How Do Abortion Pills Work?

2022-08-03

[public] 16.4K views, 17.6K likes, dislikes audio only

You may have heard of "abortion pills" - here's what these medications are and what they do (and don't do).

RESOURCES:

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More Information:

WHO Guidelines:

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332334/WHO-SRH-20.11-eng.pdf

Kaiser Family Foundation Factsheet:

https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-availability-and-use-of-medication-abortion/

Doctors Without Borders Video Series:

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/how-ensure-safe-abortion-pills

Planned Parenthood Factsheet:

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/the-abortion-pill

Abortion Pill Info from SASS:

https://abortionpillinfo.org/en/using-abortion-pills-for-safe-abortion-usa

Legality:

Abortion Laws by Country:

https://reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/

Abortion Laws by US State:

https://reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-state/

Abortion Pill Laws By US State:

https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/medication-abortion

Legal Helpline:

https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/

LEARN MORE

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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:

- Medication abortion/pill-based abortion: an abortion that uses pills, rather than surgical intervention

- Self-managed abortion: a pill-based abortion done by an individual without medical guidance

- Progesterone: a hormone made by the body that plays a role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy

- Cervix: the narrow passage forming the lower end of the uterus

- Contraction: a shortening of the uterine muscles

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REFERENCES

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Abubeker FA, Lavelanet A, Rodriguez MI, Kim C. (2020). Medical termination for pregnancy in early first trimester (≤ 63 days) using combination of mifepristone and misoprostol or misoprostol alone: a systematic review. BMC Womens Health 20(1):142. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32635921/

Allen R & O'Brien BM. (2009) Uses of misoprostol in obstetrics and gynecology. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology 2(3):159-68. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2760893/

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Practice Bulletins—Gynecology, Society of Family Planning. (2020). Medication Abortion Up to 70 Days of Gestation: ACOG Practice Bulletin, Number 225. Obstetrics and Gynecology 136(4):e31-e47.https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-bulletin/articles/2020/10/medication-abortion-up-to-70-days-of-gestation

Cadepond F, Ulmann A, Baulieu EE. (1997). RU486 (mifepristone): mechanisms of action and clinical uses. Annu Rev Med. 48:129-56. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9046951/

Garris R & Kirkwood, C (1989). Misoprostol: A prostaglandin E1 analogue. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 46 (10): 2162–2170. https://academic.oup.com/ajhp/article-abstract/46/10/2162/5174740

Papp C, Schatz F, Krikun G, Hausknecht V, Lockwood CJ. (2000) Biological mechanisms underlying the clinical effects of mifepristone (RU 486) on the endometrium. Early Pregnancy 4(4):230-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11742418/

Pierce S, Bakker R, Myers DA, Edwards RK. (2018) Clinical Insights for Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction Using Prostaglandins. AJP Rep. 8(4):e307-e314. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6205862/

Schreiber CA, Creinin MD, Atrio J, Sonalkar S, Ratcliffe SJ, Barnhart KT. (2018) Mifepristone Pretreatment for the Medical Management of Early Pregnancy Loss. N Engl J Med 378(23):2161-2170. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1715726