Medication abortion

   If you are less than 11 weeks pregnant and want to end your pregnancy by starting a miscarriage, you can take two medications: Mifepristone and Misoprostol. You take them 1-2 days apart. The first one Mifepristone blocks hormones and stops growth of the pregnancy. The second set of pills, misoprostol, you take anytime between 24-48 hours after the mifepristone. You don't swallow misoprostol like other medications; you can let them dissolve in your mouth or vagina.  These pills trigger the miscarriage and cause cramping and bleeding to expel the pregnancy.

Sometimes the misoprostol can cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even a fever. All of these side effects should go away within 24hours after taking the pills. Having a good anti-nausea medication and some ibuprofen for the cramping is a good idea. While the pregnancy is being expelled you may experience a short time of very heavy bleeding, strong cramps, and large clots. The heavy bleeding usually lasts a couple of hours but irregular bleeding can be present for several weeks after the pregnancy has ended. 

Medication abortion is very safe for most people and is lower risk than giving birth. Rarely, you may have too much bleeding, get an infection, or the pregnancy may not end.  There are some cases where it might not be safe to take the medication. Your provider can chat with you more about when it is safe and any alternatives.