Frequently Asked Questions

A: Medications used for the termination of pregnancy are Misoprostol and Mifepristone.

A: Misoprostol is a prostaglandin E1 which is originally used to treat gastric ulcers. its off-label used is for termination of pregnancy by helping in the softening of the cervix and it also contracts the uterus to expel the products of conception.

A: Mifepristone or RU 486 is an antiprogesterone which blocks the progesterone needed to support the growth and survival of the pregnancy in its early stages. Mifepristone makes the cervix softer and easier to dilate and makes the uterus more sensitive to the effects of the Misoprostol.

A: Misoprostol has a success rate of 85-96%. Mifepristone has a success rate of 96-98% when used in early pregnancy and 94-96% when used in the second trimester of pregnancy.

A: Side effects of the two medications include cramping, bleeding, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and diarrhea.

A: Any allergy to the components of the medications.

A: Misoprostol can be used orally, intravaginally or sublingually (under the tongue). The intravaginal and sublingual routes of Misoprostol has better absorption compared to the oral route. Mifepristone is taken orally.

A: Yes, it can be painful. But pain depends on the tolerance of the woman. But in general, it is similar to the cramping that you experience during menstruation.

A: When taking Mifepristone, you should refrain from taking any grapefruit or grapefruit juice (and other similar fruits and juices, eg oranges, ponkan, dalanghita etc) before, during and after the medical abortion. This will interact with Mifepristone, causing higher blood concentration of the medication in the blood and causing more serious side effects. When taking Misoprostol, you can practically eat almost anything but in moderate amounts as the medication can cause nausea and vomiting.

A: Some signs of complete abortion include lesser cramping, minimal bleeding or passage of meaty tissues/material.

A: After your medical abortion, majority of women will still experience some mild form of bleeding for about 1-2 weeks. But some women would continue to have minimal bleeding for up to a month after the abortion.

A: Make sure to seek the help of a doctor when you experience any of the following: profuse bleeding (consumes 2 pads in an hour for 2 consecutive hours), foul-smelling vaginal discharge, high grade fever lasting for more than 6hrs. It is also important to be aware that as with any other medications, there is also a risk of having a failed medical abortion therefore necessitating surgical abortion (D&C).