How Do Abortion Pills Work?

You may have heard of "abortion pills" - here's what these medications are and what they do (and don't do).

RESOURCES:
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More Information:
WHO Guidelines:
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/h...
Kaiser Family Foundation Factsheet:
https://www.kff.org/womens-health-pol...
Doctors Without Borders Video Series:
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...
Planned Parenthood Factsheet:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/lea...
Abortion Pill Info from SASS:
https://abortionpillinfo.org/en/using...

Legality:
Abortion Laws by Country:
https://reproductiverights.org/maps/w...
Abortion Laws by US State:
https://reproductiverights.org/maps/a...
Abortion Pill Laws By US State:
https://www.guttmacher.org/state-poli...
Legal Helpline:
https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/


LEARN MORE
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
Medication abortion/pill-based abortion: an abortion that uses pills, rather than surgical intervention
Self-managed abortion: a pill-based abortion done by an individual without medical guidance
Progesterone: a hormone made by the body that plays a role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy
Cervix: the narrow passage forming the lower end of the uterus
Contraction: a shortening of the uterine muscles

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REFERENCES
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Abubeker FA, Lavelanet A, Rodriguez MI, Kim C. (2020). Medical termination for pregnancy in early first trimester (≤ 63 days) using combination of mifepristone and misoprostol or misoprostol alone: a systematic review. BMC Womens Health 20(1):142. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32635...

Allen R & O'Brien BM. (2009) Uses of misoprostol in obstetrics and gynecology. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology 2(3):159-68. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Practice Bulletins—Gynecology, Society of Family Planning. (2020). Medication Abortion Up to 70 Days of Gestation: ACOG Practice Bulletin, Number 225. Obstetrics and Gynecology 136(4):e31-e47.https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinica...

Cadepond F, Ulmann A, Baulieu EE. (1997). RU486 (mifepristone): mechanisms of action and clinical uses. Annu Rev Med. 48:129-56. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9046951/

Garris R & Kirkwood, C (1989). Misoprostol: A prostaglandin E1 analogue. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 46 (10): 2162–2170. https://academic.oup.com/ajhp/article...

Papp C, Schatz F, Krikun G, Hausknecht V, Lockwood CJ. (2000) Biological mechanisms underlying the clinical effects of mifepristone (RU 486) on the endometrium. Early Pregnancy 4(4):230-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11742...

Pierce S, Bakker R, Myers DA, Edwards RK. (2018) Clinical Insights for Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction Using Prostaglandins. AJP Rep. 8(4):e307-e314. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Schreiber CA, Creinin MD, Atrio J, Sonalkar S, Ratcliffe SJ, Barnhart KT. (2018) Mifepristone Pretreatment for the Medical Management of Early Pregnancy Loss. N Engl J Med 378(23):2161-2170. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056...