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How Safe Is Medical Abortion?

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Posted on Thu, 9 Jul 2015
Question: Hello,
I m hvng 7 mnths baby bt I think I m pregnant again nd I dnt want this baby coz I am nt able to get ths baby. My delivery was cesarean nd 7 mnths before done so plz suggest me is it safe to take pill of abortion...... Plz suggest me soon
doctor
Answered by Dr. Aarti Abraham (21 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yes, it is safe, procedure explained.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for writing to us with your health concern.
YEs, it is safe to take abortion pill, if it is done under proper medical supervision.
Let me explain the procedure to you.
First and foremost, medical abortion should NOT be attempted without medical supervision.
1. Even if the home pregnancy test is positive, the pregnancy needs to be confirmed by a gynecologist and exact dating needs to be done, since these pills work only up to specific gestational age, and not beyond that. So do not act just after taking a pregnancy test at home.
2. You need to rule out possibility of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus) which will also be done by a specialist, as taking medical pills in that scenario is disastrous and life threatening.
3. Medical abortion has also got chances of severe life threatening bleeding at times, for which you need to be under medical care.
4. It has a 5 % failure rate, following which you require surgical termination, which might be needed in an emergency also.
5. Unsupervised medical abortion might cause severe infection, retained products which maybe undetected. Hence it is important to have a follow up visit with your gynecologist two weeks AFTER taking the pills, at which it would be confirmed that the pregnancy was successfully and completely terminated.

That said and done, if this procedure is supervised by a doctor, it is quite safe and fairly successful.
I would give you a few guidelines about medical termination: Each pack contains 5 tablets -
1 tablet of Mifepristone…200 mg
4 tablets of Misoprostol, each containing Misoprostol…200 mcg

Mifepristone tablet is taken orally and 48 hours later, 2 tablets of Misoprostol are taken orally or vaginally.
Bleeding might begin at any time after taking Mifepristone or Misoprostol, but generally starts within 6 - 8 hours of taking Misoprostol tablets.
Another 2 tablets of Misoprostol are taken 24 hours later, irrespective of whether the bleeding has started or not.
If you vomit within 4 hours of using any pills, the dose has to be repeated..

You should have a follow up visit after 2 weeks to confirm that the uterus is empty and the abortion is complete. An ultrasound scan should be done at this time to confirm this.

Also, after a Cesarean section, chances of failure of pills slightly increase, but still, it is a safe option to try , before going in for D and C ( Surgical abortion ).
Please consult your doctor regarding this.

All the best
Please feel free to discuss further.




Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Aarti Abraham

OBGYN

Practicing since :1998

Answered : 6004 Questions

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How Safe Is Medical Abortion?

Brief Answer: Yes, it is safe, procedure explained. Detailed Answer: Hello Thanks for writing to us with your health concern. YEs, it is safe to take abortion pill, if it is done under proper medical supervision. Let me explain the procedure to you. First and foremost, medical abortion should NOT be attempted without medical supervision. 1. Even if the home pregnancy test is positive, the pregnancy needs to be confirmed by a gynecologist and exact dating needs to be done, since these pills work only up to specific gestational age, and not beyond that. So do not act just after taking a pregnancy test at home. 2. You need to rule out possibility of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus) which will also be done by a specialist, as taking medical pills in that scenario is disastrous and life threatening. 3. Medical abortion has also got chances of severe life threatening bleeding at times, for which you need to be under medical care. 4. It has a 5 % failure rate, following which you require surgical termination, which might be needed in an emergency also. 5. Unsupervised medical abortion might cause severe infection, retained products which maybe undetected. Hence it is important to have a follow up visit with your gynecologist two weeks AFTER taking the pills, at which it would be confirmed that the pregnancy was successfully and completely terminated. That said and done, if this procedure is supervised by a doctor, it is quite safe and fairly successful. I would give you a few guidelines about medical termination: Each pack contains 5 tablets - 1 tablet of Mifepristone…200 mg 4 tablets of Misoprostol, each containing Misoprostol…200 mcg Mifepristone tablet is taken orally and 48 hours later, 2 tablets of Misoprostol are taken orally or vaginally. Bleeding might begin at any time after taking Mifepristone or Misoprostol, but generally starts within 6 - 8 hours of taking Misoprostol tablets. Another 2 tablets of Misoprostol are taken 24 hours later, irrespective of whether the bleeding has started or not. If you vomit within 4 hours of using any pills, the dose has to be repeated.. You should have a follow up visit after 2 weeks to confirm that the uterus is empty and the abortion is complete. An ultrasound scan should be done at this time to confirm this. Also, after a Cesarean section, chances of failure of pills slightly increase, but still, it is a safe option to try , before going in for D and C ( Surgical abortion ). Please consult your doctor regarding this. All the best Please feel free to discuss further.