During the past few years, some heated discussions have taken place regarding Abortion Pill Reversal, or reversing a medical/chemical abortion. Some say it’s not possible, while others say it is and provide proof.
How Does a Medical Abortion Work?
If a woman is less than 10 weeks along and wants to end her pregnancy, she may be able to take the abortion pill (a medical abortion). Also called RU486, this pill is a combination of two different medications taken over a few days to cause an abortion. One of those drugs, Mifeprex (mifepristone), is taken on the first day, usually at the abortion clinic. This medication blocks a woman’s body from using an important pregnancy hormone called progesterone, which maintains the lining of the uterus needed for the tiny embryo to burrow into and obtain nutrients from the mother’s body. Without progesterone, the lining of the uterus dies and sloughs off, killing the embryo implanted in it.
The second medication, Misoprostol, is taken 24 to 48 hours after the Mifeprex. This drug causes contractions of the uterus to help expel the lining and pregnancy. Most women experience heavy cramping and bleeding when taking Misoprostol. The cramping can be very painful, and a woman may need to take over-the-counter or prescription pain medication. Occasionally the abortion pill is not fully effective (especially if a woman is further along). If the abortion isn’t complete, she will need to have a surgical procedure.
What is Abortion Pill Reversal?
Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) is a relatively new treatment for women who have started a medical (chemical) abortion and wish they hadn’t done so. The process is called Pregnancy Sustaining Progesterone Therapy (PSPT) or Abortion Pill Reversal, and in 60 percent or more of cases, a woman who goes through the protocol delivers a healthy baby.
Dr. George Delgado pioneered the new therapy to help women who start a medication abortion and change their minds before the abortion is complete. In a recently published study, he states that the success rate of women delivering healthy babies after going through the protocol was as high was 68 percent.
APR uses the hormone progesterone to counter the effects of the progesterone blocking abortion pill. Progesterone has been prescribed for the past 40 years to pregnant women who have a history of miscarriage; it has no known risk of birth defects. The APR regimen is intense and time consuming and has no guarantees of success. However, more than 400 babies have been delivered successfully from APR treatment since 2007, according to Dr. Delgado’s studies.
A woman should begin the progesterone therapy within 72 hours of taking the first of the two medical abortion pills. She receives an ultrasound to be sure there is a fetal heartbeat before starting the process. She may take the progesterone as daily injections or pills/ suppositories.
Have You Experienced a Recent Medical Abortion?
Women facing unplanned pregnancies have two options: to terminate the pregnancy or to carry the pregnancy to term. According to the Guttmacher Institute, which conducts research on abortion, about 45 percent of all pregnancies in the United States were unplanned in 2011; about four out of ten of those were terminated by abortion. The organization also reported that 19% of pregnancies in 2014 ended in abortion, and that more than 920,000 abortions were performed in the U.S. in 2014.
Some women, after starting a medical abortion, regret their decision. If you are or someone you know is one of those women and 72 hours or less have passed since the pill was taken, contact the Abortion Pill Reversal hotline at 877-558-0333 to speak with a nurse. You can also visit the APR website for more information: http://abortionpillreversal.com/.