How To Use An Abortion Pills
Before Using Abortion Pills
Make sure you feel fully informed and prepared before having an abortion with pills.
Pregnancy Calculator
How far along in your pregnancy are you? Research indicates that medication abortion is most often recommended for pregnancies prior to 13 weeks since your last menstrual period. Use the pregnancy calculator to determine how far along you are, since your last menstrual period.
If your last period started on or after:
September 2, 2023
You can still consider the abortion pill.
Considerations before taking abortion pills
If you have IUD
If you live with HIV
If you are concerned with privacy
If you are breastfeeding
If you have anemia
General Advice
• Eat lightly (e.g. crackers or toast may help with nausea).
• Having someone with you who can look after you may be helpful.
• Drink plenty of water through the whole process.
• Consider taking ibuprofen before you use misoprostol to help minimize pain from cramping.
• When you use the misoprostol pills, be in an area (like your home) where you have privacy and can lie down for a few hours after you use the pills if you want.
• Make a safety plan before using the abortion pills in case you need emergency medical help.
Creating A Safety Plan for the medical abortion process.
According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a first trimester medical abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. However, you should always be prepared for any possible medical emergency. Consider the questions below to help create your safety plan in case you need it.
• Where is the nearest 24 hours emergency medical center?
• How will you get to your emergency medical center ?
• What will you tell your doctors?
How To Use The Abortion Pill (continuation)
There are two types of medications used for abortion: mifepristone and misoprostol. An abortion with pills works better if both of these medications are taken together. However, if mifepristone is not available, misoprostol alone will also work to end a pregnancy and is still safe.
Choose if you’d like to learn about instructions for a safe abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol or misoprostol alone.
Before starting, read over our advice on Before Using The Pill. Be sure:
Your pregnancy is within the first 13 weeks (91 days)
You’ve reviewed all of our considerations and general advice.
You have a safety plan ready in the rare case of emergency.
1. Mifepristone and Misoprostol
2. Misoprostol Only
Instructions For Abortion With Mifepristone and Misoprostol
For an abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol, you will need to take one 200mg pill of mifepristone and four to eight 200mcg pills of misoprostol. You’ll also want to have a painkiller on hand, like ibuprofen, to help manage pain. Acetaminophen and paracetamol do not work for pain during an abortion so they are not recommended.
Here’s how mifepristone and misoprostol are taken together to end a pregnancy:
Step 1: Swallow one 200mg pill of mifepristone with water.
Step 2: Wait 24-48 hours.
Step 3: Place 4 misoprostol pills (200 mcg each) under your tongue and hold them there for 30 minutes as they dissolve. You should not speak or eat for these 30 minutes, so it is good to be someplace quiet where you will not be disturbed. After 30 minutes, drink some water and swallow everything that is left of the pills. This is also a good time to take a painkiller like ibuprofen, as the cramping will start soon.
You should begin bleeding and cramping within 3 hours of using the 4 misoprostol pills.
Step 4: 24 hours after taking the 4 misoprostol pills, if you didn’t start to bleed, or if you are unsure that the abortion worked, place 4 more pills of misoprostol under your tongue. Hold them there for 30 minutes as they dissolve. After 30 minutes, drink some water and swallow everything that is left of the pills.
Other Considerations For An Abortion With Mifepristone And Misoprostol:
Learn what to expect after taking mifepristone and misoprostol here.
If you experience bad cramping, ibuprofen is a good medicine to cope with pain. You can buy ibuprofen 200 mg strength over the counter (without a prescription) in most countries. Take 3-4 pills (200 mg each) every 6-8 hours. If you need something extra for pain relief, you can also use 2 pills of Tylenol (325 mg) every 6-8 hours.
If you used the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol, you probably do not need to visit a health care provider for a follow-up visit. These medicines are so effective that the World Health Organization recommends that you need to have a follow-up only if:
You feel sick, or your pain is not getting better after 2 or 3 days. If this occurs, seek medical attention right away.
You still feel pregnancy symptoms two weeks after taking the abortion pills.
Your bleeding is heavy and not getting lighter after 2 weeks.
Instructions For Abortion With Misoprostol Only
Before starting, read over our advice on Before Using The Pill. Be sure:
Your pregnancy is within the first 13 weeks (91 days)
You’ve reviewed all of our considerations and general advice.
You have a safety plan ready in the rare case of emergency.
If mifepristone is not available in your setting, you can use misoprostol alone to end a pregnancy.
For an abortion with only misoprostol, you will need to take twelve 200mcg pills of misoprostol. You’ll also want to have a painkiller on hand, like ibuprofen, to help manage pain. Acetaminophen and paracetamol do not work to manage pain during an abortion so they are not recommended.
Here’s how misoprostol alone is used to end a pregnancy:
Step 1: Place 4 misoprostol pills (200 mcg each) under your tongue and hold them there for 30 minutes as they dissolve. You should not speak or eat for these 30 minutes, so it is good to be someplace quiet where you will not be disturbed. After 30 minutes, drink some water and swallow everything that is left of the pills. This is also a good time to take a painkiller like ibuprofen, as the cramping will start soon.
Step 2: Wait 3 hours.
Step 3: Place another 4 misoprostol pills (200mcg) under your tongue and hold them there for 30 minutes until they dissolve
Step 4: Wait another 3 hours.
Step 5: Place another 4 misoprostol pills (200mcg) under your tongue and hold them there for 30 minutes until they dissolve.
You should begin bleeding and cramping while taking the pills. Make sure to take all 12 pills even if you start to bleed before you’ve taken all of them.
Other Considerations For An Abortion With Misoprostol:
Learn what to expect after taking misoprostol in the next lecture.
If you experience bad cramping, ibuprofen is a good medicine to cope with pain. You can buy ibuprofen 200 mg strength over the counter (without a prescription) in most countries. Take 3-4 pills (200 mg each) every 6-8 hours. If you need something extra for pain relief, you can also use 2 pills of Tylenol (325 mg) every 6-8 hours.