French Abortion Pill

There have been many studies and articles written in the medical literature on medical abortion in the first nine weeks of pregnancy. Before medical abortion, the most common method to perform an abortion to undergo an aspiration D & C (dilation and Currettage).

How a Currettage aspiration is performed for patients 12 weeks or less, is to position the patient as if she were to undergo a routine Pap smear or pelvic exam. Until they have someone to lead them home, patients who do not want to remember or have discomfort while undergoing surgery, may be administered intravenously (IV) doses of sedation lasting generally the length of time required to make the abortion process.

A speculum is then placed in the vagina and the cervix cleaned (bottom of the uterus) is anesthetized (numbed). The opening of the cervix is then dilated (opened) with serial dilators until it is sufficiently dilated to allow sterile currette appropriate size to be placed in the uterus. A vacuum or manual aspiration tube is attached to the end of the currette and gestation (pregnancy) tissue is gently removed from inside the cavity intauterine. The patient is then sent to recovery, where she can rest comfortably while his vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, temperature) and vaginal bleeding should be monitored. Most patients are ready to be discharged (sent home) within 15-30 minutes after the procedure was performed.

Most women do not want surgery, they want the abortion process to be more private, to be able to have a person of trust with them, and want the abortion procedure carried out as early as three to four weeks of pregnancy without having to wait more weeks. This resulted in the progress of early surgical abortions (3-6 weeks) that are currently carried out routinely.

Before a decade ago, most doctors would not perform abortions that early fear of preserved tissues, perforation of the uterus, cervix and tears. For almost 30 years, the medical abortion procedure has become very popular. The RU 486 (Mifeprex) has been developed and popularized in France in the late 1970s and early 80s. Over 50% of French women who have less than 9 weeks of pregnancy using RU 486 with a second pill (Misoprostol) to undergo the abortion process. RU 486 is an anti-progesterone, which is the main female hormone needed to maintain pregnancy by preventing the uterus to contract and expel (push out) of its contents until the time (full-term pregnancy and labor).

Give RU 486 increases uterine tone (pressure), necrosis (loss of blood flow) to the gestation (pregnancy) tissue, and causes the cervix to soften. Misoprostol is a prostaglandin that causes uterine contractions. By taking 48 hours later, it causes the uterus to expel its contents, thus completing the process of abortion. This method of abortion is effective 92-98% of the time between 3-9 weeks of gestation. If less than six weeks, it is close to a success rate of 100% with this method.

There are several different methods used to complete the abortion process using the abortion pill method. Various studies have suggested giving misoprostol on the same day, 24 hours and 48 hours later. Overall, studies show that there is less chance of failure to give 48 hours after giving misoprostol pill RU 486, except in the subset of patients less than 6 weeks of pregnancy. There are studies that show giving RU 486 in combination with misoprostol taken immediately, or give results in about misoprostol alone.