The Abortion Pill Can Be Used Later Than the FDA Says

June 29, 2022

(The Atlantic) – The “abortion pill” is a bit of a misnomer. Known formally as medical or medication abortion, it is really two separate drugs—mifepristone, which stops the pregnancy from progressing, followed by misoprostol, which triggers uterus contractions—that together mimic what happens in a miscarriage. And so, in the early days of at-home medication abortion in the 1990s in the U.K. and Sweden, doctors looked to this parallel to establish a cutoff for its use: nine weeks, when a miscarriage is also typically managed safely at home. Over time, however, the line has slowly shifted later into pregnancy. (Read More)