This procedure is done from 7 to 13 weeks after the last menstrual period . The procedure takes about 10 minutes, but admission, preparation, counseling, and recovery take longer. D and E or dilation and evacuation is the safest and most widely used technique . General anesthesia is usually required. This technique is usually used for pregnancy termination between 13 and 21 weeks .
Prostaglandins are hormones that cause uterine contractions.
RU-486 is effective in inducing abortion in early pregnancy. Methotrexate , an anticancer drug, stops cell division and has been used to end ectopic pregnancies as well as to treat cancer. Methotrexate is injected as early in pregnancy as possilble. Day later, misoprostol , a common ulcer drug, is given to induce contractions of the uterus to expel the fetus. Methotrexate and misoprostol are too valuable as cancer and ulcer treatments to be pressured off the market by antiabortion groups.