Know the options when facing the unthinkable
By the time I moved in my sophomore year, more than half of my girl friends had had at least one pregnancy scare, whether imagined or real. Since pregnancy is a possibility in this hormone-raging age population and abortion is often considered, it's best to know your options.
The abortion pill was legalized by the FDA in September of 2000, and it is available as an alternative to surgical abortion by many abortion clinics nationwide, including those in Maryland. The pill goes by the brand name Mifeprex and is also known as RU486.
The abortion pill consists of the artificial steroid mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone. Without progesterone, the uterine lining breaks down and begins to slough off, ending the pregnancy. A few days after mifepristone is taken, the drug misoprostol is administered to induce uterine contractions in order to expel the uterine lining, and the pregnancy is ended as an induced miscarriage.
Drug-induced medical abortion differs from surgical abortion mainly in procedure. The abortion pill can be taken until the eighth week of pregnancy and requires at least two visits to the clinic. At the first appointment, an ultrasound is performed to confirm that the woman is less than eight weeks pregnant, and mifepristone is administered orally. At this time there may be some bleeding. The woman is given four tablets of misoprostol to take home with her.
One to three days later, she will take the misoprostol either buccally, where it is held between the cheek and gum, or vaginally. Bleeding will occur soon after. Most women will miscarry within the next eight hours, experiencing bleeding similar to but heavier than a period with large clots. The woman may experience mild to strong cramping throughout the abortion, and bleeding may continue for up to two weeks.
Within two weeks, the woman should return to the clinic for a follow-up to make sure the abortion was complete. According to the Feminist Women's Health Center (FWHC), medical abortion is successful in 97 percent of cases. If it fails, the next step is surgical abortion.
The abortion pill was legalized by the FDA in September of 2000, and it is available as an alternative to surgical abortion by many abortion clinics nationwide, including those in Maryland. The pill goes by the brand name Mifeprex and is also known as RU486.
The abortion pill consists of the artificial steroid mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone. Without progesterone, the uterine lining breaks down and begins to slough off, ending the pregnancy. A few days after mifepristone is taken, the drug misoprostol is administered to induce uterine contractions in order to expel the uterine lining, and the pregnancy is ended as an induced miscarriage.
Drug-induced medical abortion differs from surgical abortion mainly in procedure. The abortion pill can be taken until the eighth week of pregnancy and requires at least two visits to the clinic. At the first appointment, an ultrasound is performed to confirm that the woman is less than eight weeks pregnant, and mifepristone is administered orally. At this time there may be some bleeding. The woman is given four tablets of misoprostol to take home with her.
One to three days later, she will take the misoprostol either buccally, where it is held between the cheek and gum, or vaginally. Bleeding will occur soon after. Most women will miscarry within the next eight hours, experiencing bleeding similar to but heavier than a period with large clots. The woman may experience mild to strong cramping throughout the abortion, and bleeding may continue for up to two weeks.
Within two weeks, the woman should return to the clinic for a follow-up to make sure the abortion was complete. According to the Feminist Women's Health Center (FWHC), medical abortion is successful in 97 percent of cases. If it fails, the next step is surgical abortion.
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