Medicated Abortions Are On The Rise: What They Are and Where Do Women Get It?

Taking the pill to terminate a pregnancy, both legal and illegal, accounts for an increasing share of abortions in the United States. The Supreme Court in Roe v. If Wade overturns his decision as expectedmedicated abortion will play a larger role, especially among women who have lost access to abortion clinics.

What is a medicated abortion?

A pill regimen that women can take at home is an increasingly used method around the world.

The protocol approved for use in the United States includes two drugs. First, mifepristone blocks a hormone called progesterone, which is necessary for a pregnancy to continue. Second, misoprostol induces uterine contractions.

When is it available?

Food and Drug Administration, approved drug abortion For up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. World Health Organization guidelines says it can be used at home for up to 12 weeks and in the medical office after 12 weeks.

Is it effective and safe?

Yes on both counts.

In US studies, the combination of these pills causes a complete abortion in women. more than 99 percent of patients, and is as safe as the traditional abortion procedure performed by a doctor in a clinic. Several studies have found that drug abortion has low rates of side effects, and a recent Lancet study found that patients are generally satisfied with it. Increasing evidence from abroad shows that abortion pills are safe even among women who do not have a doctor to advise them.

“Some people still assume we’re talking about something dangerous or doing it out of desperation, but this information is becoming more and more common,” said Abigail RA Aiken, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin. there he leads a research group on drug abortion.

Who uses this method?

about half Proportion of legal abortions in the United States (and three quarters in Europe). During the pandemic, drug abortion became more commonplace as patients wanted to avoid going to clinics in person, and a change in federal law made it easier for them to get prescriptions through telemedicine.

D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University who has worked on abortion research and policy design. Maria Isabel Rodriguez says this often depends on patients’ personal preferences. “Some people like surgery because it’s over faster, they can get an anesthetic, and it’s over in a certain amount of time,” she said. “Medicine can feel more special, some want it in their own home, some say it’s more natural to them, and some say it’s more possible to process a loss.”

Medicated abortion is also used by those who live in a place where legal abortion is restricted or those who cannot reach the clinic. The US abortion rate is higher than officially reported by doctors, evidence shows, because people order pills online. HE IS invisible abortion rate It could rise if more states take action to ban abortion.

Who prescribes abortion pills?

Doctors with special registration required by the FDA

But it recently removed rules this required a face-to-face appointment. This means more providers are offering drug abortion via telemedicine. Doctor and patient meet online, then doctor mails pills to patient’s home. (Some brick-and-mortar pharmacies are certified to fill pill prescriptions, but this isn’t common yet.)

New start-ups specializing in telemedicine abortions such as Hey Jane and Just the Pill have begun offering services in states that allow it. However 19 states ban the pills from being prescribed by telemedicine or delivered by mail. In these places, patients still need to see a doctor to take the pills. Other states prohibit drug abortion after a certain number of weeks.

If Roe is ousted, about half of states are expected to ban abortion completely, and drug abortions are expected. to be a legal battleground.

What about pills from abroad?

Online pharmacies abroad sell the pills. an organization called Help Access It offers women in all 50 states advice and prescriptions from European doctors before shipping medicines from India. These illegal channels are becoming more popular as access to abortion becomes more difficult in some states. After Texas passed a law banning abortion about six weeks later in September, Help Access requests for abortion pills triple the.

The FDA asked these groups to: Stop selling these drugs They entered the US saying they had circumvented US drug safety protocols. But researchers who analyzed the pills in laboratories found that the pills were ordered using these services. Generally authentic.

The second of the two drugs in the official regimen, misoprostol can also terminate pregnancy when used alone. It is around 80 percent effective on its own, although sometimes more than one must be taken. This pill is also used to treat ulcers and is available over-the-counter in many countries, including Mexico. But the only FDA-approved method in the United States is to use both pills.

Are pills from abroad legal?

No. It is illegal in the United States to sell prescription drugs to Americans without a prescription from a licensed doctor. However, as with other drugs Americans order from abroad, enforcement from overseas providers is rare. And it would be difficult to stop sales because drugs often come in unmarked packages in the mail.

Dutch physician who runs Aid Access, Dr. “I’m not there, so I don’t have any legal risks,” Rebecca Gomperts said, adding that she has lawyers advising her both at home and in the United States. “I know where I am, I obey the law.”

Generally, recent state laws do not penalize women for having abortions, but concentrate enforcement on abortion providers. The exception is legacy laws in South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Nevada. HE IS can change If roe overturns and illegal drug abortions become more common.

“Self-administering abortion is not a legal offense,” said Farah Diaz-Tello, senior adviser and legal director of If/When/How, a reproductive rights policy and advocacy group. However, it is not permissible for a person to seek medicine without a prescription.

How is the process?

The first pill, mifepristone, typically has no discernible effect on patients. Dr. The second misoprostol taken 24 to 48 hours later caused cramping and heavy bleeding, Rodriguez said.

The process takes about six to eight hours, with the busiest being about an hour. He advises patients to stay at home with no other obligations. Ibuprofen and a heating pad are also recommended because the pain can be severe and the bleeding much heavier than a period. Once the pregnancy is over, the cramps and clotting stop, but women usually bleed for about a week, similar to a period.

In rare cases, less than 1 percent of the time, a patient is bleeding heavier than expected and needs medical care. Similarly, rarely abortion is complete and needs to be followed up with another dose or surgical abortion. Women with these complications may be treated by a doctor with experience in treating miscarriages; Symptoms and treatment are the same. Once a drug abortion begins, it is irreversible.