Early Medical Abortion (abortion pill)

You can have an early medical abortion (EMA) using an abortion pill up to 9 weeks of pregnancy.

There is a two tablet process to bring on the abortion. These are the mifepristone and misoprostol. You can take at the same time or can take the one and return within 3 days to take the other. Usually your healthcare assistant will discuss your certain options with you as dependant on certain circumstances different risks and options will apply. If available women tend to take both at the same time this is for connivance although can cause greater side effects and not have a good as result as alternate methods.

Abortion Pill Treatment

The Mifepristone tablet is swallowed and works by blocking the action of progesterone, a hormone needed to maintain the pregnancy. Misoprostal is a tablet inserted into the vagina containing a hormone called prostaglandin. Prostaglandins occur naturally in the body and help the uterus to contract.

Acting together they will bring on an abortion.

EMA has a very good safety record, however, every form of medical treatment carries some risks or side effects. With this treatment, the main risks are:

• Excessive vaginal bleeding
• Incomplete abortion
• Infection
• Allergic reactions

First visit

• You will be given a Mifepristone tablet to swallow with a glass of water.
• After taking the abortion pill, you need to stay at the clinic for a little while so that we can check that you are okay.
• You will be given your next appointment time and a number to call if you are worried or have any questions.

Second visit

After your first visit, you will be asked to return to the clinic within 24 hours. You must keep this appointment. There is a waiting room for relatives and friends whilst you are having treatment.

• You will be taken to a room and any symptoms that you may have experienced since your first appointment will be discussed with you. If all has been well, your treatment will continue.
• You will be given pain relief before the Misoprostal.
• A nurse will insert Misoprostal abortion pill vaginally or orally. If you select to the pill inserted in your vagina, you can choose to put them in place yourself. The Misoprostal helps your body to remove the pregnancy so you will start to bleed and have period-like pains.

All women react differently to this treatment. Some have heavy bleeding and quite a lot of pain, while others have very little bleeding and mild pain. Most women are in between the two, however, it is important to remember that this is not a completely pain-free procedure.

You may experience the following:

• Nausea or sickness
• A feeling of light-headedness
• Feeling feverish
• High temperature
• Diarrhoea

You can leave the clinic after the treatment. You should take it easy for a couple of hours. After this time you may find that moving around will ease any discomfort.

The abortion usually takes place between 4 and 6 hours following the insertion of the tablets.

Discharge from the Clinic

You may bleed heavily following the second visit, usually for 2 – 3 days and you may even pass some clots. This is quite normal. After this time, the bleeding will reduce but you could bleed on and off for 3 – 4 weeks.

If you have any concerns you can always contact us.

Post procedure

You can take your normal painkillers (they must not contain aspirin) to relieve any discomfort. Do not take more than two in 4 hours.

Your first period may occur 4-6 weeks later and it may be heavier than normal.

We also advise that you avoid any heavy lifting or exercise for 2-3 weeks.

Aftercare

It is advisable to carry out a pregnancy test 3-4 weeks later to confirm your treatment was successful. If the pregnancy test is positive, please contact the clinic for further advice.

This kind of medical abortion may not be suitable for you if any of the following apply:

• You have been on long term corticosteroid treatment
• You are on any anticoagulant (blood clotting) treatment
• You have had a bad reaction or are allergic to Mifepristone
• You have liver or kidney disease
• You have risk factors for heart disease (such as high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol levels
• You suffer from any other disease or illness and are taking other medication
• You have an IUD in place which may need to be removed prior to the beginning of treatment
• You are breast-feeding (we do not recommend use of Mifepristone in women who wish to continue breast-feeding because the drug will pass into breast milk- it takes around 26 days for the drug to clear the body)

If any of these conditions apply, please inform the doctor/nurse who will discuss them further with you.