If you don't have access to both pills, Mifepristone and Misoprostol, you can have an abortion with Misoprostol alone. Misoprostol alone is 94% effective. You will need 12 tablets with 200 mcg of Misoprostol each.
To have an abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy with Misoprostol only, the medicines should be taken as follows:
1st – put 4 pills of Misoprostol (200 mcg) under your tongue and keep the tablets there for at least 30 minutes. You can swallow your saliva, but avoid eating or drinking while the tablets are dissolving. After 30 minutes, the remains of the pills can be swallowed*.
2nd – 3 hours later, put 4 pills of Misoprostol (200 mcg) under your tongue. After 30 minutes, the remains of the pills can be swallowed*.
3rd – 3 hours later, put 4 pills of Misoprostol (200 mcg) under your tongue. After 30 minutes, the remains of the pills can be swallowed*.
*You have to spit out any remaining bits of the pills when you used the medicines called oxaprost or arthotec as they contain diclofenac and can be harmful for your health if you take too much.
It is important to use the second and third doses of misoprostol even if you are already bleeding and think the abortion already occurred. These doses will help make sure the process is complete and make it less likely that you will need any sort of medical attention.
We strongly advise you to use Misoprostol under your tongue. This way, no remains of the pills can be found in the event that you need to go to a hospital. There are no blood tests that can show that you have taken Misoprostol, so there will be no way to prove that you tried to do an abortion.
Please also see What painkillers can you use? & How do you know if you have complications and what should you do?
Write to our Helpdesk team at info@womenonweb.org for more detailed information and guidance through the process.
