pain and nausea meds. I also picked me up some overnight pad. A absolute must! 24hrs later was when I was suppose to insert the last 4 pills vaginally. So I took my pain meds (vicodin) 11:45, then at 12:30 I took my nausea med and two ibuprophen. I inserted at 12:45pm turned on my heat pad and watched tv. I didn't get up until 2pm because I had to pee and I was starving. I had me some saltines with peanut butter but when I check I had a little bleeding but no clots or cramping. Laid back down dozed off until 4pm when I began to bleed. Got up and lots of blood and clots came out but the weird thing is NO cramping!! I'm serious. Look I have bad periods that sometimes have me doubled over in pain this was nothing. The worst of it is the bleeding. At about 6pm. I felt safe enough to try eat dinner. I felt like myself again suprisingly. Today as I type I feel fine a little tired but no pain just bleeding. Word of advice. Get your prescriptions filled! Get the overnight pads and put it on after you insert your pills. Relax, don't stress, use you heating pad after you insert the pills. You will be fine. Everyone gets scared and nervous but don't be. Let your body do the work naturally. God bless you all!
What did they give you for
What did they give you for nausea and were you on antibiotics?
Have taken the first pill
I took the first pill yesterday and today in about 7 hours I will take the second lots of pills. I am really scared. So far I have had very mild cramping and that is all. I am expecting a lot of pain later on today after I take the second lot of pills. Has anyone used Panadeine Forte for the pain? I think it would help me a lot.
How are you feeling today ?
How are you feeling today ?
2nd day after taking my pills
2nd day after taking my pills and I'm surprisingly feeling back to normal. All pills were given orally as well as vaginally at the Drs offc. Severe cramping as well as abdominal pain and diarrhea were the side effects from this procedure. The highlight of my severe pain only lasted an hour and I'd taken one advil when the pain was too horrible to bear. I think the pain and complications with this method depend on how far along you are. A girlfriend of mines experienced incredible amounts of pain at 9 weeks but mines was less as my pregnancy was just 6.6 weeks. I didn't expel any noticeable tissue. So far just bleeding and clotting. Overall this method is no joke, it's no easy way out so I hope everyone looks into alternate methods before choosing this one. Even though my experience wasn't the worst, I'm still not sure what to expect. Good luck ladies.
Easier the less far along you are
I must agree with you on that Sad Sam. It does seem to be much easier when you are not far along. Seriously, I was only 4 weeks 5 days and it was just like having a period. No where near as bad as I was expecting. The worst of the pain didn't last long. I was using Endone though so that might have dulled it quite a bit : ) I bled for only a few days. I am back to normal. True though, it is not a joke using this method. Any kind of abortion is no joke. It is very financially straining and also frightening and disturbing to the body. I am going to be careful to not have an unplanned pregnancy ever again.
Hi! Thanks for asking. The
Hi! Thanks for asking. The bleeding stopped yesterday. It really was not so painful. Nor such a heavy bleed as I was expecting, then again I was only 4 and a bit weeks. Today I still feel a bit nauseous. Pregnancy symptoms are really subsiding (i know because i have had 3 kids and 2 miscarriages). But I am going about daily life. Just waiting until my 2 week appointment to see if the pill worked. I feel quite confident that it has worked. Breasts have shrunk and are less tender. I feel quite well to be honest. Much respect to you all. Your posts helped me through this. xx
Its not that bad!!
Ater reading these posts i was terrified!!! women should not post horror stories like this when its obvious people who are going for this procedure are going to read it!!!
i have just got back from hospital after my 2nd dose.. i had a few hours of cramps no worse than a bad period and bled heavy for a while and now 10 hours later im sat up eating and feeling fine and all was a complete success as 98% of cases are
Please dont worry its not that bad
Some people DO have a
Some people DO have a horrific experience. And not being prepared for it makes it that much more traumatic. My own experience was emotionally and physically life altering. It's been years and I'm still not over it. If I had found this site at that time, I would have chosen a different method or not done it at all and I wish I had. People are not trying to scare others. Just to tell the truth about their own experience because someone might have a similar one and should be warned. Also, the doctors and nurses tell you nothing about what the experience is like. They give you some pain medicine and send you home to god knows what experience.
thanks for this :)
im only 15 but please do not judge me because i have been with my boyfriend for 1 year and a half and i have also been using contraception but clearly something has gone wrong with it so this really is a mistake and im not as immature as i must sound because im 15 and pregnant, but when i was reading the comments at the top, i rang my boyfriend in apserloote fear of having this abortion i was dreading the thought of having an abortion and now im just so glad that i had kept on reading. thanks for the support it has helped alot x
Symptoms of Miscarriage
Have any of you had an actual miscarriage? It sounds to me like what all of you are experienceing is nearly the same thing, except for those of you who have had this go so very wrong of course. I did not know I was pregnant, I had a miscarrage at age 18 at about 10 weeks, It was the worst experience of my life. With a large amount of uterine debris. Very very painful. Logical conclusion would say that further along you are the worse the pain will be because there is more to be expelled... Im about five weeks along right now. I am not willing to have a child at this time in my life. I think the pill is the way to go for me.
how many tab of misoprostol
how many tab of misoprostol tab will i take in a day,200mg
Abortion Pill
I was 5 weeks and 6 days pregnant, and at 18 im still in school and wasnt ready for a baby, i was veeery unfortunate, became pregnant when i lost my virginity
I went ahead and opted for the abortion pill, the first pill gave me some sickness so i spent some time with my head over the toilet bowl
unfortunetly i had to wait 48 hours for the next 4 pills as my Marie Stopes clinic had a gas leak
After taking the 4 pills i started getting stomach cramps, but no sickness, the bleeding started about an hour after taking the pills, lots of clots (but only when i went to the toilet) and this was accomponied with diarrhea, anything i ate was pretty much passing through me.
it was just like having a really heavy period, there was no agonizing pain, i stuck to taking painkillers on a regular basis, every 2 hours or so.
Had an early night, next day I woke up feeling absolutely fine, with very light cramps, nothing worse than my usual period. After hearing the horror stories posted i was absolutely petrified as i went through this abortion by myself, with no support what so ever, i was very thanful for how smoothly it all went.