There is similar opposition to medical abortion as there is to surgical abortion. Efforts are under way to try to impose further restrictions on the availability of mifepristone. The FDA protocol requires three visits. Patients are followed up on Day 14 to determine the completeness of the procedure. Patients will experience bleeding that is usually heavier than a menstrual period and lasts on average 9-16 days.
Cramps range from light to very severe and usually start several hours after taking misoprostol.
Other side effects include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There are many alternative protocols being used. The U.S. FDA-approved protocol is based on evidence from clinical trials completed in 1996 in France and the United States. The French still follow this protocol. Women return to the clinic on Day 3 for misoprostol and remain there for at least four hours while they expel the pregnancy tissue.