Q: What are the medications that can be used for medical termination of pregnancy?

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

 

 

Q: What is Misoprostol and what are its effects?

A: Misoprostol is an anti-ulcer medication that is registered under various trade names in more than 85 countries.2, 3 Research has found that misoprostol used alone is about 85 percent successful in inducing abortion when used as recommended.

 

 

Q: What is Mifepristone and what are its effects?

A: Mifepristone causes the placenta to separate from the endometrium. Mifepristone makes the cervix softer and easier to dilate and makes the uterus more sensitive to the effects of the Misoprostol

 

 

Q: What are the success rates of both medications?

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

 

 

Q: What are the side effects of both medications?

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

 

 

Q: What are the contraindications for the use of these medications?

A: Any allergy to the components of the medications.

 

 

Q: How are the medications administered?

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.

 

 

Q: Is medical abortion painful?

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

 

 

Q: How will I know if my abortion is complete?

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

 

 

Q: How long will the bleeding last?

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.

 

 

Q: What are the things I should watch out for?

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).