RU-486 (Mifepristone)

There is another option available to our patients, which is the medication known as the abortion pill, and scientifically called the RU-486. This is a very effective non-surgical method of ending an early pregnancy which is verified to be 7 weeks or less by ultrasound. The abortion pill (RU-486) IS NOT the morning after pill in any way, and should not be confused with the morning after pill as this a completely different medicine used in a very different way.  The abortion pill has now been available in the United States for about a decade, but it was commonly used in Europe prior to becoming available in the United States.  As an alternative to the surgical process for early pregnancy terminations, it is an excellent alternative for ending pregnancies under 7 weeks if a patient wishes to avoid the surgical abortion procedure. By administering this medicine, we can safely induce an early pregnancy to pass in a more natural way, with the experience and risks being comparable to an early miscarriage. However, as opposed to to process of having a spontaneous miscarriage, we, as physicians, determine very important safety concerns and medical information before approving and starting this process.  We also counsel you and extensively inform you on how the process with happen and what to expect to help avoid the fear and unknowns that are common with spontaneous miscarriages.  With the peace of mind that we are here if you need us, and our professional explanation provided personally by experienced medical doctors, this process may be right for you and your personal situation. 

This process includes 2 different steps and 2 different medicines, one to stop the pregnancy (which is an event usually not physically noticed by the patient), and the other to cause the ended pregnancy to pass 2 days later (which involves cramping similar to an early spontaneous miscarriage). There are 2 very important office visits with the physician which must be kept to assure your continued well-being and successful completion of the process. It is important to understand that because every patient and pregnancy is different, only a qualified medical physician experienced in the use of the RU-486 abortion pill method can determine and verify that this "pill method" is appropriate for your situation and must counsel you on the process.  An ultrasound must be done to verify the length of the pregnancy because this method can be very dangerous if given to patients whose pregnancies are more than 7 weeks along. 

The RU-486 pill is regulated and you can only obtain this medicine from facilities that have the ability to provide a surgical abortion in the event that it is unsuccessful.  It is best to go to a facility that has a full time physician staff Mon-Sat so that if you have an emergency, you may be able avoid having to go the ER.  The abortion pill is safely provided when a pregancy is less than 7 weeks, and providing it past this time can result in a signficant chance it will not work completely which would require the need for surgical intervention.  As the goal is to avoid the surgery, doctors realize that providing the pill above 7 weeks can significantly increase your risks of excessive bleeding or an incomplete process requiring a subsequent surgical abortion or D and E procedure.  For more information, you can visit the official RU-486 website at  http://www.earlyoptionpill.com.  Our current unique physician administration of the RU-486 pill in our office has a completion success rate which is currently approximately 99%, due to our strict adherence to making sure patients are proper candidates and our method of administration. In addition, in the extremely unlikely event that this pill method should fail to stop the pregnancy, we will perform the surgical procedure at no additional charge.