Medical Abortion
A medical abortion is the one that is performed through the use of one or various medications.
In some countries it is called “PHARMACOLOGICAL ABORTION”.
A medical abortion must fulfil the same legal requisites as an induced abortion:
• That the woman requests it and authorises it. (INFORMED CONSENT DULY SIGNED)
• That it be performed in a clinic accredited by the health authorities or in a Hospital.
The woman must be aware that it is not simply a question of taking a pill/s and “aborting or interrupting her pregnancy”; there are guidelines, conditions, certain protocols and shortcomings of the method.
At this time, medical abortion is performed worldwide with the abortion pill RU 486, MIFEPRISTONE, (commercial name in Spain: MYFEGINE), and/or with prostaglandins, MISOPROSTOL, etc.
Emergency contraception or the day-after pill IS NOT ABORTIVE, IT DOES NOT INTERRUPT AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED PREGNANCY.
El MISOPROSTOL, is a prostaglandin that acts at uterine level and facilitates its emptying or evacuation on the basis of a softening of the uterine neck or cervix and on the contractility of the uterine muscle.(See Misoprostol)
Medical abortion with Mifepristone and Misoprostol
In some European countries, the percentage of this criterion for aborting is: Portugal 67 %—England 40 %—Scotland and Finland 70 %. In Spain it is very varied depending on the Community and/or clinic. In addition the woman tends to refuse medical abortion due to it being less “private” and with more consultations, in other words “longer” than the surgical procedure.
MIFEPRISTONE (RU 486) is still not approved in 153 of the 193 countries, despite being in existence since the eighties in countries such as Spain, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and this is on the increase although very slowly due to legislation in each country. (Legal abortion – clandestine abortion).
THE SPANISH AGENCY FOR DRUGS, Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs:
Registered the pharmaceutical specialty MIFEGYNE (MIFEPRISTONE), ref. Nº 62.728, for indications of Interruption of Pregnancy : “…medical termination of an established intra-uterine pregnancy …”, “600 mg. of mifepristone (3 pills of 200 mg. each) in one sole oral dose”. “…followed by the administration of a prostaglandin analogue 36 to 48 hours later”, Misoprostol or gameprost.
RU 486, (MIFEPRISTONE) is a drug that, on its own, provokes the Interruption of Pregnancy with a frequency of 60-80%, and therefore total elimination may require surgical support (aspiration). ITS STAND-ALONE USE WAS ABANDONED IN 1987.
PRIOR CONDITIONS FOR BEING ABLE TO OPT FOR MEDICAL ABORTION, in addition to informing and advising the woman on how the medication aborts, when it aborts and the evolution of the medical abortion, together with the fulfilment of other requisites.
- 1º CONTRAINDICATIONS:
• Patients with kidney failure
• Liver failure
• Adrenal insufficiency
• Sever asthma
• Coagulation disorders
• Anaemia - 2º It must be a pregnancy of under 49 days (7 weeks), (63 days).
- 3º Previously confirmed with an ultrasound, as well as discounting an ectopic pregnancy (outside of the uterine cavity).
- 4º A blood test must be performed to check for any coagulation disorders, haemorrhage time, etc, (to ensure we do not have a patient with blood problems, etc.).
- 5º Once these results show us the viability of the process, the patient will be given an appointment and will attend the Hospital or Authorised Clinic.
