Mifepristone and Misoprostol for Abortion

Medical abortions can be done through 9 weeks of pregnancy. Up to 7 weeks, the combination of mifepristone (orally) and misoprostol (orally) is effective in about 92 out of 100 cases.^{Reference 1}

Within 4 hours of taking the second medicine (misoprostol), many women have vaginal bleeding and cramping, and the pregnancy is terminated.^{Reference 2} Most pregnancies end within the first 24 hours after the misoprostol dose. If not, then typically a second dose of misoprostol is given.

Misoprostol can be given orally, buccally (dissolved between the gums and cheek), or vaginally. Misoprostol is slightly more effective when given vaginally than when taken by mouth.^{Reference 1} But many doctors are only giving misoprostol by mouth because of reports of a rare, fatal infection that affected a few women after using vaginal misoprostol. Some studies have shown that taking misoprostol buccally works as well as when it is given vaginally or orally.^{Reference 3, Reference 4}

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