What are the abortion pills? What’s in them?

There are two pills commonly used for abortion [1], Mifepristone and Misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks the pregnancy hormone needed for a pregnancy to grow, and Misoprostol helps the cervix to relax and the uterus to contract to expel the pregnancy.

It is important to know that the abortion pills are different from the morning-after pill, or emergency contraception (levonorgestrel, ulipristal). For more information on emergency contraception, click here.

[1] WHO. Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems. Second edition. 2012. Retrieved from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/70914/?sequence=1

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*Nothing provided herein should be construed as professional medical advice and no medication / pills should be used without a prescription from a licensed / registered medical practitioner eligible to prescribe such medication in your local jurisdiction.