Abortion pill how many do you take

Many liken the feeling of a medical abortion to an early miscarriage. Depending how far along the pregnancy is, you may pass larger tissues that are brown or red in color, and may be able to see the white pregnancy sac. Lying down with a hot-water bottle on your abdomen can help relieve any pain. Some find sitting on the toilet to be a more comfortable position. If you need pain medication, avoid aspirin, as it can worsen bleeding. Instead, take ibuprofen Advil, Motrin. It may help to take pain medication around 30 minutes before the misoprostol.

Bleeding may be lighter, while cramping may not feel so severe. Other side effects like fever or nausea should also disappear. It may take a couple of days for you to get back into your normal routine, as the process can make you tired.

Be sure to tell your healthcare provider any concerns you have. Around 4 to 6 weeks after your abortion, your period should return. Be aware that your body can start to ovulate around 3 weeks after taking the medication, meaning you can become pregnant once again. Your healthcare provider may also physically check the cervix and uterus, perform lab tests to check for the pregnancy hormone , and perform an ultrasound to determine whether the abortion pill worked.

Avoid taking an at-home test too soon after an abortion, as the pregnancy hormone may still linger in your body. You may be able to take another dose of the abortion pill, or you may need a surgical abortion instead. All-Options and Exhale offer various forms of free support, including over-the-phone counseling and a confidential text line. Lauren Sharkey is a U. She has also written a book profiling young female activists across the globe and is currently building a community of such resisters.

Catch her on Twitter. The short answer? When misoprostol is used alone, it is slightly less effective but still very safe. This method is very common because mifepristone is not available in many places. Mifepristone blocks the activity of progesterone a hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy in the uterus and softens the cervix so the pregnancy comes out more easily. Misoprostol makes the uterus contract and push out the pregnancy. This is similar to what happens when a person has a miscarriage.

When both medications are available, mifepristone is taken first, and then misoprostol is taken 1—2 days later. Mifepristone is always swallowed. Misoprostol is put in the mouth to dissolve, either in between the cheek and gum or under the tongue. Mifepristone is only available in a limited number of countries around the world. Check here to see if it is available in your country: www. Mifepristone is often packaged together with misoprostol and sold as a combined product just for abortion.

Misoprostol is more widely available around the world, less expensive than mifepristone, and easier to buy from pharmacies and medicine sellers. In addition to being used to induce an abortion, misoprostol is also used to treat ulcers and to prevent or treat heavy bleeding after childbirth, therefore it is generally easier to purchase without a prescription.

You can find a full list of names here: www. Both mifepristone and misoprostol are sold in tablet or pill form. Misoprostol pills usually, but not always, have a unique six-sided shape. Mifepristone is usually a round, white pill. If someone is selling these medications in capsule form, they are not legitimate.

A capsule is a shell or container, usually made of gelatin, that contains a medication. The most common materials used for blister packs are cardboard, plastic and aluminum. The timing when you administer your medication is important:. Swallow the mifepristone tablet with water - at 10 weeks gestation this is done at clinic. At less than 10 weeks gestation you may take the tablet home. You may have nausea or vomiting after taking mifepristone. If you vomit within 1 hour of taking it, please inform the clinic as soon as possible as you may need to take the pill again.

Most women do not have pain or bleeding until they take misoprostol. Bleeding can occur after taking mifepristone, but it is usually light. If bleeding does happen you should still use the misoprostol second medication. Misoprostol tablets are placed in the vagina or between the cheek and gum - at 10 weeks gestation the first dose of 4 tablets is done in the clinic and you will be give another 2 tablets to administer at home 3 to 4 hours after the first dose.

At less than 10 weeks gestation you can administer both doses of misoprostol at home. See below for more detail. Bleeding and cramping usually start 1 to 2 hours after using the tablets but may occur sooner. Bleeding and pain are often greatest when the pregnancy is being expelled. Most women pass the pregnancy within 4 hours - timings vary, but it is OK if this happens sooner or later.

Almost all women miscarry within a few days. You may be given codeine to help you manage the pain, and can also use pain relief from supermarkets and pharmacies too. Insert 4 tablets as high as possible in the vagina. The exact position of the tablets is not important provided they do not fall out. You can put the tablets in while lying down, squatting, or standing with one leg up - whatever is most comfortable.

Insert the 2 remaining tablets 3 to 4 hours later. Place 4 tablets into the mouth between the upper cheek and gum 2 on each side and allow the tablets to dissolve for 30 minutes. If the tablets have not completely dissolved within 30 minutes, you may swallow what is left with water.

Repeat with the remaining 2 tablets 3 to 4 hours later. Some clients describe the taste of misoprostol as unpleasant and the texture chalky. Placing the tablets between the cheek and gum is associated with higher rates of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Contact the BPAS clinic where you were treated or the telephone helpline 33 if you have any questions. You should not have any leftover tablets - but if you do, please do not throw them away, please return them to BPAS or take them to a local pharmacy or GP surgery for safe disposal.

Leftover misoprostol tablets are not sufficient to cause and abortion and it would be illegal to use them for this purpose. If you think you have a new or continuing pregnancy following your treatment, you should telephone for further advice. The amount and type of bleeding can vary for each person and each abortion. It is normal to experience light, moderate, or heavy bleeding during a medical abortion see figure below. Not everyone will pass blood clots during a medical abortion, but for those who do, the clots should be no larger than a lemon.

Call if y ou experience extremely heavy bleeding see Flooding image 5 and feel unwell. Misoprostol the second medication , causes strong painful cramps and heavy bleeding. Bleeding and cramping usually start 2 to 4 hours after using misoprostol, but sometimes may take up to a few days for this to happen. You will be given codeine to help you manage the pain, and you can also use pain relief from supermarkets and pharmacies too. Please refer to the 'Pain control' section below, for information about managing your pain.

When you pass the pregnancy, the tissue is larger and more recognisable at higher gestations, but in most cases, the fetus cannot be seen without magnification. Under 8 weeks, you may see the pregnancy sac which is white and fluffy with brown-red tissue surrounding it. A 10 week fetus is about the size of an olive and you may recognise its shape. Once the pregnancy passes, the amount of bleeding should noticeably reduce. Most women have light bleeding for about two weeks, but you may have spotting up to your next period.

Sometimes you may have a short episode of pain with a gush of blood or a clot several weeks after the abortion - contact us if this continues.

For most women, early medical abortion is likely an early miscarriage. It is normal to have bleeding and cramping. You might also:. If symptoms continue after 24 hours of taking the second medication misoprostol , please get in contact. Both mifepristone and misoprostol pass into the breast milk but the amounts are small and should not cause adverse effects in breastfed infants.

Breastfeeding may continue uninterrupted following meifepristone and misoprostol. Stop breastfeeding if you take codeine - express and discard milk during use and for one feed after the last dose. During an early medical abortion, most women will have a strong cramping, similar to period pains. There are many ways to lessen the pain:. You can buy ibuprofen tablets in mg or mg strengths and your pack may also contain codeine in 15mg or 30mg strengths.