How effective are abortion pills?

The combined use of Mifepristone and Misoprostol is 99% effective at terminating the pregnancy, whereas Misoprostol on its own has a 92-98% success rate. 

 

Most women will know their abortion has been successful because they see blood and tissue coming out from their vagina, and the symptoms of pregnancy such as morning sickness and breast tenderness disappear after a few days. 

 

A successful abortion with pills can be confirmed by taking a pregnancy test two weeks after Misoprostol. If it is negative, then the abortion is confirmed. If it is positive, you should take another test a week later, which would be three weeks from Misoprostol. It should be negative by then. If it is still positive the abortion could have been unsuccessful, and you should arrange to have an ultrasound to check what is happening. If the ultrasound shows the pregnancy has continued, you would need to take another course of abortion pills (if still under 12 weeks), or opt for a surgical abortion.

 

You can also confirm the abortion by having an ultrasound with a gynaecologist around ten days after Misoprostol. There is no need to tell them you took abortion pills; you can simply say you think you may have had a miscarriage and want to see if there is still a pregnancy. You should avoid having an ultrasound too soon after taking abortion pills because it takes at least seven days for the uterus to empty.