What Happens during a Medical Abortion?
The medical abortion involves three steps: Step One – The Abortion Pill During the first office visit to the clinic, the patient is given the abortion pill. This pill blocks the hormone progesterone, causing the uterine lining to be compromised, and the embryo is terminated. Step Two – Misoprostol During the second office visit, the patient is given a second medicine called misoprostol, which causes the uterus to empty. The patient takes the misoprostol up to three days after taking the mifepristone. The misoprostol will induce cramping and heavy bleeding. Large blood clots or tissue may become visible as the contents of the uterus are emptied. Step Three – Follow-Up The patient will need to go back to the doctor for a third visit to make sure the abortion is complete. If the abortion did not result in the end of you’re the pregnancy, then a surgical abortion procedure will most likely be needed.
