Health

All about the Abortion Pill

With Pope Benedict reportedly telling a recent convention of Roman Catholic pharmacists to help protect human life from conception until natural death and "avoid collaborating... in the supply of products which have clearly immoral aims, for example abortion or euthanasia", the abortion pill has drawn attention once again. The pill, not authorized in Italy, is available in many European Union countries since the 1980s; in the United States since 2000; and in India since February 2002.

"An abortion pill is definitely a safe and a better option over surgical abortion - provided the pregnancy is less than seven weeks. Any time past seven weeks requires surgical abortion," explains Dr Duru Shah, Consulting Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Mumbai. He adds that post seven weeks, the pill can lead to partial abortion: part of the pregnancy tissue might remain in the uterus. This can cause severe infection, which, if not treated, could lead to cancer.

People often confuse the abortion pill with the morning-after pill. The latter is a contraceptive; one dose of the same is required to be taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. The morning-after pill is available over-the-counter, since medical supervision is not considered essential. On the other hand, the abortion pill should be taken only under strict medical supervision as it could result in heavy bleeding.

Ironically, many people imagine the abortion pill to be a kind of magic wand that will accomplish a vanishing-act as regards an unwanted fetus. Such grossly misinformed views are evident in the following submissions to the DoctorNDTV (a popular TV channel's health portal) website: "According to me, morning-after abortion pills should not be freely available at chemist shops because it will encourage prostitution, extra-marital and pre-marital affairs..." says one. However, according to another, "There is nothing of misuse of this medicine in my view. As the desire for sex is ultimate, so when sex cannot be avoided, then there should be surely some safe side... So, this pill should be available freely."

In the wider ethos of misinformation regarding all matters sexual, the abortion pill, in fact, has been misused. At a national experts meeting held at AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) in October 2002 to frame guidelines for the abortion pill, Dr. J.V.R. Prasada Rao, then Secretary, Department of Family Welfare, said, "I have got reports that it was available even at 'paan' (betel leaf) shops in Mumbai. Reports of complications and misuse has made a monster out of a safe drug which has forced us to formulate guidelines."

The abortion pill is that it is actually two different drugs, to be taken in combination. The first drug, RU-486 or Mifepristone, is taken after pregnancy has been confirmed. The second drug, Misoprostal, is administered after another 48 hours or so.

However, before any woman takes the abortion pill, high-risk factors must be ruled out. These include anemia (hemoglobin less than 8 gm per cent), cardiovascular disease, chronic adrenal failure, uncontrolled seizure disorder, severe liver, renal or respiratory disease, and a history of taking aspirin, steroids or antidepressants. The pill is also not advisable for HIV+ persons, or for heavy smokers. Caution is to be exercised in patients with fibroid uterus or previous surgery on uterus or cervix.

Clearly, the abortion pill is not an uncomplicated method. There are a lot of dos and don'ts attached. In any case, no abortion method should be considered a regular alternative to contraception. If pregnancy is not wanted, it is best prevented. But since no contraceptive method is foolproof, we do need accessible abortion methods. Women worldwide have won the right to abortion after intense struggle and it is important to protect this right.

Interestingly, at a consortium on National Consensus for Medical Abortion in India, held in March 2003 in New Delhi, consensus emerged that the abortion pill should be introduced in phases in India's family welfare programme. But, as women's groups have argued persuasively in the case of hazardous contraceptives, the public health care system must provide full information and counseling services to all potential users. Available options should be discussed in pre-abortion counseling, with the pros and cons for each.

At present, however, medical abortion is being provided in India largely by the private sector. Dr Sharad D. Iyengar, of Action for Research and Training for Health, Udaipur, strongly recommends the introduction of medical abortion as a primary health service so that safe abortion is more widely accessible to women, and rampant misuse of the abortion pill is prevented, particularly in remote rural areas.

A study of availability of medical abortion pills in Bihar and Jharkhand (Bela Ganatra, V. Manning and S.P. Pallipamulla, 2005) noted that Mifepristone and Misoprostol were widely available at chemist shops. Though supposed to be provided against doctor's prescriptions, chemists frequently handed the pills to customers without prescription. In this area, over 50 per cent customers were men - taking the pill presumably for their wives or girl friends. Since Misoprostol is much cheaper - less than Rs 20 (US$1=Rs 39.50) for a pill - there is more demand for it, and it is being widely used as a home-based abortifacient. Mifepristone is priced at approximately Rs 100 a pill, so only a higher-income segment buys it. Only one per cent of the primary health centers in the area provided abortion services.

Today, pharmaceutical companies, including Zydus, Cadila, Cipla and Sun Pharma are producing and aggressively marketing the drug in India. A recent report from Hyderabad reveals a drastic decline in MTPs (Medical Termination of Pregnancy or legal abortion) in hospitals, attributable to the ready availability of "the abortion pill, Mifepristone, sales of which have doubled during the last two years" ('Times of India', 2007).

Public health specialist Dr S.C. Kabra, Indian Institute of Health Management and Research, Jaipur, sharply criticizes the unregulated availability of the drugs, as "marketing murder". He notes that promotional literature by pharmaceutical companies says the drugs are to be distributed for abortion at home, which is contrary to provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971; and they are being distributed by qualified and unqualified practitioners.

It seems that the abortion pill is only the tip of the iceberg. At stake are many contentious and difficult issues, such as a dysfunctional public health system, unethical pharmaceutical promotional practices, lack of independent regulatory mechanisms, limited access to emergency services - and underlying it all, patriarchal taboos and the sheer desperation of many women seeking abortion.

While the health system must prevent sex-selective abortion, it must meet the challenge of making safe and widely accessible abortion services available to all women. Thus, many believe that the abortion pill should be introduced judiciously into the family welfare programme - not as another strategy for population control, but as a tool for empowering women, and allowing them to lead more joyful, more responsible lives.   

02-Dec-2007

More by :  Deepti Priya Mehrotra

Top | Health

Views: 3475      Comments: 17



Comment Hi,

I had a unsafe Sex with my girlfriend and she had not got her periods on date and we have doubt about it. We are going for the check up but if we get +ve report . Please advise for this pill to get from or what further we can do, as we do not want pregnancy..?


Akshay
29-Nov-2013 06:39 AM

Comment Sir,
i m 26 year old and i had unsafe sex with my boyfriend and got pregnant. after 15 days of pregnancy i used abortion kit of mankind company. i used this second time in my life.
now i m feeling some pain in lower abdominal like every part of my body will fall out.
kindly suggest me what should i do.

Somya saini
29-Oct-2013 05:22 AM

Comment we already have to baby we doesnt want another still m pregnanet for 1 month i need to abort this time let me know some home made remedies aur some fruit that can easily find in market to done abortion.

ramendra
30-Sep-2013 05:12 AM

Comment I had sex with my girlfriend . now she is pregnant (28 days) . we don't want surgical abortion. Give me some details of Safe abortion pills present in market and are these safe. And how yo use

Rahul
20-Sep-2013 01:19 AM

Comment My wife has a baby of 1 year and she has not,yet got the period and she is gettinga light bleeding why is it so is she pregnant

varun
18-Sep-2013 00:37 AM

Comment DEAR SIRS,

MY LAST PERIOD DATE IS 16/04/2013, STILL DATE MY PERIOD NOT CONTINUE PLS. ADVISE ME WHICH TABLET TAKEN IS BETTER. BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE THAT I AM PREGNENT


KASHISH B.SHARMA
25-May-2013 08:32 AM

Comment Dear Doctor,
I had a girl baby and at present I do not want another pregnent. I am last period misson 19th April 2013 and I had take perga news test and it is possitive.

Please inform me about safe home use abortion pills.

Lali

P Karmakar
21-Apr-2013 04:15 AM

Comment Dear Guys!

DON'T WORRY
If you think , you got pregnant , Just take a pregnancy test with Test kit(HCG Test kit) available in market name - I-Can , prega news etc.
If result is positive, then i will suggest you these medicine -
1. Unwanted MTP kit - Manpower Mrp - 499
2. Surya MTP Kit - Rs 100
or,
you can ask chemist for these combination drug to terminate pregnancy -
Mifepristone
Mesopitol

I believe it will wok. Apart from it a lots of other alternate are available in market.
For any further clarification you contact us.
Thank you
Hope every thing will be fine !



Bivha Medical College - Helping Girls Support
28-Mar-2013 01:23 AM

Comment Dear Dr,

I had sex with my girl friend unsafely, now she was 30days pregnant,how to clear with pills?

ANBU
18-Mar-2013 15:47 PM

Comment we already have to baby we doesnt want another still m pregnanet for 1 month i need to abort this time let me know some home made remedies aur some fruit that can easily find in market to done abortion.

rahul
09-Mar-2013 16:32 PM

Comment i had sex with my bf.
he didnt use any protection but i took an i-pill after the course.
but now its been two weeks and i feel nauseated and pukish. can it be a case of pregnancy?
if yes then for abortion is mifpristone the right pill to take ???

akarja
05-Mar-2013 11:06 AM

Comment Hi ,
I had sex with my gf for just 10 sec without condom. as I fell that I am ejaculating , I pulled off . I don't think I had left any sperma inside vagina.
but after one week she is expreinceing vommtiing & naussa.
Is she prganant and if she is what steps I shall take
regards
Rakesh

rakesh
01-Mar-2013 06:11 AM

Comment To Doctor,

I had sex with my boyfriend unexpectedly. He is wearing a condom all the time when we are in sex. But after week of sex I'm getting vometings. Is these vometings are related to sex? If yes what I need to do? After sex how many days to get vometings and to form a baby. What i need to do Can I use Abortion Pill?

ammulu
24-Feb-2013 04:18 AM

Comment My girlfrnd is very week... What should i do?? May i give her Misoprostal and Misoprostal... Another alternative for safe abortion??...

mickey kumar
05-Feb-2013 22:50 PM

Comment i m using saheli contraceptive pill since last 4 yrs.....is it 100% safe or does it have any failure chance?

pooja
10-Jan-2013 01:47 AM

Comment From last 7 years my girlfriend using Abortion pills.
and she is not getting pregnent from last 1 years.
Is it she lost out pregnancy or not please advise me.

ketan shetty
03-Jan-2013 02:47 AM

Comment we already have to baby we doesnt want another still m pregnanet for 1 month i need to abort this time let me know some home made remedies aur some fruit that can easily find in market to done abortion.



regards

vineet

vineet
16-Apr-2012 11:05 AM