Three Steps to a Medical Abortion
There are three steps to a medical abortion. First, a clinician will administer an injection of methotrexate or the patient will be given a dose of mifepristone in tablet form. Second, the patient will be given a second dose of misoprostol in tablet form that should be taken within 72 hours of the previous medication. As a final step, the patient will need to return to the clinic for a follow-up check up to make sure the abortion was complete.

Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and empty which is how the abortion is completed. With methotrexate about fifty percent of women have the abortion the same day that they take the misoprostol tablet. The other thirty-five to forty percent will have the abortion take place in about a week, though the entire process can take up to two weeks. With mifepristone about ten percent of the women will have the abortion before they take

misoprostol and most other patients will have the abortion in about 4 hours after taking the first pill. Most patients will not start bleeding until twenty four hours after taking the medication, and the whole process can take up to a week. Though both medications are similar methotrexate is about ninety percent effective and mifepristone is from ninety-two to ninety-five percent effective.

Pre-Procedure Tasks
When a woman decides to have a medical abortion there are a few pre-procedure tasks the patient needs to complete. First the patient needs to contact an institution that performs abortions; they then need to sign up for an appointment. Clinics prefer to have a pre-counseling session to talk to the women about what is going to take place and how she is feeling about her decision to have an abortion. The counselor will also discuss with the patient how she came to the decision to obtain an abortion. Next, the patient will have to sign a consent form and have several laboratory tests. These tests can include blood tests, STD test, and an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy.

After all the necessary pre-procedures are done, the patient is then given the first dose medicine and the second dose is then taken at home. After the doses of medicine are given there can be a few side effects. These include strong cramps, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and temporary abdominal pain. Over the counter medicines such as Tylenol or Excedrin are given to help ease the pain. Most patients who receive medical abortion feel more like it is an early miscarriage. After the abortion is complete the patient will need to return back to the clinic to have a post-procedure check up.