Medical abortion

Medical abortion is the termination of a pregnancy using medications rather than a procedural intervention. Common regimens use mifepristone followed by misoprostol, though protocols vary.

Connect

Mifepristone: A medication that blocks progesterone receptors and is used in several reproductive-health treatments. It blocks progesterone, preparing the uterus for the effects of misoprostol.
Medication abortion regimen: A specified combination and sequence of medicines used to end a pregnancy. Regimen design determines which medicines are taken and in what sequence.
Procedural abortion: Termination of a pregnancy using an instrument-based procedure rather than abortion medications. It is the main clinical category contrasted with medication abortion.
Abortion law: Laws and regulations governing the availability, provision, and circumstances of abortion. Legal rules determine where and how medications can be prescribed or obtained.
Misoprostol: A prostaglandin E1 analogue that causes uterine contractions and softens the cervix. It prompts uterine contractions that expel pregnancy tissue.
Abortion with misoprostol alone: A medication-abortion approach that uses misoprostol without mifepristone. It is an alternative regimen when mifepristone is unavailable or unsuitable.
Dilation and evacuation: A procedural abortion method involving cervical dilation and removal of pregnancy tissue from the uterus. This procedure is distinct from abortion accomplished by medication.
Abortion stigma: Negative social judgments and discrimination associated with abortion and people who seek or provide it. Stigma can shape disclosure, care-seeking, and the experience of medication abortion.
Progesterone: A steroid hormone that supports the uterine lining and helps maintain pregnancy. Mifepristone interrupts progesterone signaling, a key step in common regimens.
Self-managed abortion: An abortion undertaken outside a formal healthcare facility, with varying degrees of clinical support. Medication abortion can be self-managed, depending on access, law, and support.