MEDICATION ABORTION

 

At the clinic you will take, by mouth, 200 mg. of Mifeprex, a medication to end your pregnancy. The doctor will also give you a second medication, misoprostol, to use at home. Any time between 24-48 hours after taking the Mifeprex, you will put 4 pills of the second medication between your cheek and gums for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, any remaining tablet residue should be swallowed. This medication expels the pregnancy. You will experience bleeding, pain and/or cramps, usually for 3-5 hours. You can take ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) up to 600 milligrams every 8 hours and/or Vicodin up to 2 pills every 4-6 hours.  You can also use a heating pad on your abdomen or gentle massage to relieve the pain. 

 

You will most likely also experience nausea, for which we will give you a prescription for phenergan. Some women have other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever or chills after taking the second medicine. This is normal unless it occurs more than 24 hours after taking the second medication.  If you continue to have abdominal pain and weakness, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting, with or without fever, more than 24 hours after taking the second medication, call the clinic.

 

Aftercare

At your medication abortion appointment, you will be given a Patient Information sheet with detailed instructions regarding insertion of the misoprostol, use of pain medications, expected symptoms, and follow-up.

 

Call Women's Health at 303-442-5160, 24 hours a day, if

• you have a fever greater than 101° for more than 24 hours;

• you have bleeding that soaks through more than 2 maxi-pads in 2 hours;

• you have no bleeding within 24 hours of taking the second medication.

One or two weeks later, you will come back to Women’s Health for a follow-up appointment.  At this visit we will make sure that the abortion is complete. It is very important that you return to Women’s Health to make sure that the medication abortion is completed.