First of all, we specify that the abortion pill has nothing to do with the morning after pill (emergency contraceptive method). impede pregnancy by stopping ovulation and hindering the passage of spermatozoa towards the uterus and tubes, the abortion pill acts interrupting the pregnancy.
To be marketed in our country, the abortion pill was approved by the Italian Medicines Agency only in July 2009. Since 10 December of the same year, with its publication in the Official Gazette, the abortion pill has definitively entered the list of drugs. used in Italy In other European countries, the abortion pill has been used for decades.
Being an artificial means of birth control, the RU-486 abortion pill has been dubbed the "pill of discord". The entry into the market of the abortion pill broke Italy in half. It is understandable how the use of a similar abortion method has rekindled even more the controversy concerning the eternal debate between the Church, Ethics and Morals.
Theoretically, all healthy women who do not wish to become pregnant can resort to the abortion pill to favor the expulsion of the fruit of an unwanted conception. It must be stressed, however, that abortion is in any case a practice that involves risks for the pregnant woman; therefore, it cannot and should not be done lightly.
Before proceeding with the discussion, let us pause for a moment to reflect: abortion means interrupting the life of a creature.
The abortion pill must be taken in the hospital, under the supervision of a doctor. Pharmacological abortion requires adequate medical monitoring of the physical and psychological condition of the woman.
To obtain the maximum therapeutic efficacy, it is necessary to proceed in two steps:
- The active ingredient of the abortion pill is mifepristone, which is taken orally at a dosage of 200-600 mg.
- After two days, the doctor administers to the woman 400 mcg of misoprostol, a prostaglandin analogue able to intensify the contractile activity of the myometrium, thus favoring the expulsion of embryonic tissues.
Gemeprost can be taken as an alternative to misoprostol. Generally, the expulsion of the embryo occurs a few hours after the administration of the prostaglandin.
anti-progestin. It acts directly on progestin receptors, blocking the action of these hormones in the uterus.To understand...
Progesterone is a progestin hormone secreted by the corpus luteum and the placenta, which is essential to ensure the maintenance of pregnancy once it has occurred.
The abortion pill prevents the development of the embryo in two ways:
- It blocks the action of progestin receptors on the mucosa and muscles of the uterus
- Promotes detachment and elimination of the uterine mucosa
After the administration of the pill and the prostaglandin, the embryo is expelled just as it does during a menstruation.
+ scraping). in preparation for surgical abortion (in the first trimester of gestation)In this circumstance, the woman observes an abundant uterine blood loss, always accompanied by cramping pain in the lower abdomen and / or at the lumbosacral level. The pain felt is a consequence of the contractions to which the uterus is subjected to expel the embryonic tissue.
In addition to pain, the woman who has just had an abortion may complain of nausea, weakness, headache and dizziness. The duration of uterine bleeding generally ranges from 14 to 17 days, although in some women the bleeding lasts for about 70 days.
Although quite rare, pelvic inflammatory disease and metritis are possible complications of drug abortion.
Pain and other side effects from taking the abortion pill can be masked with analgesic drugs (eg ibuprofen), narcotics (eg codeine) and acetaminophen.
One week to ten days after the abortion, the woman is invited to go to the doctor for a gynecological check-up to ascertain the absence of abortion material retained in the uterus.
After abortion with the RU-486 pill, women can experience anxiety and depression; therefore, it is strongly recommended that family members take care of the patient.
Pharmacological abortion by taking the RU-486 abortion pill continues to be the first choice abortion method for terminating a pregnancy, especially between the 7th and 9th week of gestation.
We remind again that the RU-486 pill is NOT an emergency contraceptive method, but an abortion practice in all respects.
Abortion pill Advantages Disadvantages Contraindications
