The first pill is mifepristone, which blocks a hormone known as progesterone that the body needs for a pregnancy to continue.
The second drug, misoprostol, is taken 24 to 48 hours later. This medication causes cramping and bleeding and empties the uterus.that if mifepristone is not available, misoprostol can be used on its own. But the two drugs are more effective together.Medication abortions now account for more than half of all U.S. abortions. The option to take pills has become an increasingly common choice for those seeking abortions since mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000.
"Many people prefer to end the pregnancy in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by their support system and loved ones ... versus having to go to a clinic or hospital for a procedure," says Aguilar. The medication route may also feel less invasive, she notes,"because there's no instrumentation with medication abortion."
Many people still choose a surgical or procedural abortion, for several reasons. Surgical abortions — an office procedure that often takes just five or 10 minutes — are highly effective and rarely require repeat procedures. Patients may want the in-clinic option to get the process over with quickly, avoid the discomfort of the medication process or because it involves the presence of trained medical and support staff.
of more than 13,000 women found the efficacy of the two-drug regimen was 97.7% for pregnancies up to nine weeks.Dr. Aileen Gariepy, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, says the medication route is more effective for abortion than for miscarriage management — another reason the pills are sometimes prescribed. For miscarriages, she says the pills are most effective when someone already has the symptoms of a miscarriage, like bleeding and cramping.
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