Methotrexate & Misoprostol
BCHealth Guide
Methotrexate and misoprostol use is a two-step method.
* First, methotrexate tablets are taken orally or an injection of methotrexate is given by your health professional. Methotrexate interferes with the growth of the placenta, which allows it to separate from the endometrium. This is an unlabeled use of methotrexate. For reference, see an illustration of the reproductive organsClick here to see an illustration..
* Second, tablets of misoprostol are taken orally or inserted vaginally, usually 5 to 7 days later. This medication causes uterine contractions so that your body passes the uterine contents. This is an unlabeled use of misoprostol. The pregnancy usually ends at home within a day or two when the tissue from the uterus is passed.
A medical abortion usually requires three visits to your health professional over several weeks. Medications are given at the first and second visits. The third visit is a follow-up appointment and is usually scheduled within 20 days after the second visit to make sure the abortion is complete and no complications are present. If a medical abortion is unsuccessful, a surgical abortion must be done to complete the process. (A fetus may not develop normally after exposure to methotrexate or misoprostol.)
Oral pain medications also may be used for this procedure.
* First, methotrexate tablets are taken orally or an injection of methotrexate is given by your health professional. Methotrexate interferes with the growth of the placenta, which allows it to separate from the endometrium. This is an unlabeled use of methotrexate. For reference, see an illustration of the reproductive organsClick here to see an illustration..
* Second, tablets of misoprostol are taken orally or inserted vaginally, usually 5 to 7 days later. This medication causes uterine contractions so that your body passes the uterine contents. This is an unlabeled use of misoprostol. The pregnancy usually ends at home within a day or two when the tissue from the uterus is passed.
A medical abortion usually requires three visits to your health professional over several weeks. Medications are given at the first and second visits. The third visit is a follow-up appointment and is usually scheduled within 20 days after the second visit to make sure the abortion is complete and no complications are present. If a medical abortion is unsuccessful, a surgical abortion must be done to complete the process. (A fetus may not develop normally after exposure to methotrexate or misoprostol.)
Oral pain medications also may be used for this procedure.
British Columbia Ministry of Health
WebMD
New England Journal of Medicine
Ibis Reproductive Health
Religious Tolerance
Suction Aspiration
UCSF Medical Center
The doctor will (1) use a speculum to view inside your v****a; (2) clean your v****a and cervix with gauze soaked in soap; (3) apply numbing medication to your cervix; (4) dilate your cervix (the tight opening to your uterus) with thin metal rods; (5) insert a narrow flexible tube into your uterus; (6) apply gentle suction to the other end of the tube to remove all of the pregnancy tissue. Toward the end of the procedure, you may feel a cramp (similar to a menstrual cramp) in your uterus because it is shrinking down to its usual size. Most of the procedure time is spent preparing your body for the procedure. The suction is only used for about 1 minute. 15-20 minutes
University of California, San-Francisco Medical Center
American Pregnancy
WebMD
Ipas
British Columbia Ministry of Health
Dilation & Curettage (D&C)
UMHS
Your health care provider stretches open (dilates) your cervix and guides a scooplike instrument (a curette) into the uterus. Your provider uses the curette to scrape all around the lining of the uterus and remove tissue from your uterus. This tissue will be sent to the lab for tests.
University of Michigan Health Services
NetDoctor
Medline Plus
WebMD
Mayo Clinic
Dilation & Evacuation (D&E)
MDCH
To prepare for the procedure, the physician will enlarge (dilate) the cervix (the opening to the uterus). This may be done over a period of several hours by inserting a small rod or sponge into the cervix which swells as the sponge absorbs moisture. The doctor may choose to enlarge the cervix right before the abortion by inserting and withdrawing larger and larger smooth metal rods until the cervix has been opened to the necessary size.
Most women experience some pain, so the physician will give you a pain-killer, either locally by shots in the area of the cervix or by a general anesthetic.
The uterus may be scraped with a curette (a sharp, spoon-like instrument). The fetus and placenta are extracted, using forceps or other instruments. This procedure will take approximately 30 minutes.
Most women experience some pain, so the physician will give you a pain-killer, either locally by shots in the area of the cervix or by a general anesthetic.
The uterus may be scraped with a curette (a sharp, spoon-like instrument). The fetus and placenta are extracted, using forceps or other instruments. This procedure will take approximately 30 minutes.
Michigan Department of Community Health
WebMD
American Pregnancy
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Planned Parenthood
And, that is all I truly care to delve into at this point; however, one thing should be noted, the only other major abortion procedure left is dilation & extraction -- I can assure you that, contrary to the popular pro-life colloquialism (partial-birth abortion), the fetus isn't birthed and then killed during this process.
