How to Take Mifepristone + Misoprostol
Taking the Mifepristone
Day 1:
Take 200 mg of mifepristone with water.
It is important to take the first dose at a time when you can plan for a safe and comfortable place to take misoprostol in the next 24-48 hours.
Day 2-3:
Wait 24-48 hours.
Some providers say waiting 36-48 hours between mifepristone and the first dose of misoprostol has better results because the mifepristone has more time to stop the body’s production of the hormones that maintain an early pregnancy.
Dosages for misoprostol are as follows:
1. For 12 weeks or less: 800 mcg (4 pills) 24-48 hours after mifepristone, under the tongue, or vaginally. This is ONE dose and the most common of the regimens. This is a successful regimen for the majority of abortion cases.
2. For more than 12 weeks: 400 mcg (2 pills) 24-48 hours after mifepristone, under the tongue, or vaginally. You will take subsequent doses every 3 hours. The WHO does not give guidelines about how many times these doses are necessary, and advises that they be taken under the guidance of a medical professional.
It is a touchy subject to know when your abortion is complete. Sometimes products of conception can remain in the uterus even after the fetus and most of the tissue has passed. If you notice that your bleeding has stopped after a week, but it starts up again some weeks later and is accompanied by abdominal cramping, lower back pain, and big blood clots, you could have some retention of the products of conception.
Additional doses of misoprostol could remove retained products of conception, but a surgical procedure, done by a doctor or midwife is the only sure way to complete abortion with fetal retention.
If you are concerned that your abortion is not complete, always seek assistance from a medical provider in your country. Mifepristone and misoprostol cannot be detected in your blood after an abortion, so your healthcare provider will have no way of knowing you had an abortion–unless you tell them. Choose wisely what you say to them, in accordance with laws on abortion in your country.