RU-486, or mifepristone, is a synthetic steroid currently used in Europe to induce abortions in the first 9 weeks of pregnancy. It is not approved for use in the U.S.
RU-486 was developed in 1982 by Dr. Etienne-Emile Baulieu and introduced in France's abortion clinics and hospitals in 1989.
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. There are two types of abortions, spontaneous and induced.
Spontaneous abortion is defined as a pregnancy that terminates (naturally, not artificially) before the 20th completed week of gestation.
Induced abortion is the deliberate termination of pregnancy in a manner that ensures that the embryo or fetus will not survive. Induced abortions can be surgically or drug-induced.
There are at least two known drug-based methods of abortion: emergency oral contraceptives (OCs) and mifepristone (RU-486).
Several types of OCs, taken in sufficient doses within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, can avert pregnancy. Depending on where a woman is in her menstrual cycle, the pills can prevent ovulation, disrupt fertilization by sperm, or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall.
The OCs must be taken with three days; usually one set of pills followed by another set 12 hours later. The second dose must not be missed.
In the first half of a woman's ovulatory cycle, the hormone estrogen is secreted by the ripening egg, causing the wall of the uterus to prepare for possible pregnancy and ovulation. Ovulation is the development and release of an ovum (egg) from a follicle within the ovary.
As the egg is released, the follicle forms a small mass of yellow tissue called the corpus luteum, which secretes the hormone progesterone. As a result, the lining of the uterus thickens and blood supply increases.
An embryo will attach itself to the uterine wall somewhere around the 21st day of the menstrual cycle or approximately 7 days after ovulation. After fertilization the cells surrounding the baby secrete human chorionic gonadotropin which saves the corpus luteum and helps in production of progesterone. As a result, the cells lining the uterus (endometrium) stay in place and accept the implantation of the baby. After approximately nine weeks, the placenta takes over the manufacturing of progesterone.
RU-486 (an anti-progestin) operates by blocking the further production of progesterone.
RU-486 is taken orally in a 600 mg single dose followed in 36 to 48 hours by prostaglandin given vaginally or orally.
Follow-up with a physician is essential. It is 95 percent successful in spontaneously terminating pregnancies of up to 9 weeks duration with minimal complications.
Common side-effects include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There is a 5 to 10 percent incidence of bleeding or incomplete abortion requiring curettage (removal of the uterine lining), but there are no known long-term consequences.
Using RU-486 is generally less painful and less expensive than a surgical procedure, requires no hospital stay, and carries less risk of infection.
Additionally, some physicians believe that RU-486 has other beneficial uses. It may have the potential to treat endometriosis, breast cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, and benign brain tumors.
From an emotional and psychological perspective, the disadvantages for some women may be the potential for guilt and anguish over performing their own abortion.
What are your feelings or opinions about drug-induced abortion versus surgical abortion?
After taking RU-486, what type of symptoms will occur?
Will there be any long-term effects of taking RU-486?
Will taking RU-486 affect future ability to conceive?
