After taking the initial dose, she will return to the doctor two days later, where she will receive a second drug, misoprostol, which will cause the embryo to be expelled. A third visit to the physician will be required within 14 days to confirm that the pregnancy has been terminated. When taken this way, the drug has been shown to have a 92 percent to 95 percent success rate. When the drugs fail to work, a surgical procedure may be necessary to complete the abortion. Typically, the pill will cause a woman to have bleeding and spotting for around nine to 16 days.
Some side effects are nausea and headaches.
Because the pill drops off in effectiveness after 49 days, the FDA only approved it for use by doctors who have some experience in accurately dating a pregnancy. Physicians will also be required to ensure that a patient have access to emergency medical facilities, if necessary. No Substantial Restrictions FDA did not place restrictions on the pill that abortion-rights activists feared, such as requiring doctors either to be surgical abortion practitioners or to be located within an hour of an emergency room. The FDA's review and approval of this drug has adhered strictly to our legal mandate and mission as a science-based public health regulatory agency. Physicians without surgical skills will still be able to prescribe the drug, provided they have a backup who can provide surgical intervention in cases of incomplete abortion or severe bleeding, a rare occurrence in 1 percent of the drug's users.