How to Safely Use Medical Abortion Pills at Home

Mifepristone: Most people do not feel any symptoms after taking mifepristone. However, some people may experience light bleeding. Even if you bleed, it is very important to take the misoprostol pills to complete the abortion.

Misoprostol: After taking misoprostol, you will have cramping and bleeding. This is normal and means the medicine is working. You can expect to pass blood clots, which can be different sizes depending on how far along the pregnancy is. In an early pregnancy, even small blood clots can show the abortion worked. If having an abortion after 10 weeks, you will likely expel bigger blood clots and pregnancy tissues.

During the abortion, you are likely to experience very strong cramping as your uterus contracts to remove the pregnancy. Pain relievers like ibuprofen, a hot water bottle, or massaging the area between your navel and pubic bone can help with the cramping. Sitting on the toilet might also help. For nausea, try drinking clear fluids or eating lightly.

Your bleeding is likely to be heavier than a normal period, and it is common for it to last for several days. It is also okay if the bleeding stops and starts again before drying out completely. It may also continue until your next period, a common occurrence for pregnancies of between 4 and 6 weeks. All of these are normal abortion-related bleeding patterns that should not worry you.

Other Possible Side Effects

During the abortion, it is common to experience some of the following side effects. These will often go away within 24 hours of using misoprostol:

• Fever
• Diarrhoea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Chills

Most people will stop having pregnancy symptoms like nausea or frequent urination within a few days. Breast tenderness is often the last symptom to go away and can take up to 10 days after using misoprostol.

Get medical help right away if you:

• Soak through 2 or more pads per hour for 2 or more hours in a row.
• Have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) that starts at least 24 hours after taking misoprostol and does not go down after taking ibuprofen.
• Have severe pain that does not get better after using pain medication like ibuprofen. While cramping is normal, long and intolerable pain may require medical intervention.
• Feel very sick or have a bad-smelling vaginal discharge. Blood can smell unpleasant and be brown, dark almost black, or bright red, but if you have a discharge of another colour that smells rotten, it may be an infection.
• Have an allergic reaction, such as redness or swelling of the face or neck, or difficulty breathing.

In the weeks after your abortion:

• Use pads at first to see how much you are bleeding. You can switch to a tampon or cup later.
• It is safe to have sex when you feel ready. However, it is important to remember that you can get pregnant again as soon as 2 weeks after an abortion, even if you are still bleeding.
• Take a pregnancy test 4-5 weeks after the abortion to make sure it was successful. Taking a test sooner may give a false positive result. If the test is still positive at 5 weeks, or if you still have pregnancy symptoms, see a healthcare provider to check if the abortion worked.
• It is normal to feel different emotions after a pregnancy ends. Some people feel better right away, and others need more time. Talking about your feelings with someone you trust can help if you need support.
• While the medical abortion process may cause discomfort, you should be able to resume normal duties as soon as the inconvenient side effects have passed.