RU486 / Abortion Pill

Abortion Pill Information (RU486)

This drug is only approved by the Food & Drug Administration for use in women up to the 49th day after their last menstrual period; however, it is commonly used “off label” up to 63 days. This procedure usually requires three office visits. On the first visit, the woman is given pills to cause the death of the fetus. Two days later, if the fetus has not been expelled from her body, the woman is given a second drug (misoprostol) to accomplish this. One to two weeks later, an evaluation is done to determine if the procedure has been completed.[11, 12]

RU486 will not work in the case of an ectopic pregnancy. This is a potentially life-threatening condition in which the embryo lodges outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube.[13, 14]

If an ectopic pregnancy is not diagnosed early, the tube may burst, causing internal bleeding and in some cases, the death of the woman.