Little Rock Family Planning Services
501-225-3836 or Toll-Free 800-272-2183

We began offering medical abortion with RU-486 in January 2001.  If you live more than one hours drive outside Little Rock you must agree to stay in Little Rock (usually at a motel) for at least one night.   Also you must also be 49 days (7 weeks) or less from your last period by ultrasound.  You will be required to have at least 2 visits.  The first visit will be for ultrasound and counseling.  The second visit will be after you have completed the abortion so that we can determine (with the ultrasound) that the uterus is empty.

The cost of a medical abortion is $525 . There will also be a cost to purchase the drugs (pain medication, misoprostol and antibiotics) from a pharmacy. This charge will cover the costs of a surgical abortion in our clinic if the drug fails to cause a complete abortion.  A surgical abortion is necessary in about 3% of cases (1 in 33 women have to have a surgical abortion.)

Fast Facts About Mifepristone (RU-486)

What is Mifepristone?

Mifepristone (formerly known as RU-486) is a medication that blocks the action of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is needed to sustain a pregnancy. Mifepristone has been used, in combination with other medications called prostaglandins, for medical abortion since 1988 in France and China, and since the early 1990's in the United Kingdom and Sweden. It has been more recently licensed in nine other European countries and Israel. Millions of women worldwide have safely used mifepristone regimens to end their pregnancies.

How mifepristone works to end pregnancy

Mifepristone blocks the action of progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy. This results in:

• Changes in the uterine lining and detachment of the pregnancy
• Softening and opening of the cervix

• Increased uterine sensitivity to prostaglandin

Mifepristone is used in combination with another medication, a prostaglandin called misoprostol. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract, and helps the pregnancy tissue to pass.

How effective is the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol in terminating an early pregnancy?

Approximately 97% of women will have a complete abortion when using mifepristone/misoprostol up to 49 days after the start of the last menstrual period. The remaining women will need a suction abortion either because of ongoing or excessive bleeding, an incomplete abortion (tissue remains in the uterus but there is no growing embryo), or an ongoing pregnancy (a viable growing pregnancy, which occurs in less than 1% of cases).

Treatment regimen with mifepristone/misoprostol

Please note: After FDA approval of mifepristone/misoprostol there has been new clinical data about the effectiveness of various regimes that vary from the one that the FDA approved.  We are using one of these regimes which has been shown to be safe and is more convenient for women using the method. 

Step One, at the clinic

• A medical history is taken, an ultrasound is done and a clinical exam and lab tests are performed.
• Counseling is completed and informed consent is obtained.

• If eligible for medical abortion, the woman swallows the mifepristone pills.

Step Two, at home (or motel)

• Six to 8 hours after the mifepristone pills have been swallowed 8 Cytotec tablets are placed in the vagina.

Step Three, this will depend on how far you live from our clinic:

A) If you live within one hour of Little Rock

• If you feel you have passed the pregnancy, just plan to keep your appointment for the following week
• If you have not passed the pregnancy by 24 hours after you put the Cytotec tablets in your vagina, you will put a 4 tablets in your vagina and still plan to keep your appointment for the following week.

B) If you live outside the Little Rock Area

• You will return at 9 AM the following morning to have an ultrasound to see if the abortion is complete.  If the abortion is complete you will be discharged home and asked to take a urine pregnancy test in 3 weeks..
• If you have not had a complete abortion you will be given 4 Cytotec to place in your vagina, at this time you may return to your motel room or remain in the clinic.
• You must return to the clinic by 2 PM at which time another ultrasound will be done.  If you have not passed the pregnancy, you must have a surgical abortion before you leave the area. 

• From past studies it is anticipated that over 90% of women will have a successful medical abortion, the remainder will require a surgical abortion.  The surgical abortion is done in our clinic at no additional cost.

Possible side effects of a mifepristone abortion

Side effects, such as pain, cramping and vaginal bleeding, result from the abortion process itself, and are therefore expected with a medical abortion. Other side effects of the medications themselves may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, or fever. Complications are rare, but may include excessive vaginal bleeding requiring transfusion (occurs in approximately 1 in 500 cases), incomplete abortion or ongoing pregnancy which requires a suction abortion (see above).

What women can expect from a mifepristone abortion

• Medical abortion with mifepristone/misoprostol requires at least two visits to the clinic.
• Approximately 95% of women using mifepristone/misoprostol up to 49 days since the last menstrual period will have a complete medical abortion.
• Approximately two-thirds of women will have a complete medical abortion within 4 hours of using the misoprostol.
• Approximately 90% of women will have a complete medical abortion within 24 hours of using the misoprostol.
• Complete abortion generally occurs more quickly when misoprostol is used vaginally rather than orally.
• On average, women may expect to have bleeding and/or spotting for 9-16 days.
• Women may pass clots, ranging in size.
• Some women may see grayish pregnancy tissue.
• If the medications fail to end the pregnancy, a suction abortion should be performed. For this reason, a woman who chooses medical abortion must be willing to have a suction abortion if needed.

For more information, go to What is Medical Abortion? or www.EarlyOptions.org

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