The Abortion Pill

Which kind of abortion you choose all depends on your personal preference and situation. With medication abortion, some people like that you don’t need to have a procedure in a doctor’s office. You can have your medication abortion at home or in another comfortable place that you choose. You get to decide who you want to be with during your abortion, or you can go it alone. Because medication abortion is similar to a miscarriage, many people feel like it’s more “natural” and less invasive.

The abortion pill is a safe & effective way to end an early pregnancy.

The abortion pill is a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy. It’s important to know that the abortion pill is not a surgical procedure, but rather a medication that you take in your home. This means there are no needles or surgery involved.

Just like the name suggests, this process involves taking one or more medications to end your pregnancy. No matter which type of medication you choose, they all work by causing the uterus (the womb) to contract and expel its contents. You can expect cramping and bleeding as well as some nausea for a few days after taking them—but overall it’s likely to be less painful than having surgery for an abortion or even having labor pains later on in pregnancy!

What is the abortion pill?

The abortion pill is a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy. It’s also called medication abortion, or RU486. You may have heard that two medications are used together for this abortion: mifepristone (MIF-uh-PRIS-tuhn) and misoprostol (mye-soh-PROS-tul).

The abortion pill can be used up to 10 weeks after your last period, which is about six weeks after you’ve gotten pregnant.

Where can I get it?

You can get the abortion pill at any of these places:

• From a doctor or nurse. An abortion provider will give you the pill. It’s safe, effective and private.

• At a Planned Parenthood health centre. If you live near one of these clinics, they may be able to help you get an appointment within 24 hours (or sooner if you need it). You don’t need insurance or money to go there for your abortion — they will charge what’s called a “low-income fee.”

• From another doctor or clinic that offers abortions. Your local hospital may also offer this service in their emergency room, but be aware that some hospitals won’t dispense the medication due to religious beliefs. If that happens, ask for another hospital in your area where someone can refer you for this care (some states require doctors to refer patients seeking abortions outside their own practice).

How does it work?

The abortion pill works by causing the pregnant tissue to detach from the uterus. It is not a surgical abortion, and it’s not a medical abortion; it’s simply called an “abortion pill.”

The way it works is that you take two different medications in order: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, which is what causes your uterine lining to grow and thicken during pregnancy. Without this growth and thickening, there is nothing holding your pregnancy in place anymore — so without any other barriers (such as alcohol), you’ll pass it out of your body fairly easily when you go to the bathroom or shower. Misoprostol causes those contractions that are necessary for bringing on labor and delivering a baby; however with this method of birth control, rather than delivering a baby out into the world at 9 months old, what will come out instead will be an incompletely developed fetus that only has its head connected to its mother’s body via umbilical cord (the rest of its organs are still inside).

The abortion pill ends an early pregnancy, but you should get checked out by a doctor or nurse first.

Once you decide to end your pregnancy, you can take the first dose of mifepristone. Then, 24–48 hours after taking mifepristone, you’ll take a second drug called misoprostol. These medications are usually taken at home.

If you’re not sure if your pregnancy is less than 7 weeks along and not yet showing signs of life (for example, there’s no heartbeat), talk to your doctor or nurse before taking any medication. They will advise whether it’s safe for you to use the abortion pill in this situation.